Tom Izzo led Michigan State to his 17th Sweet 16 this March, but in just two years, Dusty May has catapulted his Michigan Wolverines ahead of the Spartans, becoming the first Big Ten team to win a men’s college basketball national championship since Izzo did it 26 years ago.
Izzo won’t abandon his principles, not with the sustained success he’s had in East Lansing, but when your in-state rival wins a title with an all-transfer starting lineup, it would be hard not to consider embracing college basketball free agency a bit more enthusiastically. Michigan State has taken transfers in the past, but rarely made a big-time splash. This could
John Blackwell, G, Wisconsin
Michigan State’s biggest need is in the front court, with Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper both out of eligibility, but you can argue that adding more on-ball playmaking to complement Jeremy Fears Jr. next season should be just as big a priority. Blackwell would fill that role and has experience playing both on and off-ball after sharing the backcourt with John Tonje and Nick Boyd over the last two seasons at Wisconsin.
Izzo has raved about the 6-foot-4 Michigan native and regrets not recruiting him out of high school, so now could be his shot at redemption. A 38.5 percent three-point shooter on high volume, Blackwell is an elite floor-spacer who could play off Fears in the pick-and-roll, but he’d be more valuable for his ability to alleviate Fears’s massive playmaking burden, which caught up to him in the postseason.
Aiden Sherrell, F, Alabama
Aiden Sherrell is another Michigan native who entered the Transfer Portal and just happens to perfectly fit the Spartans’ area of need. Big men will be expensive in this year’s portal after Michigan won it all with their three-big lineup, but as an elite rim protector and high-level floor spacer at 6-foot-11, Sherrell will pay off just about any asking price.
Sherrell won’t necessarily be a post presence, or at least he hasn’t showcased that ability on Nate Oats’ five-out offense, and his finishing around the rim still needs to improve, but he’s gotten better over his two years at Alabama after he was a McDonald’s All-American in 2024, and would fit Izzo’s system nicely. Sherrell is athletic enough to keep up with Michigan State’s transition offense, has real gravity as a rim-runner, and has proven he can knock down an above-the-break three as a trailer.
Magoon Gwath, F, San Diego State
It’s almost a certainty that Alabama will be targeting Gwath as a Sherrell replacement because they’re fairly similar players. Gwatch is a seven-footer with elite rim protection ability, and he moves really well on the perimeter, even when he’s on an island with smaller guards. He can fit any defensive scheme. Offensively, who doesn’t want a seven-footer who is shooting 40 percent from three across two seasons?
Gwath played just 19 minutes a game this past season and only logged 16 starts, but the upside is there. He could be the most impactful defender in any Power Conference next season, if he can stay healthy.