When asked if this Final Four run has been more enjoyable than previous trips during his press conference at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday, Izzo said this one is a little more due to the surprise aspect of it.

"We weren't even ranked in the beginning of the year, although neither was Notre Dame and some other teams," Izzo said. "And they didn't complain about that. We understood where we were. We understood we had some things to prove."

Izzo has talked plenty about the unpredictability of the NCAA Tournament, and MSU's postseason performance this year compared to last year is a prime example. Last year's team was expected to win a national championship, and lost in the Elite Eight. For a moment during the regular season, some questioned if the Spartans would even qualify for the tournament.

It's April, and the Spartans have at least one game left.

"As far as last year, that was a devastating loss last year because we thought we had a chance to win a national championship with that team," Izzo said. "We didn't play well enough that day. That's what the beauty and the terror of this tournament is. You got to play well six straight games to win."

There's also an unpredictable element to the Final Four experience. Izzo said it's tough to properly express to players what they are in for.

"Just the experience of how to handle the media, how to tell your players what to expect," Izzo said. "Yet what's been fun for me is every Final Four I've gone to, I've told them what to expect, it doesn't even come close. Like I said to Trav yesterday, now you see why I was pushing so hard all year. He said 'Yeah, but this is way better than what you said.' That's kind of cool."

The players have been surprised by the amount of fan support they have received on the road. It was almost a home environment in Syracuse, New York on Sunday when MSU defeated Louisville to advance to the Final Four round.

"Even Syracuse last week, that felt like a home game, honestly," senior guard Travis Trice said. "There was a lot of green in there. It's been great. Even when we came back from winning the Elite Eight game, our arena was packed with our fans coming to see us home. They've been great and hopefully they continue it this weekend."