Big Ten Basketball: 10 biggest storylines to watch for 2022-23 season

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 10: Head coach Mike Woodson of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts after getting called for a technical foul in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

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Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Michigan State getting through 2022-23 to get to 2023-24

It was a very quiet offseason for Michigan State, not landing a single transfer. And with Gabe Brown and Max Christie gone, there’s no returning double-digit scorer on the roster. They’re not likely to be ranked to start the season and with a brutal non-conference schedule, there’s an actual chance that the Spartans will be on the bubble and potentially miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over two decades.

There’s not a lot of hype for the current roster but the coaching staff has been busy building up the future core of Michigan State Basketball. The team currently has a top-5 recruiting class for 2023, with four current commits. All of them are ranked in the top 100, including four-star prospects Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears, and Gehrig Normand.

But the star of the class is Xavier Booker, a 6’11 big man that rose up the recruiting rankings to five-star status, with some sites having him as the No. 1 overall prospect. This is a team that hasn’t had much starpower in the frontcourt so Booker will hopefully change that.

Joey Hauser is the lone player on the roster that has no eligibility after this season and if some of the key pieces don’t leave such as AJ Hoggard, Jaden Akins, and Jaxon Kohler, could have some way-too-early top-10 rankings for the 2023-24 campaign. You never want to overlook a team coached by Tom Izzo but there will be some Michigan State fans looking ahead a year from now.

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