MSU Men's Basketball Head Coach Tom Izzo hasn’t thought much of the accomplishment until this year after the topsy-turvy 2020 and 2021 seasons that featured no postseason and a season that was impacted by canceled games. 

But after seeing fellow blue bloods Duke and Kentucky miss out on the tournament last year, Izzo has gained more appreciation for the level of consistent success for the past quarter-century. The absence of Duke last year puts MSU’s streak as the second-longest active tournament streak behind Kansas, who has made it to the postseason 32 straight years. 

The Spartans’ streak is so long that is surpasses the next five Big Ten teams that are currently on a streak. Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin have made it a combined 23 years in a row on their respective postseason streaks, one year short of what MSU has accomplished themselves. 

“I gotta start realizing that it is a privilege, it is something to celebrate,” Izzo said. “It is something to feel good about. And I will say this in closing, I think our players are excited. I think they've been through the dirt.”

The players from Izzo’s 24th straight tournament team agree. They are ready for postseason ball and are excited for the opportunity to finally compete in a “normal” tournament after having to jump through hoops for the past two seasons. 

Many members of the team were around last year for MSU’s First Four matchup with eventual runner-up UCLA but that game took place in an empty gym in West Lafayette. MSU had to go about their business without the usual bells and whistles that surround the most prestigious tournament in college sports. A year before that, there wasn’t even a tournament. COVID-19 made sure of it.

So nearly every single player on Michigan State has little to no quality NCAA tournament experience despite playing on a team that has been making the tournament annually since before they were born. 

The moment could be overwhelming for some, but the Spartans are just focused on enjoying the moment and carrying over the confidence from their 2-1 weekend at the Big Ten Tournament. 

“Just enjoying the moment,” sophomore point guard A.J. Hoggard said. “Gabe (Brown) tells me this before the games, everybody doesn't get to do things we get to do. So just being a kid growing up watching the tournament, making your own brackets and just finally being a part of it in a real setting it's just something so surreal. So just taking it in, get my mind right, preparing and be ready to win and get the job done.”

The only players on the roster with tournament experience in a non-COVID year are the seniors that were around for MSU’s 2019 final four run led by Cassius Winston. Seniors Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham Jr. played sparingly as freshmen during that run but are hopeful they can convey their experience to the rest of the team. 

“I'm just trying to get my guys ready as a captain,” Brown said. “I'm gonna try to lead as best as I can to try and just come up with a win at the end of the day."

Players like junior forward Julius Marble II and junior forward Malik Hall were around for the late-season flurry to secure one of the final at-large bids for the 2021 NCAA tournament, but haven’t seen the pageantry of a normal tournament after only their families were allowed to watch them in the loss to UCLA.

Even though they are juniors, they are getting their first true taste of the Big Dance on Friday when they take on 10-seeded Davidson in the first round.

The relative inexperience coupled with up-and-down performances in the second half of the season could have shrouded this team in doubt heading into possibly the last game of the season, but the team is filled with confidence after a strong showing in the Big Ten tournament that ended with a close loss to Purdue in the semifinals.

“I think it's always exciting when you're finding new things out about yourself,” Hall said. “Life is full of change and full of growing so I think as we continue to grow and go into this tournament I think we'll just continue to get better and everybody will continue to learn more things about each other and about themselves as games go on.”