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Michigan State Basketball: Michigan State Spartans 2015-16 Season Preview

By Chris Godfrey

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Michigan State Spartans

2014-2015 Record: 27-12 (12-6, Big Ten)
Postseason: NCAA Tournament – Final Four

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Every season we see further evidence that no team in the country improves more from November to March than Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans. In one of his finest coaching efforts to date, Izzo crafted another Final Four run last year. A team with minimal talent and maximum buy in was able to last until the season’s final weekend.

The hard-nosed style of basketball that Izzo’s Spartans have mastered is a nearly fool-proof recipe for success. The recipe is only nearly fool-proof because Spartans fans are probably very familiar with how their season ended. In today’s world of college basketball, when physicality meets athleticism, fouls are called and athleticism wins out. That’s why the Spartans watched helplessly as Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow waltz back and forth to the free-throw line during the national semifinal.

After the loss, Izzo acknowledged that he needed to change the way that he was recruiting. What most people didn’t know was that he already had the necessary reinforcements waiting in the wings. This year’s Spartans will feature a jolt of athleticism and excitement to go along with their aggressive style.

Newcomers

G – Eron Harris (transfer from West Virginia)
G – Kyle Ahrens (#165 247Sports Composite)
G – Matt McQuaid (#69 ESPN100)
F – Deyonta Dawson (#22 ESPN100)

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 17 vs Kansas – The Spartans are guaranteed to start their season with a tough game as long as they participate in the Champions Classic round-robin with Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas. This year, Sparty draws the Jayhawks, who will be an immediate test for a frontcourt with high expectations despite the loss of Branden Dawson.

Dec. 2 vs Louisville – The Spartans will welcome a very inexperienced Louisville team as a part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge event. Based on the rebuilding job that Rick Pitino has ahead of him with the Cardinals, this is a game that MSU should win. However, last year, Louisville was the team that was supposed to win. We see how that turned out.

Key Players

Denzel Valentine – Very few players in the country are as important to their team as Denzel Valentine is to the Spartans. As a small forward, he functions as the team’s primary playmaker, even though he has developed a solid knack for finding his own way to the basket. When Valentine is playing at his highest level, he’s one of the best players in the country — and Michigan State is almost unbeatable.

Eron Harris – When Tom Izzo lamented about not having the proper personnel to compete with Duke in the national semifinal, he may have had a very specific person in mind. Eron Harris missed last season after transferring from West Virginia, but this year he’s prepared rejoin the ranks of college basketball’s elite scorers. As an athletic penetration-minded guard, and skilled finisher, Harris was the missing piece on last year’s team. This year, he’ll be able to shine bright in the Big Ten, where he’ll quite possibly shoot ten free-throws a game.

Season Outlook

The season outlook for the Spartans is filled with considerable optimism. Several key members of their Final Four team return, but most importantly, these Spartans will have a proven go-to scorer in Eron Harris. The continued development of young players such as Gavin Schilling and Lourawls Nairn is also reason to expect heavy returns from East Lansing this season. Everyone knows that the Big Ten goes through Maryland this season, but after the Terrapins, the Spartans are anxiously awaiting their opportunity to make a statement.

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