Following Bridges and Jackson 's departures to the NBA , the 2018 – 19 team began the season ranked No. 10 in the country . The season was dominated by injuries to the Spartans . Starting guard Joshua Langford only played 13 games before missing the rest of the season with a foot injury . Key starter Matt McQuaid missed three games with injury and key reserve Kyle Ahrens missed nine games with back and ankle injuries . With five games remaining in the Big Ten regular season , big man Nick Ward suffered a hairline fracture in his shooting hand and missed the rest of the regular season . He returned in time for the postseason , but was not the same as he struggled to return to the lineup . Despite this , the Spartans earned a share of the Big Ten regular season championship with Purdue and defeated arch-rival Michigan twice in the regular season . Led by Big Ten Player of the Year Cassius Winston , the Spartans also won the Big Ten Tournament for the sixth time , again defeating Michigan in the championship game to go 3 – 0 against their rival . As the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament , the teams 22nd straight appearance in the Tournament , the Spartans defeated Bradley and Minnesota to advance to their first Sweet Sixteen in four years . In the Sweet Sixteen , the Spartans blew out No. 3 seed LSU to face top-seeded Duke in the Elite Eight . Despite having multiple first round NBA Draft picks , the Spartans knocked off the Blue Devils to earn a trip to the school 's 10th Final Four and eighth under Izzo . The win over Duke improved Izzo 's record to 2 – 11 against Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski . In the Final Four , the Spartans were upset by Texas Tech , ending the school 's bid for a third national championship . Winston led the Spartans , averaging 18.8 points and 7.5 assists per game
Big Ten Tournament
2019 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Michigan State Spartans men's basketball