The 2016–17 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by 22nd-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. They finished the season 20–15, 10–8 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place. In the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Penn State in the second round before losing to Minnesota in the quarterfinals. They received a bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 9 seed in the Midwest region. The bid marked the 20th straight bid to the NCAA Tournament for the Spartans, the fourth-longest streak ever and third-longest active streak. They defeated No. 8-seeded Miami in the First Round before losing to No. 1-seeded Kansas in the Second Round. The 15 losses by MSU were the second most ever under Tom Izzo, behind only his 16 losses in his first season as head coach at MSU. Previous season The Spartans finished the 2015–16 season with a record of 29–6, 13–5 to finish in second place in Big Ten play. MSU won the Big Ten tournament and received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, their 19th straight trip to the Tournament. As a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region, they were upset by No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee in the First Round. The Spartans were led by Player of the Year winner Denzel Valentine, 19.2 points, 7.8 assists, and 7.5 rebounds per game, Bryn Forbes, 14.4 points per game, and Matt Costello, 10.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Offseason Summary The Spartans lost their top three scorers from the previous season in Valentine, Forbes, and Costello, all seniors. Deyonta Davis declared for the NBA draft, leaving after only one season with the Spartans. Davis became only the second player to leave MSU for the NBA after just one year. Javon Bess and Marvin Clark also announced they would transfer to another school. In all, five of the Spartans top six scorers from 2015 to 2016 did not return. On May 4, 2016, UNLV graduate transfer, Ben Carter, announced he would transfer to Michigan State. He was eligible to play immediately. Carter, a 6-foot 9 inch forward, averaged 8.6 points, 6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 24 minutes per game prior