BIG TEN TEAM PREVIEW #5 MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

It doesn't get talked about enough that Michigan State has made the NCAA tournament in 27 consecutive seasons. It's the longest active streak in college basketball. Michigan State is coming off a 30-7 season last year, which is the most amount of wins they've had since the 2018-19 season. The Spartans look to get to that same level again this season as they return three starters from last year's squad.

Projected Lineup:

G Jeremy Fears Jr.

G Trey Fort (Samford transfer)

F. CoenF. Coen Carr

F. Jaxonn Kohler

C. Carsonn Cooper

6-foot-2 point guard Jeremy Fears looks poised for a breakout season in his third year at MSU. Fears started in all of his 36 games last year. He averaged 7.2 points per game, and also led the team in assists with 5.4 per game. The Spartans lost their three top scorers from last season in Jaden Akins, Tre Holloman, and Jase Richardson, all of whom were all guards, so Fears should get a lot more shots this season. Michigan State also added Samford transfer Trey Fort this offseason. Fort averaged 14.6 points on 44.8 percent shooting last season while also earning all-conference honors in the SOCON. Miami transfer point guard Divine Ugochukwu is also a nice addition for Tom Izzo. In his freshman season last year, he averaged 5.3 points on 48.9 percent shooting. Incoming four-star freshman shooting guard Jordan Scott should also make an impact in his freshman season. He's the #54 player in the 2025 class by 247 Sports.

Michigan State returns some key pieces from their frontcourt last season in Carson Cooper, Jaxon Kohler, and Coen Carr. Anyone familiar with Coen Carr's game knows that he is one of the most athletic players in the country. Last season Carr averaged 8.1 points on 61.1% shooting. He's just 6-foot-6, but almost all of his scoring comes in the paint. Jaxon Kohler is another key piece that is back in the frontcourt. Kohler was the team's leading rebounder last season with 7.5 rebounds per game. He was also fifth on the team in scoring with 7.8 points per game. Tom Izzo also gets his second leading rebounder from last season back in Carson Cooper. Cooper averaged 5.2 rebounds per game along with 5 points per game and is now entering his fourth season at Michigan State. The team unfortunately suffered a massive blow for this season, when incoming Florida Atlantic transfer forward Kaleb Glenn suffered a patellar tendon tear that will cause him to miss the entire season. Glenn was an all-conference player last year at FAU and would've likely been a starter this season. Incoming 6-foot-7 freshman forward Cam Ward should play a lot of minutes off the bench. Ward is the #46 player in the 2025 class by 247Sports. Michigan State will need him to be able to quickly adjust to Big Ten competition.

This season's Michigan State team will be good enough to keep their NCAA tournament streak alive, in my opinion. They should be one of the best rebounding and defensive teams in the Big Ten conference. Their offense could be an issue, though. Michigan State's two starting forwards, Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper's games that are more centered around defense and rebounding. This likely means that Michigan State will need good offensive seasons from Jeremiah Fears and Trey Fort.