March Madness has come to the Motor City.
Michigan State is here. So is Spartan Nation.
This is your final warning to have your bracket close at hand and to order enough beer and pizza for the festivities. We also thought we would take these last few hours before tipoff to reflect on the year that was. We also threw in some tidbits, history and some enjoyable — sometimes maddening — memories from MSU’s previous trips to the Big Dance.
Thousands of fans were on hand for the Spartans’ open practice session Thursday. The chants of “Go Green! Go White!” have already started echoing throughout the building. Here’s an A to Z rundown of some of the things to watch for this weekend in Detroit:
A: Arena. As in, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit’s newest 20,491-seat sports venue will play host to the Spartans in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. A pro-Michigan State crowd will hope for two games at the new home of the Red Wings and Pistons.
B: The 25-9 Bucknell Bison rolled through the Patriot League this year, posting a 16-2 mark in conference play. MSU’s opening round opponent has won 18 of its last 19 games, including an eight-game winning streak to close out the season. Bucknell is no stranger to the Big Dance or an upset. In 2005, the Bison knocked off No. 3-seed Kansas.
C: Cassius. As in Cassius Winston. The sophomore point guard is one of the top 3-point shooters in the nation, shooting 53 percent from beyond the arc. The Detroit native and third-team All-Big Ten selection averages 12.6 points per game, and dishes out assists at a clip of seven per contest. His smile alone is worth the price of admission.
D: Denied. Jaren Jackson, the Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Ten, blocked a school record 104 shots during his first season in East Lansing. To put that in perspective, MSU was the top shot-blocking team in the country with 243. Enjoy him while he lasts, Spartan nation. This might be it for the future NBA Lottery pick.
E: Elite. Believe it or not, this was the best season in Michigan State basketball history, record-wise. The Spartans’ 29-4 mark has them sitting No. 5 in the nation, entering the tournament. MSU secured a No. 3 seed after falling in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament. Its reward — a 93-mile drive to Detroit for the first weekend.
F: The Final Four, of course. If Tom Izzo gets his team to San Antonio this spring, it will be his eighth trip since 1999, the best mark in the nation. The last time the Spartans were one of the last four teams standing was 2015. Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn and Gavin Schilling, current Spartans, were on that team.
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G: For Garland. As in MSU assistant coach Mike Garland, whose bedtime story might just do the trick this weekend in the Motor City. Garland has been known to deliver an inspirational speech or two before a big game. His magic has worked more times than not. And his players, past and present, all agree that there is always a message behind every tale, no matter how far-fetched it may be.
H: History. It’s on the Spartans' side. Well, kind of. We can mention the dreaded university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, that sent MSU packing in 2016 or the early exit in 2017, thanks to the Kansas Jayhawks, but let’s talk about team history. The Spartans boast a winning percentage of .681 in postseason play. That’s good enough for the seventh-best mark in the history of the NCAA tournament.
I: For Izzo, of course. Since 1995, MSU's Hall of Fame coach has taken the Spartans to seven Final Fours, including a national championship in 2000. To think, some people didn’t want the Yooper to replace Jud Heathcote back in the day. Good luck getting someone to admit that was a mistake.
J: How about three J's as in Jaren Jackson Jr. MSU’s 6-foot-10 freshman forward is one of the most dominant big men in the nation. That’s when he isn’t in foul trouble and on the bench. Jackson averages more than 11 points per game and can step back and hit a three, too. The Indiana native attempted 96 shots from beyond the arc this season, connecting on 38 of them.
K: As in Coach K. Not to look ahead ... but if the Spartans make it to the Sweet 16, they would most likely meet their nemesis, coach Mike Krzyzewski, and his Duke Blue Devils. Izzo is 1-11 against the Dookies. (Honorable mention in the K category: Kansas. Another team MSU could face in Omaha.)
L: Losses. There weren’t many of them this season, but two in particular hurt the most. During their lone meeting in the regular season, the Spartans fell at home to the Michigan Wolverines, 82-72. In the much-anticipated rematch, John Beilein’s boys once again bested Izzo and the Spartans, 75-64. This time it was in the Big Ten tournament. MSU and its fans are ready to get that taste out of their mouths.
M: Who else? Miles Bridges came back for this moment. Bridges has to be the Spartans' best player in, likely, his last stand in green and white. So far, he has been. The sophomore from Flint led the team with 16.9 points per game to go along with 88 assists and 21 steals. Bridges wants to go out with a bang. This is his chance.
N: National championships. MSU has two of them in school history. A guy named Magic Johnson brought the first one back to East Lansing in 1979. Mateen Cleaves and few other roughnecks from Flint captured the second back in 2000. Final Fours are nice — Izzo has seven of them — but he hasn’t reached the ultimate goal in nearly two decades.
O: Offense. Led by Bridges, the Spartans average 81 points per game, which is only good for 40th best in the country. But MSU is the top-assist team in the nation, with 19.3 per game, led by Winston, who finished with 225. The Spartans have the sixth best field-goal percentage in the country at 50.4 per game, and are fifth in 3-point percentage. Not too shabby.
P: Percentage. As in 3-point percentage. This is an area that MSU has excelled in this season, connecting on 41.3 percent from distance as a team. Winston is the top 3-point shooter (52 percent), followed by Josh Langford (42) and Matt McQuaid (41).
Q: Questions. A few questions surround this program on the court after a hard-to-swallow loss to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament. Can this team score consistently? Can Langford step up in crunch time? Can Jackson stay out of foul trouble? Does this team have a closer? Can this team avoid turnovers and scoring droughts? It’s tournament time … Insert question here.
R: Rebounding. The Spartans own the No. 1 rebounding margin in the country, dominating the glass to the tune of nearly 41 rebounds a game. That is 10 more a game than their opponents. Nick Ward is a big reason for that. The sophomore from Ohio leads MSU with 239 boards on the year. That is 17 more than Bridges.
S: Selfish. Izzo is looking for a selfish player. Yes, you heard that right. And yes, Miles Bridges, he is talking about you. The high-flying sophomore did lead the team, averaging nearly 17 points a game this season. But his coach wants him to take charge more. So do most fans.
T: Twenty-one. That’s how many years in a row the Spartans have made the NCAA tournament. That’s the third-longest streak in the nation. Unfortunately for MSU, the last two trips to March Madness have just been maddening, including that still-hard-to-believe loss to MTSU and a tournament-ending defeat at the hands of Kansas in the second round last season in Tulsa. Still, 21 straight trips is something to celebrate.
U: Upset alert. MSU has officially been warned. It’s known to happen in March, and this fan base doesn’t have to look any further than two years ago to realize that it can happen to the best of them. The Spartans are the No. 3 seed in Detroit, facing 14th-seeded Bucknell on Friday night. The Bison have knocked off Kansas and Arkansas in their history. This year, they gave North Carolina plenty of trouble and were up double-digits against a healthy Maryland team on the road before falling short.
V: Veterans. Nairn and Schilling enter the NCAA tournament with more experience than anyone else on the Spartans’ roster. Both suited up for MSU in the 2015 Final Four. Both will be leaned on to lead in what fans hope is a six-game stretch that ends in San Antonio. Sixth-year senior Ben Carter has been around the block, too.
W: For winner. Will it be MSU, which seems to be a popular pick among many to win it all. Las Vegas gives the Spartans 8/1 odds to capture the national title. Former President Barack Obama picked MSU in his bracket. So did Shaquille O’Neal, Jay Bilas, Dick Vitale and Seth Greenberg. The only teams with better odds to cut down the nets, according to the fellas in Sin City are Villanova (5/1), Virginia (5/1) and Duke (7/1).
X: Xavier Tillman. Izzo loves the freshman big man from Grand Rapids, especially his defensive IQ and strong hands. Izzo said to expect to see “X” make an impact in the tournament. He would also love contributions off the bench from Kenny Goins, McQuaid, Schilling, Nairn and Carter.
Y: Youth movement. The Spartans' starting five boasts exactly zero upperclassmen. Jackson is a freshman, to go along with sophomores Bridges, Langford, Ward and Winston. MSU is one of the youngest teams in the country. It also has the luxury of subbing in a wealth of talent and experience off the bench. Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how young this squad is.
Z: Zach Thomas. This guy is good. Bucknell’s 1,000-point scorer nearly averages a double-double, scoring 20.3 a night while pulling down 9.2 rebounds an outing. The 6-foot-7, senior forward is the 2018 Patriot League Player of the Year. Seven times he was named Player of the Week in the League. That’s a record.
Contact Cody Tucker at (517) 377-1070 or cjtucker@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @CodyTucker_LSJ.