But what else would you expect?

This team, like so many others before it, was built on toughness. Its coach is the Magical Man of March — a constantly overachieving workaholic whose accomplishments in this great tournament are unmatched.

In the last decade, MSU men’s basketball personifies the NCAA Tournament as much as “One Shining Moment” and scissors cutting through twine.

“I’m proud of this bunch for sucking it up and finding what it takes to win,” said Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the most famous Spartan of them all, said after the game before embracing MSU head coach Tom Izzo on the floor. “This team — it was supposed to be here all along.”

It’s debatable whether this team has underachieved, overachieved or fit the bill. Expectations in November differ from those in March. The Spartans went from a preseason top-5 team to having an outside chance at a conference title.

After bowing out of the Big Ten Tournament as soon as they arrived, MSU became a highlighted 5-12 upset pick. But come March, things change.

Players become legends, Izzo inches closer to becoming one of the greatest to ever stand on the sideline and games become more than box scores.

They become defining moments.

If there’s one thing we must now know for sure, it’s that Izzo is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and maybe the best coach of his generation for what he does in the postseason. Not only is he 35-11 in the tournament and 16-3 in the second day of a tournament weekend, but now he joins Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and UCLA’s John Wooden as the only two coaches to lead schools to six Final Fours in 12 seasons.

“Tom Izzo’s the key,” Johnson said. “It’s a great job by Tom Izzo again. He’s the best in the nation.”

Final Fours are a great accomplishment. No coach — even one who has made it six times in the last 12 years — takes it lightly. But as the Spartans have come to have such great success in March, more is expected.

“There is nothing greater than going to a Final Four, that I know of,” Izzo said, before he paused briefly. “Other than maybe winning it.”

The race to this title is wide open and the Spartans have more experience in national semifinals than two of the other three schools combined.

The weekend in Indianapolis features a lot of surprises and unfamiliarity — just one No. 1 seed (Duke, which could have easily been a two), a team that had never even played in a regional final (Butler) and a team that hasn’t been to the Final Four since the man on the NBA logo was bringing the ball up the floor (West Virginia).

If there’s one constant, it’s the Spartans. MSU is heading back to the Final Four.

Would you expect anything less?

Joey Nowak is a State News men’s basketball reporter. He can be reached at nowakjo2@msu.edu.