The 2014–15 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

in the

2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November with the 2K Sports Classic and ended with the Final Four in Indianapolis April 4–6. Practices officially began on October 3. Season headlines * May 14 – The NCAA a ...

. The Spartans, led by 20th year head coach

Tom Izzo Tom Izzo (, ); born January 30, 1955) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Michigan State University since 1995. On April 4, 2016, Izzo was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Izzo has led the Spart ...

, played their home games at the

Breslin Center The Jack Breslin Student Events Center is a multi-purpose arena at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. The arena opened in 1989, and is named for Jack Breslin, MSU alumnus, former athlete and administrator, who first began p ...

East Lansing, Michigan East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County, Michigan, Clinton County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

as members of the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

. MSU finished with a record of 27–12, 12–6 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. They defeated

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

to advance to the Big Ten tournament championship where they lost to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed in the East region. They defeated

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. There they defeated

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

and

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

to advance to the Final Four for the seventh time under Tom Izzo. There the Spartans lost to eventual National Champion,

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

Previous season

The

Spartans Sparta (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred t ...

finished the 2013–14 season with a record of 29–9, 12–6 in Big Ten play to finish in second place. They won the Big Ten tournament by defeating

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and received the conference's automatic bid as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, their 17th straight trip to the Tournament. They advanced to the Elite Eight, their eighth trip under Tom Izzo, before losing to eventual National Champion,

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Ha ...

. The Spartans lost

Adreian Payne Adreian DeAngleo Payne (February 19, 1991 – May 9, 2022) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic as well as for se ...

(16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game) and

Gary Harris Gary Harris (born September 14, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. High school career Harris atte ...

(16.7 points per game) to the NBA draft and

Keith Appling Keith Damon Appling (born February 13, 1992) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Michigan State Spartans men's basketball, Michigan State University. High school career Appling played high school ...

(11.2 points per game) to graduation (eventually to the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

) following the season.

Offseason

2014 recruiting class

Tom Izzo again went big in recruiting for the 2014 season and again was shunned. Michigan State made offers to

Cliff Alexander Cliff Alexander (born November 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Sagesse Club of the Lebanese Basketball League, he last played for Suwon KT Sonicboom of the Korean Basketball League. He completed his freshman season ...

Tyus Jones Tyus Robert Jones Sr. (born May 10, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for his hometown team the Minnesota Timberwolves for 4 seasons ...

Jahlil Okafor Jahlil Obika Okafor (pronounced ; born December 15, 1995) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Capitanes de Ciudad de México of the NBA G League. He played his freshman season of college basketball for the 2014–15 D ...

, and

Tyler Ulis Tyler Ulis (born January 5, 1996) is an American professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Kentucky Wildcats of the SEC. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. At Kentucky in 2015, he led his team in ass ...

, but all went to other schools. As a result, MSU signed only top 100 player, Lourawls Nairn, Jr. Analysts have argued that it is Izzo's unwillingness to cheat that has cost him some of these recruits.

Roster

Season summary

Michigan State was led by seniors

Travis Trice Travis Trice Jr. (born January 22, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for UCAM Murcia of the Spanish Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans, leading his team in points during the 2014–15 NCAA D ...

(15.3 points and 5.1 assists per game) and

Branden Dawson Branden James Dawson (born February 1, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for TaiwanBeer HeroBears of the T1 League. A native of Gary, Indiana, he attended Lew Wallace High School and played college basketball for the Michigan ...

(11.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game) and junior

Denzel Valentine Denzel Robert Valentine (born November 16, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. As a senior, Valentine became the first playe ...

(14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game). The Spartans started the season ranked No. 18 in the country. The Spartans had two players transfer to the team. Eron Harris transferred from

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. Under NCAA transfer rules, Harris had to redshirt for the 2014–15 season.

Bryn Forbes Bryn Jerrel Forbes (born July 23, 1993) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Cleveland State and Michigan Stat ...

transferred from

Cleveland State Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. ...

. The NCAA granted Forbes a waiver due to family hardship that allowed Forbes to play immediately without having sit out a season. MSU began the season with a trip to play

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

at the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...

. The Spartans survived a scare to win a close game 64–59. The Spartans then traveled to

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

to participate in the

Champions Classic The Champions Classic is an event that tips off the NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It features four of the top college basketball programs in the United States: Duke Blue Devils men's basketball, Duke, Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball, ...

, but were unable to outlast Duke (whom they would later meet in the Final Four), losing 81–71. MSU won their next four games, including wins over Santa Clara, Rider, and Marquette in the Orlando Classic. In the championship game of the Orlando Classic, the Spartans fell to No. 11

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

61–56. Despite the loss, MSU moved up to No. 19 in the polls. In the

ACC–Big Ten Challenge The ACC–Big Ten Challenge (or Big Ten–ACC Challenge as it was called in alternating years) was an in-season NCAA Division I men's college basketball series that matched up teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Big Ten Confer ...

, MSU could not hold off Notre Dame, losing in overtime 79–78. Wins followed against smaller schools including

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

and

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

before MSU was shocked by

Texas Southern Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,000 ...

at home in overtime. Following the loss, the Spartans went unranked the remainder of the season. They finished the non-conference season at 9–4. In the Big Ten season, the Spartans were swept by

and suffered bad losses to

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in overtime. However, the Spartans rallied late in the season, winning six of their last eight conference games including a win over No. 23

and wins at

and at Illinois. MSU finished the season in a three-way tie for third place in conference. The Spartans finished the season with an overall record of 21–10, 12–6 in the Big Ten regular season. The Spartans got hot in the Big Ten tournament beating Ohio State and No. 8 Maryland. They challenged No. 6

for the tournament title, eventually losing the Big Ten tournament Championship in overtime. The Spartans received an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament as a No. 7 seed in the East Region. The bid was MSU's 18th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. MSU beat

in the First Round and surprised No. 2-seeded and No. 6-ranked

in the Second Round. With the win, the Spartans advanced to their fourth straight Sweet Sixteen and seventh Sweet Sixteen in eight years. In the Sweet Sixteen, they faced No. 3-seeded and No. 13-ranked

. MSU defeated Oklahoma by four. Valentine scored 18 points and Trice contributed 24. The win sent MSU to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year and their fourth trip since 2009.

awaited the Spartans in the Elite Eight. The Spartans were pushed to overtime, but again came up with the victory, earning a trip to their seventh Final Four under Tom Izzo. Trice was named the Regional's MVP. In the Final Four, the Spartans fell to the eventual National Champions for the second straight season, losing a rematch of their Champions Classic game to

in the National Semifinal.

Schedule and results

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Player statistics

Rankings

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

Awards and honors

Post-season awards

Branden Dawson

* All Big Ten Second Team * Big Ten All-Defensive Team * NABCA All-District Second Team * USBWA All-District Team

Travis Trice

* All Big Ten Third Team * NCAA Tournament East Region Most Outstanding Player

Denzel Valentine

* All Big Ten Third Team * USBWA All-District Team * NCAA Tournament All-East Regional Team

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2014-15 Michigan State Spartans Men's Basketball Team Michigan State Spartans men's basketball seasons

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons 2014 in sports in Michigan 2015 in sports in Michigan