Predicting Michigan State basketball’s starting 5 vs. Eastern Michigan

Michigan State basketball will finally take the floor at Breslin on Wednesday against Eastern Michigan. What will the starting lineup look like?

It’s been a (very) long offseason. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended the 2019-20 NCAA basketball season, Michigan State fans have been itching for Spartan hoops in the worst way — especially since there was no NCAA tournament. And MSU fans were robbed of getting the chance to see one of the greatest Spartans of all time, Cassius Winston, get a shot at winning a national title.

Now Winston is gone, as well as Xavier Tillman Sr., who left early for the NBA draft. Both Winston and Tillman were selected in the second round, Tillman reuniting with former Spartan Jaren Jackson Jr. in Memphis. With the departure of both of Tom Izzo’s top contributors from 2019-20, the starting lineup is going to look a little bit different.

Junior Aaron Henry is back, after a long few months of his name being in the NBA draft pool. He wasn’t expected to keep his name in the draft, but the amount of time he took before announcing his return was concerning to Spartan fans. Henry looks to be the top player on this Spartan squad.

A few other familiar faces are back, including Joshua Langford, who hasn’t played a college basketball game since 2018. He’s finally healthy and ready to lead MSU to their fourth straight Big Ten title.

Who else is going to start alongside Langford and Henry? Let’s take a look at who Izzo will send out to start the game against Eastern Michigan on Wednesday.