Michigan State's Tom Izzo: Automatic bids for smaller schools in March Madness should be 'looked at'

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Tom Izzo is a March Madness veteran, heading into his 26th straight tournament with the Michigan State Spartans. 

He, more than many, understands how hard it is to reach the Final Four, let alone the national championship. Michigan State has been among the final four teams in the NCAA Tournament eight times under Izzo’s reign, though only one national title in 2000 came of that. 

March Madness has always been about upsets, especially when it comes from mid-major schools taking down powerhouses like Michigan State. Just look at No. 16 Farleigh Dickinson University defeating No. 1 Purdue this time last year. 

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Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans during the Purdue Boilermakers game at Target Center in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on March 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (David Berding/Getty Images)

But, while speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Izzo said automatic bids for those mid- and low-majors, which comes from winning their respective conference tournaments, has "got to be looked at seriously."

"While everybody likes the upsets in the first round, I’m not sure if that’s true as it goes on," Izzo told ESPN. 

Izzo’s statement is one that others in the college basketball realm agree with, including SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. 

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"We are giving away highly competitive opportunities for automatic qualifiers [from smaller leagues], and I think that pressure is going to rise as we have more competitive basketball leagues at the top end because of expansion," he said via ESPN. 

Rick Pitino,