Program history
Michigan State
in the tournament.
Michigan State appears in 39 tournaments in this archive, between 1957 and 2026, with an all-time record of 78–37. 2 of them ended with the net coming down: 1979 and 2000.
It has also lost the title game once: 2009.
In its opening game it is 6–6. 11 of its 18 games decided by three points or fewer went its way.
Its biggest upset as the underdog came in 2023, when a 7th seed beat the 2nd-seeded Marquette 69–60. The reverse happened in 2016: as a 2nd seed it lost to the 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee 90–81.
Its longest run of consecutive appearances is 28, from 1998 to 2026. Its longest absence ran 19 years, between 1959 and 1978. It has met Duke 7 times, more than any other opponent.
This archive carries no numeric seed before 1979. Since then it has entered as high as a 1st seed and as low as an 11th.
- 39 Appearances
- 78–37 All-time record
- 2 Titles
Season by season
| Year | Seed | Record | Coach | Conference | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | — | 16–10 | Forddy Anderson | Big Ten | Fourth Place |
| 1959 | — | 19–4 | Forddy Anderson | Big Ten | Regional Runner-up |
| 1978 | 1 | 25–5 | Jud Heathcote | Big Ten Conference | Regional Runner-up |
| 1979 | 2 | 26–6 | Jud Heathcote | Big Ten Conference | Champion |
| 1985 | 10 | 19–10 | Jud Heathcote | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round 1 to UAB, 68–70 |
| 1986 | 5 | 23–8 | Jud Heathcote | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Regional semifinals to Kansas, 86–96 (OT) |
| 1990 | 1 | 28–6 | Jud Heathcote | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Regional semifinals to Georgia Tech, 80–81 (OT) |
| 1991 | 5 | 19–11 | Jud Heathcote | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round 2 to Utah, 84–85 (OT) |
| 1992 | 5 | 22–8 | Jud Heathcote | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round 2 to Cincinnati, 65–77 |
| 1994 | 7 | 20–12 | Jud Heathcote | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round 2 to Duke, 74–85 |
| 1995 | 3 | 22–6 | Jud Heathcote | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round 1 to Weber State, 72–79 |
| 1998 | 4 | 22–8 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Regional Semifinal to North Carolina, 58–73 |
| 1999 | 1 | 33–5 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the National Semifinal to Duke, 62–68 |
| 2000 | 1 | 32–7 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | champion |
| 2001 | 1 | 28–5 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the National Semifinal to Arizona, 61–80 |
| 2002 | 10 | 19–12 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round of 64 to NC State, 58–69 |
| 2003 | 7 | 22–13 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Regional Final to Texas, 76–85 |
| 2004 | 7 | 18–12 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round of 64 to Nevada, 66–72 |
| 2005 | 5 | 26–7 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the National Semifinal to North Carolina, 71–87 |
| 2006 | 6 | 22–12 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round of 64 to George Mason, 65–75 |
| 2007 | 9 | 23–12 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to North Carolina, 67–81 |
| 2008 | 5 | 27–9 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Memphis, 74–92 |
| 2009 | 2 | 31–7 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the championship game to North Carolina, 72–89 |
| 2010 | 5 | 28–9 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the national semifinal to Butler, 50–52 |
| 2011 | 10 | 19–15 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 64 to UCLA, 76–78 |
| 2012 | 1 | 29–8 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Louisville, 44–57 |
| 2013 | 3 | 27–9 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Duke, 61–71 |
| 2014 | 4 | 29–9 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the regional final to UConn, 54–60 |
| 2015 | 7 | 27–12 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the national semifinal to Duke, 61–81 |
| 2016 | 2 | 29–6 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Middle Tennessee, 81–90 |
| 2017 | 9 | 20–15 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Kansas, 70–90 |
| 2018 | 3 | 30–5 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Syracuse, 53–55 |
| 2019 | 2 | 32–7 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the national semifinal to Texas Tech, 51–61 |
| 2021 | 11 | 15–13 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the opening round to UCLA, 80–86 (OT) |
| 2022 | 7 | 23–13 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Duke, 76–85 |
| 2023 | 7 | 21–13 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Kansas State, 93–98 (OT) |
| 2024 | 9 | 20–15 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 32 to North Carolina, 69–85 |
| 2025 | 2 | 30–7 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the regional final to Auburn, 64–70 |
| 2026 | 3 | 27–8 | Tom Izzo | Big Ten Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to UConn, 63–67 |
How the games went
| Round | W–L |
|---|---|
| Opening | 6–6 |
| Round of 64 | 28–7 |
| Round of 32 | 18–5 |
| Round of 8 | 9–3 |
| Semifinal | 15–15 |
| Final | 2–1 |
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