Spartans to march West

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Gentlemen, start your engines.

After a dispiriting showing this weekend at the Big Ten Tournament, the MSU men’s basketball team hits the road in a new race, but with the same objective: Reach the finish line in Indianapolis and cut down the nets at the Final Four.

The Spartans found out their NCAA Tournament fate Sunday night: They’ll be a No. 5 seed and will open play at 7:20 p.m. Friday against New Mexico State (22-11) in Spokane, Wash. The Aggies beat Utah State to win the Western Athletic Conference Tournament last week and have never squared off against the Spartans.

“I’m excited,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. “It’s kind of do-or-die time. This is the best time. It’s one and done.”

Helping to keep the Spartans (24-8) from going home will be junior guard Chris Allen, who Izzo announced would dress for Friday’s game after a one-game suspension. The Spartans also should be well rested — it will be just their third game in 13 days — and will go through the rigorous film and scouting sessions for which Izzo and his program are known.

“We’ve still got something to prove,” junior guard Kalin Lucas said. “A lot of people didn’t think we were a Final Four team last year, and we had to prove ourselves. This year, we feel like we can do the same thing.”

Should the Spartans win, they’ll face the winner of the game between No. 4 seed Maryland and No. 13 seed Houston on Sunday. Moving on to the Sweet 16 likely would ensure a regional semifinal rematch against Kansas, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, in St. Louis the following weekend.

The teams don’t have any common opponents, but the Aggies have three wins against tournament teams — one against Texas-El Paso and two against Utah State, both No. 12 seeds.

New Mexico State — with five players averaging double-digit scoring — is 11th in the country in 3-point field goals per game (8.6) while the Spartans finished Big Ten play first in the conference in 3-point field goal defense (32 percent). The Aggies are the No. 252 team in rebounding margin (-2.1), while the Spartans are No. 1 in the nation ( 9.3).

The Spartans have never played a tournament game in Spokane, home of former MSU head coach Jud Heathcote — a motivational tool Izzo said will work in itself.

“I just told my team, instead of the sledgehammers and all the things we’ve done, now they have to fear going out and playing in front of Jud,” Izzo said. “He probably willed us there. Now they’re going to feel the wrath of him around. Hopefully that’ll make them feel a little better.”

A preseason top-5 team, the Spartans’ loss to Minnesota on Friday likely factored significantly into the tournament committee’s decision to send the Spartans out West, instead of to first-round locales such as Milwaukee, Wis., or Buffalo, N.Y.

The Spartans are 48-22 in 23 NCAA Tournament appearances and have played in a nation-best five Final Fours in the last 11 years under Izzo.

It’s MSU’s 13th straight NCAA Tournament, but the eighth time in the last nine years the Spartans have been a five seed or worse.

“If we’re a sleeper this year, that’s good,” Izzo said.

“That means we’re on somebody’s mind — that they’re thinking something of us. Would I rather be called a favorite? Probably, but I don’t think we’ve deserved that role this year. But I think that is respect that we could do something in March. I’m just crazy enough to think we could do something in March.”

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