Michigan State Basketball: 2022-23 season preview and outlook for Spartans

Season Outlook

The last two seasons have seen Michigan State take a slight step back in the Big Ten. This isn’t to say that Izzo’s program isn’t still in fantastic shape, but these aren’t the same dominant Michigan State teams we’re used to seeing. The Spartans seem to make the Final Four in a cyclical pattern every four or five years, but it’s hard to imagine that continuing this upcoming season.

Hoggard and Walker give the program two versatile point guards who can lead the offense, and there’s plenty of reason to be excited about Hall and Houser in the frontcourt. However, there are major question marks at the center position, and barring a major development from Sissoko or someone else deep on the bench, it’s hard to imagine that being a position of strength for this team.

The bottom line is that the Spartans lose a number of key players from last year and are simply expecting returning players to fill the voids. They did add a few intriguing freshman pieces, but this wasn’t exactly a highly-ranked recruiting class. The positive from this is that Izzo knows these guys and they know his system; one just has to wonder if they have the talent to compete at a top level in the nation.

The Big Ten seems to be a bit down this season overall, but Michigan State looks to be part of that equation. Izzo’s teams have surprised us before and he’s one of those coaches who always seems to get the best out of his guys, especially late in the year. They’ll need these pieces to play efficient offense and interior defense, especially with forces at center at a few other Big Ten schools. Michigan State is likely an NCAA Tournament team again, but it’s hard to call this a team that looks like it’ll play deep into March Madness.