Michigan State Spartans men's basketball

The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Michigan State University. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I college basketball. The Spartans have won two NCAA championships and 16 Big Ten Championships. Their home games are played at the Breslin Student Events Center ("Breslin Center") in East Lansing, Michigan. Tom Izzo has been the head coach since 1995. Their two national championships came in the 1979 NCAA tournament and the 2000 NCAA tournament. The 1979 national championship game was the most watched college basketball game in history, with 35.11 million television viewers. The 1979 National Championship team was coached by Jud Heathcote and included tournament MVP Magic Johnson, Greg Kelser, and Jay Vincent. The Spartans defeated the previously unbeaten Indiana State, led by future Hall of Famer Larry Bird. The 2000 National Championship team defeated Florida in the final. The team was coached by Tom Izzo and led by players Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell, Jason Richardson, and tournament MVP Mateen Cleaves. The Spartans have participated in 36 NCAA tournaments and appeared in 25 consecutive NCAA tournaments (the 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the third-longest streak ever and the longest active streak in college basketball. Michigan State has the sixth most all-time Final Four appearances with 10 (1957, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2019) and has the winningest basketball team in the Big Ten under Tom Izzo. The program is also ninth all-time in NCAA tournament winning percentage (.686, through 2023). Team history