Michigan St: NCAA championship or bust

Tom Izzo could be making $6 million this season coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He's happy to be making about half that much at Michigan State.

''When LeBron didn't stay in Cleveland, I wasn't like, 'Man, I'm glad I didn't do it,''' Izzo recalled recently. ''I didn't have regrets during the summer and I'm totally at peace with my decision now. I took a look and decided it's wasn't for me because this is where I want to finish my career and get some more things accomplished.''

It will be tough to top what Izzo has done with the Spartans.

The hard-driving coach has led them to a national championship, to half of the last 12 Final Fours, including the last two, and earned his fifth and sixth Big Ten titles the previous two seasons.

The second-ranked Spartans should give him a shot to add to the list.

Seven of the team's top nine scorers - missing just Raymar Morgan and Chris Allen - are back from last season's team that won 28 games and ended the season with a two-point loss to Butler in the NCAA semifinals.

''We don't even talk about the Final Four,'' said shooting guard Durrell Summers, who chose to return for his senior season as did Kalin Lucas instead of entering the NBA draft. ''We've been there the past two years. We're not satisfied with that.''

Michigan State opens the season Friday night at home against Eastern Michigan, an expected tuneup on a schedule packed with intriguing matchups.

The Spartans are playing in the Maui Invitational - where they could play No. 11 Kentucky in a couple weeks - at top-ranked Duke and against No. 10 Syracuse in Madison Square Garden next month. Michigan State will host South Carolina and Texas at the Breslin Center, where it hasn't lost more than two games in any of the previous 12 seasons.

''We always try to have one of the best schedules in the country,'' Izzo said. ''We've done that.''

The 18-game Big Ten schedule will be challenging, too, because the conference boasts three other ranked teams: No. 4 Ohio State, No. 13 Illinois and No. 14 Purdue.

It might take a while for Izzo to figure out how to manage his rotation with a roster that includes more than 10 players capable of contributing.

Lucas was voted the Big Ten's preseason player of the year despite rupturing his left Achilles' tendon in the last NCAA tournament. He played well in both exhibition games, making him even more confident about his health.

''I feel great,'' Lucas said. ''I feel strong.''

The Spartans are hoping some of their other standouts, coming off injuries, feel the same way.

Delvon Roe had surgery in April on his right knee - which needed major surgery in high school - but Izzo has been encouraged by his progress. Korie Lucious bounced back after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, but was suspended for the opener for pleading guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving.

Garrick Sherman (foot), Adreian Payne (shoulder), Russell Byrd (foot), Austin Thornton (back) and Mike Kebler (ankle) are also dealing with various ailments that will test Michigan State's depth. The Spartans also will be without Allen, who transferred after starting 27 games last year but was on thin ice with Izzo for undisclosed reasons.

That means freshman guard Keith Appling will get a chance to play a lot, as will Payne assuming the highly touted freshman can stay healthy.

''Our depth is going to work in our favor,'' versatile forward Draymond Green said. ''We had some injuries, but everyone is getting healthy.''

If the Final Four isn't actually on the schedule, the program has created a standard that makes a trip to college basketball's showcase seem almost a ho-hum accomplishment - and that's fine with Izzo.

''I've always tried to look at it that it's a plus for us to try to meet expectations instead of trying to downplay it,'' Izzo said.

Izzo is entering his 16th season in charge of a program he has been a part of since 1983 and says the recent run of success in the NCAA tournament has finally paid off.

''I thought for the first time in the last year or so, in recruiting, all those Final Fours have helped us,'' he said. ''Now, I go to our camp or different things and little kids say to me, 'I came here because I watched the 2000 national championship.' I forget, they were 10 years old. That's when you make impressions.''