MSU Accounting and Information Systems associate professor and Senior Advisor to the Dean Matthew Anderson has attended every Big Ten tournament since its inception in 1998. A seasoned men's basketball fan, he has high hopes for this year's squad.
"I’m gonna say the Great Eight," Anderson said. "I have faith in Tom Izzo and the team is, I think coach Izzo said it best. We can beat anybody, and we can get beat by anybody. Given that our coaches have a lot of tournament experience, I’m predicting we’ll go our fair way."
Anderson was one of thousands of MSU supporters in Chicago to support the Spartans in the 2015 Big Ten tournament on Friday.
Before Maryland took on Indiana at 5:30 p.m. CT, numerous Spartan fans could be spotted entering the arena, hoping to catch a glimpse of MSU's potential Saturday opponent.
Brothers and 2008 MSU alumni Brett and Adam Tillman, from Brighton, Michigan, relocated to Chicago after graduating from MSU and were among the crowd of Spartan fans who went to United Center early to watch the Terrapins take on Indiana.
“It’s great," Adam said. "It’s fun to get all the Big Ten teams together. All the fans are having a good time. I was actually surprised how empty it was this morning, there weren’t a lot of people here. We just came from the bar though and almost every Big Ten team is represented, just having a good time together so it’s fun.”
Michigan native and Glenview, Illinois. resident JD Lathrop didn't go to MSU, but grew up a Spartan fan thanks to alumni within his family. He also predicted an Elite Eight run for this year's team.
"I don’t think we have the depth we’ve had in past years," Lathrop said. "I think Izzo will get the boys rallied and we’ll make a push to the Elite Eight."
Lake Forest, Illinois resident and Lake Forest High School senior Michael Smith was born a Spartan. Both of his parents are MSU graduates, and he has been accepted into MSU for the 2015-16 school year. Smith predicts a Sweet Sixteen run and said the fans are his favorite aspect of MSU.
"The fans are great, the fans are really loyal," Smith said. "That’s what I like to see. Every game I go to, there’s a ton of Michigan State fans."
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