Big Ten Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2023-24 season
By Tuck Clarry
2. Michigan State Spartans
Are the Spartans back? Tom Izzo and his team are coming off their first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 2019 and boast a level of depth and retention that the team hasn’t seen for a couple of years.
The guard play will be star of the show in East Lansing, with seniors AJ Hoggard and Tyson Walker returning to lead a team that many think has national championship possibilities. It’s hard to argue that the duo aren’t the best tandem backcourt in all of college basketball. Walker has blossomed as an attacking scorer, becoming a true three-level threat shooting 44% on his jumpers and 41% from 3-point.
Hoggard held the sixth-highest assist rate in college basketball, averaging 12.9 points and 5.9 assists per game. Hoggard will need to improve on his perimeter scoring to keep defenses honest, but luckily Michigan State has a rotation featuring shooters beyond Walker with Malik Hall returning from injury and Jaden Adkins assuming a larger role.
The question remains to be in the interior with Joey Hauser graduating. Izzo added a highly touted recruit in Xavier Booker, but there is a healthy amount of skepticism in his readiness and how his game translates to the college level. Booker has the makeup of an NBA-level athlete, but his game didn’t advance like some thought during his last year of high school and he still lacks the strength to battle against Division truly I bigs.
Mady Sissoko took a major leap last season as the second big in the rotation, but it’s hard to envision much more development from him on offense. Sophomore Jaxon Koehler also showed flashes but he could still be a project headed into conference play. Fellow sophomore big Carson Cooper may carve a significant role in the rotation as a lunchpail big willing to maximize his effort and fight for possession and position.
Izzo not only has two elite upperclassmen guards but also brings in freshman Jeremy Fears, an incredibly polished player for his age who should be a great second-team point general should it be necessary.
Really, the potential for this Michigan State team comes down to the level of return Malik Hall is able to make after having foot surgery this offseason. Hall was poised to explode as an offensive weapon last year before his injury. The 6-foot-8 stretch forward can score at multiple levels and will help getting the guards lanes to operate by teams needing to respect him both on the perimeter and inside.
Should Hall return to form and Walker and Hoggard continue to progress the Spartans have what it takes to become a true threat to cut down the nets as a preseason favorite. Something that hasn’t felt the case going into the season in nearly a decade.