How’s it going, y’all? We’re back with another Big Ten basketball preview, and today we’re taking a little at the perennial powerhouse Michigan State Spartans. Last season the Spartans finished with a 27-8 record, going 15-5 in conference. They would make it to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament, losing to eventual runner-up UConn.
MSU will be without 5 graduating seniors, and one sophomore who is transferring. But star PG Jeremy Fears Jr. will be returning, after deciding not to enter the NBA Draft. So that is a major break for Tom Izzo and the Spartans.
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Fears Jr. is by far the player to watch here, looking to take another jump after improving his averages from 7.2 points and 5.4 assists as sophomore to 15.2 points and 9.4 assists per game as a junior last season.
Another name to watch is incoming center transfer Anton Bonke, a 7’2″, 260 lb. behemoth of a man coming in from Charlotte. He averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks last season, and will look to use his size the same way that Aday Mara did for National Champion Michigan last season.
Look, it’s Michigan State. Still manned by Tom Izzo. They’re going to (most likely) be around the top of the conference, if not the nation. It’s just what they do. And it’s exactly what I expect them to do again this year.
MSU will play host to the Ducks this season, but at time of writing, we don’t know when exactly.
As always, ‘Sco Ducks.
