NCAA Basketball: Preseason Top-25 power rankings for 2020-21 season

The Spartans took a big hit at the extended NBA Draft deadline with the departure of All-Big Ten big man Xavier Tillman. He averaged 13.7 ppg and 10.3 rpg last season, along with being a great passer and individual defender.

The good news for the team is that they have Marquette transfer Joey Hauser, a three-point shooting forward who has great offensive potential. At center, top-40 freshman recruit Mady Sissoko can start out the gate and be a defensive force. The hope is that Marcus Bingham, Jr. can finally break out as a junior in the rotation and help provide depth inside.

While the frontcourt is covered, the backcourt has more questions. The graduation of former Big Ten Player of the Year Cassius Winston will be very tough for the Spartans to immediately recover from.

"No matter who plays where, the Spartans are going to be their regular selves, a tough matchup for 40 minutes every night. -Carter Landis (@CarterLandis3)"

There will be three options to take the lead at point, including Foster Loyer, Rocket Watts, and freshman AJ Hoggard. Watts has the most overall potential, while Loyer may be better as a distributor. That needs to be addressed before the team can truly compete at the top of the Big Ten.

The good news for Michigan State is that they’ll have Joshua Langford back for this season. He’s missed the better part of two entire years due to knee issues, and it was thought that he would go pro. The pandemic may have factored into a different decision, but the team would love to get the player that was averaging around 15 ppg and over 40% shooting from deep when healthy.

With juniors Gabe Brown and Aaron Henry set to take another step in their development, the Spartans once again have plenty of firepower to make a ton of noise. But without a lead point guard to steer the ship, Tom Izzo will have to do a little more in-game coaching from the sidelines this season.