Tom Izzo is known throughout college basketball for his scheduling philosophy of playing anyone, anywhere. That philosophy has produced some brutal non-conference schedules in recent years, and, the logic goes, helped prepare his team for NCAA Tournament success.
But this year, Michigan State finds itself with a unique problem: its strength of schedule is too weak.
Michigan State's strength of schedule in the NCAA's formula is currently ranked No. 114. Among RPI top 50 teams, that's the fifth-worst ranking.
It wasn't pretty, but Michigan State escaped a tough five-game stretch unbeaten