Michigan State Basketball: Ideal starting 5 for 2021 NCAA Tournament

By Connor Muldowney | Mar 17, 2021

Michigan State takes the floor during the 68-57 loss to Maryland in the Big Ten tournament on Thursday, March 11, 2021, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.Msu Mary /

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BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 20: Aaron Henry #0 of the Michigan State Spartans dribbles the ball during the 78-71 win over the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on February 20, 2021 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 20: Aaron Henry #0 of the Michigan State Spartans dribbles the ball during the 78-71 win over the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on February 20, 2021 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Remember when I said Joshua Langford has been a staple of the starting five this season? Well Aaron Henry really is that staple of the starting lineup and the only time he came off the bench was when Tom Izzo wanted to shake things up and light a spark under Henry earlier in the season during a rough patch.

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Henry been one of the best players in the Big Ten this season, even earning third-team all-conference honors after averaging 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

The junior wing is shooting just 44 percent from the floor and 28 percent from deep, but he has the ability to make shots from anywhere. His 3-point percentage kind of surprises me because he hasn’t seemed all that bad when he shoots from deep this season but he also rarely fires up shots from long-range.

Henry is the only Michigan State player who averages over 10 points per game and the team usually goes how he goes. If he’s having an off night, it might be game over for MSU.

Tom Izzo’s trust in him has sky-rocketed since last year, though. And just like Langford, he has NCAA Tournament experience and played in a Final Four.

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