Michigan State Basketball: 5 bold predictions for 2021-22 season

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Michigan State’s Tyson Walker, right, pressures Ferris State’s Reese McDonald during the second half on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.211027 Msu Ferris 135a /

4. Tyson Walker, Marcus Bingham Jr. make Big Ten’s all-defensive team

Tyson Walker comes over from Northeastern where he was one of the best players in the ranks of the mid-majors last season. He averaged over 18 points and 4.4 assists per game and shot the ball pretty well, but that wasn’t even his biggest strength. No, he was actually a defensive standout, winning the CAA Defensive Player of the Year.

As an elite on-ball defender with active hands, he’s pesky and he’s going to cause some problems for opposing point guards this season. He sticks to ball-handlers like glue and he’s going to come up with a lot of loose balls this season.

Walker is going to go from CAA Defensive Player of the Year to the Big Ten’s all-defensive team in just one year. Not too shabby.

And Marcus Bingham Jr. will also have a big season on the defensive end of the floor. He’s going to be a shot-blocking machine in the post and have the best defensive season from any big man in East Lansing since Xavier Tillman — he may even challenge X’s numbers.

I see a breakout season coming for Bingham and it starts on the defensive end. He, too, will make the Big Ten’s all-defensive team.

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