The 2004–05 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by 10th-year head coach Tom Izzo, played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were members of the Big Ten Conference. MSU finished the season 25–7, 13–3 to finish in second place in the Big Ten. They received a bid to the NCAA tournament for the eighth consecutive year and advanced to the Final Four before losing to eventual National Champion North Carolina. Previous season The Spartans finished the 2003–04 season 18–12, 12–4 in Big Ten play to finish in third place. They lost in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament to Wisconsin. They received a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, their seventh straight trip to the Tournament, and lost in the First Round to Nevada Season summary The Spartans were led by senior Alan Anderson (13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game), juniors Maurice Ager (14.1 points per game) and Paul Davis (12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game), and sophomore Shannon Brown (10.9 points per game). They began the season ranked No. 13 in the country. The Spartans struggled early in the non-conference schedule, beginning 3–2 with losses to No. 10 Duke in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and George Washington in the BB&T Classic. MSU won their remaining non-conference games to finish the non-conference schedule with a record of 8–2 and ranked No. 20 in the country. The Spartans cruised through the Big Ten, only losing three games, including a loss to No. 1 Illinois and finished second in conference to Illinois. MSU finished the regular season with a 13–3 conference record and 22–5 overall while being ranked No. 13 in the country. The Spartans lost in the quarterfinals in the Big Ten tournament to Iowa. Michigan State received an at-large bid as a No. 5 seed in the Austin Regional of the NCAA tournament, their eighth straight appearance in the Tournament under Tom Izzo. After having exited in the First Round the prior year, the Spartans faced Old Dominion in the First Round in the dreaded 5 vs. 12 seed matchup. The Spartans trailed by five at half time, 42–37, but rallied to pull out the victory, 89–81. In the Second Round, MSU faced No. 13 seed Vermont. Led by Maurice Ager's 19 points, the