Tom Izzo's best offense ever?

If I were somehow given the ability to create an alternate hoops reality and I wanted to whip up an exceptionally underrated team from scratch, here's how I'd go about it:

I'd have my team enter the season unranked.

Then I'd make sure my team started the season 0-2.

Once my team got to conference play, I'd see to it that we lost a couple of close road games.

And maybe most important of all, I'd make sure my underrated group isn't even the best team in its own conference.

But of course I don't need to do any of the above because there's a real-life team that answers to this description. That team is Michigan State, and, yes, its is indeed exceptionally underrated.

To read why Michigan State looks so lethal, and get access to the analysis of Jay Bilas, Doug Gottlieb, Fran Fraschilla, Joe Lunardi and more, sign up for ESPN Insider.

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John Gasaway

ESPN Insider

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• ESPN Insider college basketball contributor
• First began covering college hoops in 2004
• Has written for Basketball Prospectus and the Wall Street Journal