The Spartans, led by 19th-year head coach Tom Izzo, played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan as members of the Big Ten Conference.

As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, MSU's 17th straight trip.

1-seeded Virginia to reach the Elite Eight where they lost to eventual National Champion, UConn.

The Spartans lost Derrick Nix (9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game) to graduation following the season.

1 spot for three weeks while beating Columbia,[7] Portland,[8] Virginia Tech,[9] and Oklahoma to win the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

[11] The Spartans cruised through the remaining non-conference schedule, A win at Texas topped off an 11–1 non-conference record and left the Spartans ready to begin the Big Ten season ranked No.

[12] The Spartans won their first seven conference games with wins over Penn State,[13] Indiana (twice),[14][15] Minnesota,[16] Northwestern,[17] Illinois,[18] and No.

[19] Without Dawson and Payne due to injuries, MSU lost its first Big Ten game at home to No.

[20][21] The Spartans also lost to Georgetown in a non-conference game at Madison Square Garden on February 1.

As a result, MSU earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th consecutive year.