Michigan State Basketball: Top 10 fan favorite players of Tom Izzo era

While this may seem like a ‘recency bias’ choice, you’d be hard-pressed to find another player like Xavier Tillman. Going back over the years, you could probably count on one hand the number of players who were as loved as him in less than four years on campus. Heck, he probably accomplished more in three years than most college athletes do in four.

It felt like we got the full experience of Tillman, it’s just unfortunate that his Michigan State career ended on such a sour note with the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament.

One final run to a Final Four would have been just what he needed to vault up this list and add another accolade to his already-impressive list.

Let’s just take a look at what Tillman accomplished in three years to make him one of the most beloved Spartans of all time:

• Final Four appearance
• Big Ten defensive player of the year
• All-Big Ten honors
• Raised a child and had another as a junior
• Got married
• Graduated
• Won three Big Ten titles
• Broke Michigan State’s all-time blocks record
• Earned first-round NBA mock draft projections

Tillman is going to be missed a ton, but if anyone has earned the right to leave early and take on the NBA, it’s him. And you can bet when he finds a new team, droves of MSU fans will be buying his jersey.