Tom Izzo’s quest to extend his record of 26 straight NCAA tournament appearances is well underway.
He has Michigan State basketball back in the top 25, coming in last week at No. 19 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, and playing at a high level again with a renewed vigor that should make it 27 in a row come Selection Sunday in March.
There are a number of criteria the selection committee looks at in order to make its assessment in addition to subjective assessments like the “eyeball test.” Among them:
Record: The team’s overall record, conference record, and nonconference record.
Strength of schedule: The strength of the teams the team played against.
Head-to-head results: The results of games between the teams being compared.
Conference championships: Whether a conference championship was won in the regular season, or tournament.
Common opponents: The results of games against common opponents.
Adjusted Net Efficiency (NET): The NCAA’s preferred metric measuring a team’s overall performance during the regular season.
Team Value Index: A results-oriented component of the NET that ranks teams based on who they beat and where they played.
Rating Percentage Index (RPI): A formula that ranks teams using a team’s winning percentage, opponents’ success and opponents’ strength of schedule.
Each week moving forward, the Free Press will take a look back at the Spartans’ previous week and assess how their résumé has changed and stacks up to the competition.
Michigan State basketball results last week
Dec 17: 77-58 win over Oakland at Little Caesars Arena — It’s becoming an annual event, with Oakland’s Greg Kampe for the second time coercing Izzo to wear an ugly Christmas sweater when their teams meet. But the end remained the same as always — MSU pulling away to a victory, and two good friends sharing the postgame dais and turning it into their dry run for a summer standup stint in the Catskills. This time, the Spartans withstood a 15-point first-half barrage from Oakland’s DQ Cole, with redshirt freshman Jeremy Fears Jr. taking over defensive duties in the second half and stifling the Grizzlies guard. Jaden Akins and Jaxon Kohler then combined for 11 straight MSU points, and Xavier Booker scored 11 of his career-high 18 after halftime to make for an easy victory in the end. Izzo and the Spartans improved to 23-0 against Kampe and Oakland, and 9-2 this season.
Dec. 21: 86-69 home win over Florida Atlantic — The Owls presented a bigger and more athletic challenge that the Spartans summarily dispatched with ease to improve to 10-2, thanks in large part to their depth and lineup versatility with the pieces Izzo has assembled. Sophomore Coen Carr put on an epic showcase with five dunks, a highlight reel blocked shot and his first collegiate 3-pointer as part of his career-high 17-point, eight-rebound performance. Fears also posted a career high with 13 points to go with eight assists as all 10 rotation regulars scored and nine of them had at least one rebound.
Net rankings: No. 24 (Last week: No. 21)
All rankings entering Sunday’s games.
Quad 1 record: 1-2.
Quad 2 record: 2-0.
Quad 3 record: 3-0.
Quad 4 record: 4-0.
KenPom rankings: No. 22 (Last week: No. 20)
All rankings entering Monday.
Offensive efficiency: No. 33.
Defensive efficiency: No. 15.
Bracketology projections
ESPN: 5-seed in East Region: Newark (as of Dec. 17).
On3: 5-seed in West Region: Seattle (as of Dec. 18).
T3 Bracketology: 5-seed (as of Dec. 15).
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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