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Izzo Reveals Shocking Reasons These 3 Teams Fell Just Short of National Glory

Izzo Reveals Shocking Reasons These 3 Teams Fell Just Short of National Glory

Something I often find myself wondering about during the offseason is which of Tom Izzo’s many dominant teams were good enough to win a national championship but came up short. And it turns out, this is something Izzo has also thought about before.

  • Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo believes three of his teams could have won a national championship but fell short.
  • The three teams are the 2013-14, 2015-16, and 2019-20 squads.
  • The 2013-14 team lost in the Elite Eight, the 2015-16 team lost in the first round, and the 2019-20 team’s season was canceled due to COVID-19.
  • Izzo won his only national championship in 2000 and hopes to win another before retiring.

It’s one of those offseason questions that sticks with you — which Michigan State squads under Tom Izzo’s leadership were truly championship caliber but just didn’t get the job done? Well, Izzo himself has laid it out plainly, naming three teams that could have brought home another national title if things had shaken out differently. We’re talking about the 2013-14 crew that bowed out to UConn in the Elite Eight, the shock early exit of the 2015-16 team against Middle Tennessee State, and the heartbreaking 2019-20 season wiped away by the COVID-19 pandemic before the tournament even began. Izzo’s lone championship came in 2000, and he’s been chasing that elusive second ring ever since — with a fierce determination that’s hard not to admire. As someone who’s followed his career closely, I can’t help but agree — those teams had the talent, grit, and heart to win it all. Let’s dive deeper into what Izzo had to say about these near-misses, and what the future might hold for the Spartan legend. LEARN MORECheck out the whole clip of Izzo talking about these teams, as well as some other interesting notes from his interview with Pizzo in the video below:Izzo, of course, has won one national championship during his career in 2000, and has been chasing his second title ever since. He has came close on numerous occasions, including this past year when the Spartans reached the Elite Eight. Hopefully, before Izzo elects to hang it up, he’ll reach that pinnacle again and claim one more national championship at Michigan State.

  • 2013-14 team that lost to UConn in the Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament
  • 2015-16 team that lost to Middle Tennessee State in first round of NCAA Tournament
  • 2019-20 team that never got the chance to play in the NCAA Tournament due to COVID-19 cancellation

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Izzo recently sat down with Rick Pizzo of the Big Ten Network to discuss a number of topics surrounding his Spartans program and his own career. One of the items he discussed was the teams he thought were capable of winning a national championship but came up short. Can you guess which three teams he named?Here’s the list from the man who led those teams:

It’s painful to think about how each of those seasons came to an end, but I unfortunately have to agree with Izzo on each of those teams being capable of winning it all. I would also add the 2018-19 team that lost to Texas Tech in the Final Four as I would have liked the Spartans chances against Virginia in the title game had they beaten the Red Raiders.

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