Fast forward to 2007 where the Spartans return preseason All-American Drew Neitzel, close to 90 percent of their scoring and feature a recruiting class with three top-flight freshmen guards.

The lofty preseason predictions, in which numerous magazines are listing MSU in the top ten nationally, leave head coach Tom Izzo and his players right where they want to be.

“I think the bulls-eye is back on us, and I’m really happy that it is,” Izzo said. “I’m happy that we’re regarded as a top echelon team in not only the Big Ten, but the country. It seems like everyone’s got us in the top two or three in the Big Ten and the top ten or 15 in the country, and those expectations are almost as good as our internal expectations and goals.”

Senior guard Drew Neitzel agreed that the Spartans are going to have a bulls-eye on their back but said that comes with being a part of the MSU program.

“Along with that ranking comes high expectations but that’s something we’re accustomed to here at Michigan State, is coming in with targets on our back and the high ranking,” Neitzel said. “Coach Izzo knows how to handle it, and he’s working us hard so far trying to prepare us for a championship run.”

High praise

Izzo praised junior guard Travis Walton’s leadership abilities and compared him to Mateen Cleaves, the three-time All-American who led the Spartans to two Final Fours and three Big Ten Championships.

“I’m not really enthralled with guys who are just leaders by example,” Izzo said. “I’m looking for guys who are dragging other people with them, and he is one of those guys and could be one of the best we’ve ever had.”

While Walton was honored by the comparison, he didn’t exactly agree with his coach on the assessment, saying he has a lot of work to do before being mentioned in the same breath as Cleaves.

“He was a winner, and I don’t have anything on my finger yet,” he said. “Until I get something on my finger or get some championships back where they belong, is when I can start accepting those comparisons.”

Remaining elite

Earlier this year, ESPN put together a list of the top college basketball programs of the last 10 years in which MSU was tied for second. ESPN analyst Andy Katz voted MSU as the most successful program, citing not only its 10 straight NCAA appearances, four Final Fours and 2000 National Championship, but also its facilities, attendance and graduation rate as key reasons that set MSU apart from other programs.

Izzo said that past players from the program have earned that honor, and it’s up to the current players to continue it.

“That was a nice thing, to save the article and put it up and feel good about it for the first 10 years, but let’s see what we do about it in the next 10 years,” he said. “This would be a good time now to see if we can move forward and not forget those great guys that we’ve had, but realize that they built their part of the wing and maybe these guys are going to build their side of it.”