Before the season started, Michigan State was considered one of the favorites to cut down the nets in Dallas. They were ranked No. 2 in the AP preseason poll, behind only Kentucky. And while the Wildcats were counting on four freshmen to play huge roles, the Spartans started two seniors, a junior and two sophomores. After bringing everyone back from a team that made the Sweet 16, it was all lined up for Tom Izzo to make his seventh trip to the Final Four.

Michigan State was off to an 18-1 start, looking like they would wrap up a No. 1 seed by February, when the injuries struck. Their top four players - Adreian Payne, Gary Harris, Branden Dawsen and Keith Appling - all went down for significant amounts of time and they started racking up losses in conference play. The Spartans didn’t get everyone healthy until the Big Ten conference tournament, where they showed everyone how scary they could be at 100%.

They didn’t just win this weekend. They beat the tar out of teams - Northwestern by 16, Wisconsin by 18 and Michigan by 14. Michigan State had an average margin of victory of 16 points playing on a neutral floor against some of the best teams in the country. Even that number understates how dominant they were - the Badgers and Wolverines are No. 2 seeds and they could barely stay on the floor against the Spartans. Both games were over by halftime.

When their five starters are in, Michigan State has an NBA prospect at every position who can impact the game on offense and defense. Unlike the rest of the field of 68, they don’t have an exploitable weakness on either side of the ball. Michigan State can win with offense, where they have multiple players who can create their own shot and four players who can shoot 3’s, or defense, where they have four elite athletes who can defend multiple positions.

There isn’t a more athletic frontcourt in the NCAA Tournament than the duo of Payne (6’10 245) and Dawsen (6’6 225). Payne has the size to bang with centers on the block, the athleticism to protect the rim and the quickness to cover ground on the perimeter. Dawsen, who missed most of the Big Ten season after breaking his hand, is an absolute freak athlete who plays much bigger than his size. They combine to average 16 rebounds and 2 blocks a game.

On offense, Payne is an impossible cover, a 6’10 big man who can post up smaller players, face-up slower ones and knock down 3’s. The rare senior with a chance to go in the lottery, he will have a huge edge in talent or experience in every game they play. Dawsen, who could double as a TE or a DE in the NFL, can post-up smaller wings and use his athleticism to get around slower ones. The only non-shooter in their starting 5, he finds ways to get points around the rim.

The Spartans are just as dangerous on the perimeter with Appling (6’1 185), Harris (6’4 200) and Denzel Valentine (6’5 225). Michigan spreads the floor and attacks the opponent’s worst defender; their problem on Sunday was there was no one to attack. Appling and Harris, two of the most physical guards in the country, are capable of switching on D and locking up bigger wings. You can’t count on anyone drawing double-teams when you play Michigan State.

On the offensive side of the ball, all three guards can shoot, put the ball on the floor and make plays. Appling isn’t a natural PG, but he’s turned himself into a solid decision-maker in his four years in school, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of more than 2:1. Harris, Appling and Valentine all average at least 3 assists and shoot at least 35% from beyond the arc. There’s nowhere to hide a weak defender against the Spartans - they can attack at all 5 positions.

Their ability to play well on both sides of the ball makes them extremely dangerous in transition. They can go quickly from defense to offense without missing a beat - their big men can fly down the floor and their guards can all push the ball. There’s no way a traditional big men can stay with Payne in transition and cover him out to the three-point line. Run-outs into transition 3’s was how Michigan State was able to pull away from Wisconsin and Michigan.

If the Spartans have a weakness, it’s when they go to their bench, where they have only one reliable scorer in senior guard Travis Trice. Improved depth is where their rash of mid-season injuries was a blessing in disguise, as Izzo had to adapt on the fly and find lineups that could keep his team afloat. The versatility of his top five, all of whom can play multiple positions, means it isn’t too difficult to hide reserves in lineups where their weaknesses aren’t as exposed.

There’s no coach better at playing the match-up game than Izzo, who has thrived in the one-and-done format for more than a decade. Despite lacking the talent of some of his Hall of Fame peers, his teams always find a way to win in March. Under Izzo, the Spartans have made the Sweet 16 in 11 of their 16 NCAA Tournament appearances. If Payne and Appling don’t make the Final Four this season, they will be the first of his senior classes not to make it at least once.

When picking a team to go all the way in March, you want a team with multiple NBA prospects, a proven head coach and the ability to play elite offense and defense. You can never predict how the bracket will play out, so you want a team with the versatility to win any type of game against any type of opponent. Michigan State is the most complete team in the country. If they had been healthy all season, they might have been the clear favorite this year’s field lacks.