Michigan State University Men's Basketball Tickets

Michigan State Spartans Men's Basketball History

Michigan State University first fielded a men's basketball team in 1898, less than a decade after the sport's invention. By 1957, the school won its first Big Ten title and made its first appearance in the Final Four under coach Forrest "Forddy" Anderson. Michigan State won its first national championship under Jud Heathcote in 1979. Earvin "Magic" Johnson helped lead the Spartans to a 75-64 victory in Salt Lake City against Larry Bird and the Indiana State Sycamores, beginning the legendary decade-long rivalry between the two. In 2000, Mateen Cleaves led the Spartans under Izzo to their second title, defeating the Florida Gators 89-76 in Indianapolis.

Under current coach Tom Izzo, Michigan State has reached new heights in college basketball. The 2018-19 season was especially momentous for the Spartans, with Michigan State winning their sixth conference tournament championship and 15th regular-season conference championship. Coach Izzo won his 600th game on March 15, 2019, defeating Ohio State 77-70 in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. Michigan State went on to reach that Final Four.

Michigan State Spartans Team Info

Conference: Big Ten
Team Colors: Green and white
Team Rivals: Michigan Wolverines, Purdue Boilermakers, Wisconsin Badgers

Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center

East Lansing, Michigan, is home to one of the premiere basketball programs in the Big Ten Conference. The Michigan State Spartans play at the Breslin Student Events Center, which opened in 1989 and seats 15,000. They are coached by Tom Izzo, a former assistant at MSU who replaced Jud Heathcote upon his retirement in 1995. The Spartans have won the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament twice, in 1979 and 2000, were finalists in 2009 and have been to the Final Four 10 times, most recently in 2019.