The 2005 – 06 Spartans opened the season with a loss to Hawaii before losing to No. 8 Gonzaga led by Adam Morrison in triple overtime in the Maui Classic . Despite this , MSU ended the non-conference schedule at 12 – 2 and ranked No. 7 in the country . Early Big Ten losses followed by late season losses in conference left the Spartans 8 – 8 in the Big Ten . In the Big Ten Tournament , MSU defeated Purdue and No. 9 Illinois before being defeated by No. 20 Iowa in the semifinals . The Spartans received an at-large bid as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament , their ninth consecutive trip to the Tournament . In the Tournament , they lost to eventual Final Four Cinderella , George Mason , in the First Round . Following the season , Shannon Brown declared for the NBA Draft , leaving the Spartans one year prior to graduation , just the fourth player under Izzo to declare early
Big Ten Tournament
2006 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Michigan State Spartans men's basketball