Spartans intend to remain hungry during the Big Ten Tournament

Michigan State’s Tre Holloman holds a piece of the net following Sunday’s win over Michigan. The Spartans are seeded first in this week’s Big Ten Tournament. AL GOLDIS — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By Connor Earegood

The Detroit News

EAST LANSING >> Green and white confetti popped all over Breslin Center as Sunday’s regular season finale ended in a celebration for Michigan State men’s basketball. Having just knocked down rival Michigan 79-62, the Spartans raised a Big Ten championship banner to the rafters of a jam-packed Breslin Center. Players, coaches, alumni and family swelled and reveled in the accomplishment.

Time to put all that aside, because there’s another Big Ten banner on the line this weekend — the Big Ten tournament — which the Spartans head into as the top seed. Hosted at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Michigan State will face either an Oregon team it almost lost to or an Indiana team it actually lost to Friday at noon (BTN).

With so much to be satisfied with, staying hungry is important for Michigan State (26-5, 17-3 Big Ten) to keep its edge. This week stands to put that to the test. Whereas the finality of an NCAA Tournament draws out focus, conference tournaments can be a little tougher for a team that’s already proven something. It’s an easy week to let off the gas and get humbled.

“Do we fear that? Hell yes, because everybody’s human,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said Tuesday, after winning his fourth Big Ten coach of the year award. “Now everybody’s patting everybody on the back, making them feel good, and then … four days later, you gotta go play somebody that one beat you and the other one coulda beat you — shoulda beat you, maybe.”

Part of Michigan State’s motivation during its improbable run back to the conference penthouse was players’ hunger. Nobody had won anything, the Spartans collectively reminded each other. This year set out to be different.

It’s hard to say that no one has won anything with a banner in the rafters and fingers sized for rings. But Michigan State’s players still want more. That’s where they continue to draw motivation.

“The fact that we really haven’t done anything,” point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. said. “No one in here has got multiple Big Ten championships or Final Four appearances or stuff like that. So the end goal is to still win the national championship, but at the end of the day we want to win every game the rest of the year.”

There’s also a measure of preparation that the Big Ten Tournament format gives. Take it from guard Jaden Akins, the Spartans’ captain who has played in three of them already.

“Really, it’s the quick turnarounds you have,” Akins said. “A lot of walkthroughs in ballrooms.”

The ballrooms of the Big Ten tournament will give way to the Big Dance that needs no introduction. How Michigan State focuses will determine if its jubilant feel continues into the postseason.

Depth aiding rest

“Strength in numbers” has been the tagline for this Michigan State team for months, and it may actually have some health benefits as the home stretch of the season comes into view.

The Spartans’ division of minutes throughout the season has prevented an excess of wear and tear. Players missed games just three times in the regular season — Jase Richardson with concussion-like symptoms in November’s Maui Invitational, and Xavier Booker and Fears’ illness absences in February’s Oregon game. Michigan State enters the heart of March without the major injuries that have hampered other programs this season.

That’s a big deal heading into tournament time, when the grind of the schedule can be as much of a bear as the opponents themselves. March is a war of attrition as much as it’s a spectacle of excellence. That’s especially true for teams who play a lot of extra games in the conference tournament.

Izzo himself has seen it before, coaches of at-large bid teams who see early conference tournament losses as a chance to rest and recover for March Madness. Some years, he’s even seen the strain as his own teams have gone from Sunday’s Big Ten title game to a Thursday March Madness game.

“You know, we’re gonna tweak it and twist it like we do,” Izzo said of his profession. “I probably won’t. I’ll probably just be mad. But most people will try to do that and if you win it all. I’ve seen us win it all and play that last night and then get shipped out west and have to play Thursday, and maybe it does affect you.”

If the Spartans do go deep this weekend, history shows that’s a favorable result. The past two times Michigan State made it to Sunday’s championship game came in 2015 and 2019, both of which were Final Four years. The Spartans have made the championship game seven times since its inception in 1998, with six wins including the 2000 national championship year. This year’s condensed 15-team field may be one of the toughest, considering the worst three teams in the conference are cut out.

“There are going to be some good teams going on Thursday night,” Izzo said. “There’s going to be some good teams going on Friday night. There’s going to be some probably really good teams going on Saturday night. So we gotta learn how to handle it both ways, whichever one of us is in that situation.”