2008 – 09 Michigan State Spartans men 's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2008 – 09 NCAA Division I men 's basketball season . They were led by head coach Tom Izzo who was in his 14th year as head coach . The team played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing , Michigan and were member of the Big Ten Conference . MSU finished the season 31 – 7 , 15 – 3 in Big Ten play to win the Big Ten regular season championship by four games . They defeated Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament before losing to Ohio State in the semifinals . The Spartans received their 12th-straight NCAA Tournament bid , an at-large bid as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest region . They defeated Robert Morris , USC , Kansas , and Louisville to advance to the Final Four for the fifth time under Izzo . In the Final Four , they defeated UConn to advance to the National Championship game where they lost to North Carolina . The Spartans finished the 2007 – 08 season 27 – 9 , 12 – 6 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place . Michigan State received a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament , their 11th straight trip to the Tournament , and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen , their seventh trip under Tom Izzo , before losing to Memphis
Big Ten Tournament
2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team