Michigan State Basketball: How They Stay Relevant Year After Year

In the wake of Michigan State's first No. 1 ranking in basketball since 2001, it's time to recognize what makes the Spartans' program so successful. Michigan State, who hasn't missed the NCAA tournament since 1997, stays relevant because coach Tom Izzo is able to recruit and keep some of the best players in the country.

Unlike the Kentuckys of the world, whose formula for success does work on a year-to-year basis, the Spartans keep top players in the country for all four years. Like many other teams in the Big Ten, this helps Michigan State develop continuity and team chemistry that just isn't possible with teams full of one-and-dones. 

Izzo, who took over as head coach of the program in 1995 after being an assistant coach at the school from 1983-1995 has a career record of 437-176 as the Spartans' head man. It is his ability to make players buy into his system that has contributed to the school's sustained success, which is on display once again this year as the Spartans top this week's rankings. 

Since the recruiting class of 2006 (the first year that high school players were prohibited from being drafted and thus, the "one-and-done" was born) Michigan State has brought in 20 freshman. This number doesn't account for transfer students who may come to the school in their sophomore or junior seasons. Of those 20, nine played all four seasons for MSU, three transferred to different schools, one (Korie Lucious) was dismissed for breaking team rules, and the remaining seven are on this year's squad. All stats according to Scout.com. 

In fact, this year's team has just two true freshman in Alvin Ellis and Gavin Schilling, so the Spartans are even more experienced than usual. While that bodes well for this year, that could put more pressure on recruiting in the coming years. 

They haven't looked particularly sharp other than against No. 4 Kentucky, but this No. 1 ranking for the Spartans does highlight their formula for success over the years. After all, Kentucky head coach John Calipari did blame their early-season loss on their lack of experience and the fact that Michigan State has been playing together for three to four years. 

Teams like Kentucky will gel over the course of the season and will be just as formidable as Michigan State when the season gets into March, but Michigan State's experience figures to help them make a deep run. The fact that their formula for success has earned them six Final Four appearances since 1999 is proof that experience can pay off in the tournament more than anywhere else. 

This year's college basketball season has just begun, and it's anybody's year to win it all. By continuing to keep players for their entire college careers, the Spartans are once again right in the middle of things.