Michigan State's Cassius Winston celebrates after beating Ohio State on Sunday, March 8, 2020, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. The Spartans won a share of the Big Ten Championship. 200308 Msu Osu 252a Nick King/Lansing State Journal, Lansing State Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Tom Izzo's Teams He Thought Could Have Won Title

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Jul 18, 2025 2:02 PM ET

A lot of people knock Michigan State coach Tom Izzo for winning just one title in 30 years as the Spartans' head coach, despite eight appearances in the Final Four.

It shows how tough it truly is to win a 64-team tournament. You need a lot of things to go your way. One injury, one shooting slump, one shooting burst from the opponent -- you name it -- can make the difference in a tournament known for its upsets. There's a reason "madness" is in its name.

Izzo was asked by Big Ten Network's Rick Pizzo which teams he thought could have won a national title. It's fair to assume most fans would agree with his picks.

2013-14 (Lost to eventual national champion UConn in Elite Eight)

"I thought with Gary Harris in '14," Izzo said. "We get beat. We have a 9-point lead on UConn -- they went on to win it --in the Elite Eight.

That squad won the Big Ten title and earned the No. 4 seed in the East Region. The Huskies were a 7-seed, so the opportunity to advance to the Final Four was there for the taking.

Despite holding UConn to 22.7% shooting from deep, it was the play of Shabazz Napier, who went on to be named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, that made the difference, as he scored 25 points while adding six rebounds and four assists.

Ironically, the Spartans would make the Final Four the following year with a less talented team. And they just so happened to be a 7-seed.

2019-20 (COVID-19)

"And then, believe it or not, I thought the COVID year with Cassius (Winston), the year that he lost his brother early and he was really coming on at the end, Xavier (Tillman Sr.). We had a good team, and then, COVID hit; we were playing our best basketball."

Destiny was denied with this team, and most Spartan fans firmly believe it would have won it all.

The Spartans were coming off a Final Four run that included an upset over one of the most stacked teams of the modern era, No. 1 overall seed Duke. And down the stretch, they looked like they had the makings of a team that was going to run it back and get over the hurdle this time around.

"So, who knows?" Izzo said. "There's been some times that we got to a Final Four and we weren't that good."

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