Michigan State Basketball: Breaking down the 2018 recruiting class

Michigan State basketball is always one of the best Big Ten teams. That will be expected again in 2018-19, thanks in part to the incoming recruiting class.

Michigan State basketball has reached the NCAA Tournament in 21 consecutive seasons, all of which under head coach Tom Izzo. It is no secret that the Spartans are one of the best college basketball programs in the entire nation. Year in and year out, Michigan State consistently performs well and garners plenty of national attention. In fact, I don’t think that many people would dispute the opinion that the Spartans are the best program in the Big Ten.

To back this up historically, Michigan State has finished in the top-4 of the league in 10 of the last 11 seasons. It is seriously hard to argue against that kind of consistency. In addition, the program has finished .500 or better in conference play in each of the last 25 seasons (!!). Heading into this upcoming season, it is reasonable to expect that the team will once again compete with the best in the league.

Even though Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges are now gone, there will be plenty of talent on the roster. In terms of returning talent, the Spartans will be led by a trio of rising juniors. Cassius Winston, Nick Ward, and Joshua Langford all averaged over 10 points per game this past season and will be expected to take on leadership roles. In addition, rising sophomore Xavier Tillman will see his first major minutes this season while senior Matt McQuaid will once again be a knockdown shooting threat.

However, these five key players will need some help around them. While other returning talents will certainly help with this, Michigan State’s incoming 2018 recruiting class also consists of some immediate impact players. This class, ranked at No. 17 in the nation, consists of five players. Let’s break them down.