Michigan State basketball is back, and the Spartans come in at No.6 in the Preseason AP Top 25 Poll. After a Sweet 16 loss to Dan Hurley’s University of Connecticut, MSU has aspirations of a big season in 2026/27.
MSU ranks just outside the top 5, which features Florida at No.1, as well as Duke, Uconn, Illinois, and Arizona.
Tom Izzo enters his 32nd season as the Michigan State basketball head coach, and he returns with the majority of his roster from last year, including four of the squad’s starting five.
Redshirt junior Jeremy Fears Jr., senior Coen Carr, junior Kur Teng, sophomores Jordan Scott and Cam Ward all return as big contributors from last season along with a number of new faces that will wear the Michigan State green and white.
Fears was named a Preseason All-American by CBS Sports and was one of just two unanimous first team selections. One of the many preseason accolades for Fears, which also includes the Preseason National Player of the Year by Blue Ribbon College Basketball and the Big Ten Conferences Preseason Player of the Year.
Fears led not just the Big Ten, but the entire nation in assists per game last season with a near double-double average of 9.4 along with his 15.2 points per game. There was heavy talk about him entering the draft this offseason, but after working out at the combine and getting feedback from NBA coaches, he returns this season with MSU looking to continue his rise as one of the best players in the country.
Another key for Izzo this season will be getting a bigger presence in the paint from his players after ranking 5th in the nation in percentage of shots allowed at the rim. The team’s primary rim protector, Carr, will have help this season with MSU bringing in two 7-foot-2-inch big men in senior transfer Anton Bonke and first-year student Ethan Taylor.
The Spartans have a balance of returning players and new faces that will make them one of the best teams in the country throughout the season.
Coach Izzo’s squad returns to the Breslin Center in an exhibition game against Conn on October 20th.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Michigan State Basketball Opens at No.6 in Preseason AP Poll appeared first on HEAVY.