Michigan State basketball: A transfer big is becoming an absolute necessity

Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball have to be feeling even more pressure to land a big man transfer from the portal after some recent news.

The past week has not yielded a ton of good news for Michigan State basketball outside of Joey Hauser announcing his return for the 2022-23 season.

First, Julius Marble announced he’d be entering the transfer portal following his best season with the Spartans. Next, national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe announced his return for next season and he happens to be Michigan State’s opponent in the Champions Classic. And then Indiana landed a five-star big man for next season. Zach Edey of Purdue also decided to come back. And lastly, Hunter Dickinson announced his return to Michigan for next year.

On top of those developments, the Spartans’ lone rumored transfer target in Jalen Bridges committed to Baylor despite having a visit to East Lansing scheduled.

So in the span of a week, Michigan State saw four of its 2022-23 opponents get better in the post while it got worse with the loss of Marble on top of Marcus Bingham Jr.’s departure.

That leaves only Mady Sissoko in the post.

Tom Izzo knows he has to make a move in the portal outside of the rumored interest in Oakland wing transfer Micah Parrish. He must add a big man and that’s becoming more evident and necessary by the day.

Watching Michigan get its star center back along with Kentucky getting Tshiebwe, Indiana pulling in a five-star along with possibly bringing back Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Purdue retaining a 7-footer has to light a fire under Izzo. He will have some of the best guard play in the conference with AJ Hoggard and Tyson Walker at the point and Jaden Akins improving but he needs to add some beef in the post. There just has to be a stopper down there this season if he wants to contend for a Big Ten title and a second national championship.

The rest of the team is shaping up nicely, but moving ahead with no addition of an effective transfer big could yield disastrous results.