Eventually, I will learn not to bet against Tom Izzo in the NCAA Tournament

Never bet against Tom Izzo in the NCAA Tournament.

You think we would have learned this by now.

Michigan State has been, well, a disappointment this season. Bringing back 2009 Big Ten player of the year Kalin Lucas to lead a team with quite a bit of talent coming off of a trip to the title game, many expected the Spartans to be a Final Four contender. Some even picked them to win the national title.

The Spartan's issues this season have been well-documented. Simply put, they lack leadership.

Now, leadership is not a simple thing to define. There are vocal leaders and quiet leaders. There are guys that lead in the locker room and guys that lead on the court. Some lead by example, others through motivating words.

Whatever the case, it wasn't there for Michigan State. Kalin Lucas was kicked out of a practice by Tom Izzo early in the season as a wake-up call. It didn't work. Later on, he named sophomore Draymond Green and senior Isaiah Dahlman as co-captains in addition to Lucas and Raymar Morgan. That didn't work either.

Despite that lack of leadership, Michigan State kept rolling along until Kalin Lucas sprained his ankle against Wisconsin. The Spartans would proceed to lose five of their last ten games, with the only quality win coming at a Purdue team playing their first game without Robbie Hummel.

That string included a loss to Minnesota in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.

In the Friday's first round game, Michigan State played a New Mexico State team that many believed had been over-seeded as a 12. But the Spartans still blew a 13 point halftime lead and needed a couple of friendly whistles to help them hold off the Aggies late.

Today, Michigan State was playing with an injured Chris Allen. They lost Kalin Lucas to what looks torn achilles tendon early in the second half. They had completely blown a 15 point second half lead.

It looked like Greivis Vasquez and the Maryland Terrapins were destined to win this game. Vasquez scored on an and-one to cut the lead to 80-74 at the two minute mark. Maryland forced a turnover, and Vasquez found Sean Mosley for a layup. Cliff Tucker picked up a steal, and eventually Vasquez knocked down a three to cut it to one with 1:30 left.

Delvon Roe would turn the ball over, and Vasquez answered with 38 seconds left, driving right and hitting a short jumped off the glass. At the other end, Green knocked down a 15 footer with 20 seconds left, but Vasquez again had the answer as he made the same move and hit the same shot to put the Terps up 83-82 with 6.6 seconds left.

Maryland seemed like a team of destiny.

But Green and Korie Lucious had other plans.

The ball was inbounded to Green, the Spartans power forward, who brought the ball up the floor. Keep in mind, even with Allen and Lucas out, Green was probably the fourth best option to bring the ball up the floor.

Izzo had three timeouts left. He didn't use one. (He did come very close, and while some may argue he tried to call timeout, I don't think he did.)

Instead, Green found Lucious, the Spartans back up point guard, on the opposite wing. Lucious threw a pump-fake, took one dribble to his left, and fired from the top of the key.

Buckets.



With that shot, the Spartans were in the Sweet 16. And once again, Izzo had led a team farther in the tournament than anyone expected them to get, further cementing a legacy as arguably the best NCAA Tournament coach in recent history.

Maybe ever.

And the Spartans run may not be over yet. They get Northern Iowa in the Sweet 16 (does anyone else see the irony in Izzo and the Spartans taking on the team that knocked out Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks?), and with a win could very well end up playing a fellow Big Ten team -- Ohio State -- in the Elite 8.

The Spartans reaching the Sweet 16 would not have surprised a soul in the preseason.

But how many of you had Michigan State in the Sweet 16 in this year's bracket?

Not me.

Once again, I got burned betting against Tom Izzo in March.

Sooner or later, I'm going to learn.