Michigan State basketball is 1 of 9 programs to accomplish this in the last 20 years

Michigan State basketball is one of just nine schools to win over 500 games in the past 20 years, joining some other blue bloods.

Michigan State basketball has accomplished a lot over the past two decades. Final Fours, Big Ten championships, and All-American players are just a few of our impressive accomplishments. However, one of the greatest indicators of just how successful our program has been during this timeframe is how many wins we have accumulated.

MSU has been so dominant, that we are only one of nine programs to accomplish this since 2003.

500-win club since 2003

Michigan State is one of only nine schools to have won 500 games or more since 2003. Here is the full list of elite programs to accomplish this feat.

College Basketball programs with 500+ wins since 2003🏆 #500club pic.twitter.com/1FK3iHZJmO

— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) December 26, 2023

Now that is some list of schools to be included with. It is always good when you’re included on a list with schools like Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, and Kentucky.

These nine programs have combined for 10 national titles and 31 Final Fours. Memphis and Arizona are the only two programs to not contribute to either of these totals. But they both dominate their conferences year in and year out, so that makes sense how they were still included in this list.

The thing that stands out to me the most from this is that MSU is the only Big Ten school that’s hit 500 wins since 2003. Purdue is the only team that is surprising to me to not be on this list. But this goes to show how dominant we are in the Big Ten. Other programs come and go with their success in the conference, but MSU always remains at or near the top.

Also, the program’s “down years” are “good years” from other program’s perspective. For example, the last three seasons have definitely been down years for the program. But Michigan State basketball has still made it to the NCAA Tournament each season and made a Sweet 16 appearance. Most programs in the Big Ten would be ecstatic with that success, but not Michigan State. That just shows once again why MSU is the best program in the conference.

Program accomplishments since 2003

Michigan State has accomplished a lot since 2003. The most notable thing by far is our five trips to the Final Four. On top of that, MSU has made it to every single NCAA Tournament since 2003. That’s something only Kansas and Gonzaga can say as well.

The Spartans also have six Big Ten championships during this time frame as well. This is the most out of any program in the last two decades. Michigan State also has four Big Ten Tournament championships to their name as well.

To sum it all up, being one of nine programs with over 500 wins is just another stat to prove MSU is a blue blood in college basketball. Yes, it would be nice to have won another national championship by now but that is the only thing the Spartans are missing during this timeframe.

Other than that, MSU dominates the country in NCAA Tournament and Final Four appearances and dominates the Big Ten in every major category. The Spartans have it good at MSU, and it’s important to remember that even during the down years.