Michigan State basketball: 5 bold predictions for 2022-23 season

Although all of the focus has been on the football team through two months, Michigan State basketball returns on Monday night against Northern Arizona.

The Spartans are looking to keep Tom Izzo’s NCAA Tournament streak alive and it’s going to be tough with a roster of just 10 scholarship players. Michigan State lost Gabe Brown, Max Christie, Marcus Bingham Jr., and Julius Marble in the offseason and will move forward with a young, rather inexperienced roster.

Now seems like as good of a time as ever to conjure up some bold predictions for the 2022-23 Michigan State basketball season.

5. Jaxon Kohler becomes top Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate

Watching Jaxon Kohler in the exhibition against Grand Valley was a treat. He started a little slow in the first half and then scored three buckets in the second half and showcased his impressive repertoire of moves.

Kohler’s defense looked like it had improved drastically from his high school days, his turnaround jumper was eye-opening, and his energy was infectious. That’s going to carry over into the regular season. He’s probably going to have a slow start to the year against some of the nation’s best teams, but he’ll gain some confidence come December and January.

I believe that Kohler is going to be one of the top Freshman of the Year candidates in the Big Ten and potentially the front-runner at some point.

I could see him averaging close to 10 points and six rebounds this year.