Michigan State basketball: Jaden Akins, AJ Hoggard make Spartans title favorites

AJ Hoggard and Jaden Akins are officially back, folks. Michigan State basketball fans are rejoicing on Wednesday afternoon following the announcements of the returns of both Akins and Hoggard because that means one thing: the Spartans will be title favorites.

While we’re still awaiting the decisions of Zach Edey and a couple of other Big Ten players, you have to think that the Spartans are the favorites to win the Big Ten.

Purdue may push Michigan State with Edey returning, but without him, they may be fighting for a spot in the top-five next year. Plus, Michigan State will have more pieces to try and contain Edey this year such as Xavier Booker and an improved trio of Mady Sissoko, Carson Cooper, and Jaxon Kohler.

Michigan State does also have the best backcourt in the Big Ten and arguably the best trio in the country, adding in Jeremy Fears Jr. and Tre Holloman off the bench.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a deeper and more versatile team in the nation.

Michigan State basketball has the perfect mix

Along with the fact that Michigan State has an elite backcourt and an improving frontcourt with Coen Carr and Booker, the Spartans also have the perfect mix of young stars and veterans.

Michigan State brings in the No. 4 recruiting class in the country while also returning team captain Malik Hall, point guard and senior leader AJ Hoggard, budding superstar, Jaden Akins as a junior, go-to scorer Tyson Walker as a senior, and guys like Holloman, Cooper, and Kohler as sophomore. This team is perfectly balanced.

There will be captains like Hoggard and Hall and leaders to go along with those two in Akins and Walker. Then there is young talent coming off the bench.

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