Tom Izzo previews Michigan State's NCAA tournament opener vs. Bucknell. Chris Solari/Detroit Free Press
EAST LANSING — Unprompted on Tuesday, Tom Izzo brought up a ghost from Michigan State’s past.
He compared this year’s first-round NCAA tournament opponent, Bucknell, to the Middle Tennessee State team that stunned the Spartans in the 2016 opening round and ended their hope for a national title.
“I think it’s a team that I look at them and they’re as good or better than Middle Tennessee and similar,” Izzo said, “except they’re bigger.