NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early top 25 power rankings for 2023-24 season
. . Spartans . 11. team. 486.
2022-23 season record: 21-13 (11-8 Big Ten)
Expected losses: Joey Hauser, Pierre Brooks, Tyson Walker, Malik Hall
The Spartans weren’t ranked in the preseason for 2022-23 and that proved to be a mistake, as Coach Tom Izzo was the last man standing in the Big Ten, making it to the Sweet 16. This time around, look for the team to have high expectations for next year.
Losing stretch forward Joey Hauser will hurt but Michigan State can bring back just about everyone else. For now, I have to assume that Walker won’t be back for a 5th year but there’s a real chance he will. He and AJ Hoggard is one of the better backcourts in the country and guard Jaden Akins is a solid rotational piece as well.
Malik Hall is someone else that can also return and is the ultimate “glue guy”. All of the bigs (Mady Sissoko, Carson Cooper, Jaxon Kohler) are coming back, joined by top-5 overall class of 2023 forward prospect, Xavier Booker. He’s part of a top-5 incoming freshmen group that includes Coen Carr and Jeremy Fears.
If everything goes right for the Spartans this offseason, they’ll have genuine Final Four aspirations next season. Never doubt Coach Izzo because if Zach Edey departs Purdue, this will be the favorite to win the Big Ten.