COACH: Tom Izzo, 16 years at Michigan State, 14 years in NCAA tournament.
HOW THEY GOT IN: At-large bid.
GO-TO GUYS: After rupturing his left Achilles' tendon during last year's NCAA tournament, senior point guard Kalin Lucas needed time to regain all of his quickness this season. That apparently occurred in late January, when a 27-point night against Michigan triggered a late-season spree where the second-team all-Big Ten pick averaged 21.8 points in MSU's final 11 regular-season games. Alas, Lucas injured his right ankle during the Big Ten tournament opener against Iowa and likely will be gimpy for the postseason. Junior forward Draymond Green, a third-team all-Big Ten selection, continues to be the Spartans' stat-sheet stuffer. He averaged 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals through the Iowa game. Senior guard Durrell Summers averages almost 12 points per game, but he has just one double-figure effort since February began.
X FACTOR: Junior power forward Delvon Roe, a can't-miss prospect out of high school, has battled leg issues throughout his career. The pain returned with a vengeance in the middle of February and he has been playing 22 minutes per game off the bench since. If he can provide seven points and seven rebounds instead of four points and two rebounds, that's a big difference for the Spartans.
STRENGTHS: Nobody else in America has four core players (Lucas, Green, Summers and Roe) who have guided their team to a pair of Final Fours. That counts for something in March. The Spartans continue to be a squad that wins the boards every night and they can be a lockdown defensive team more often than not. MSU also has four solid 3-point shooters in Summers, Lucas, Green and freshman Keith Appling.
WEAKNESSES: Izzo has changed lineups and rotations like underwear this season in an effort to find five guys who can be focused at the same time. Will March Madness bring out the best in a senior like Summers? Will freshmen Appling and Adreian Payne rise in the spotlight? MSU also turns over the ball way too often for a team with veteran guards — almost 14 per game.
