Getting bounced before the Final Four yet again was not something that Tom Izzo wanted or expected to happen, especially after Michigan State cruised to the Sweet 16.
The Spartans got a rematch with UConn who they faced in the preseason and fell just short after rallying from down 19 in the first half. Unfortunately, that ended the tremendous Spartan careers of Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler. They’re going to be missed, and they’ll need to be effectively replaced if next year’s team is going to be a Final Four favorite.
Roster moves need to be made before that can happen, but it’s all very possible.
1. Keep the core
Thanks to unchecked NIL and the transfer portal, keeping key players has become one of the most difficult things to do each offseason because stars almost require contracts now. Izzo knows that the only way he’s going to get to Detroit in 2027 is if he retains his core guys in Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr, Jordan Scott, Kur Teng, Cam Ward, Divine Ugochukwu, Kaleb Glenn, and Jesse McCulloch.
Izzo could afford to lose a role player to the transfer portal, but keeping most of those guys is going to be one of the main keys. All of them have experience and know what it takes to win big games.
The most important guys to keep are obviously Fears, Carr, Scott, and Ward.
2. Adding a starting-caliber transfer center
I’ve been harping on this for the past couple of days now, but adding a starting-caliber transfer center is the most important move outside of getting Carr and Fears to return.
While Izzo may look to the portal for a guy like Szymon Zapala, he would be better off landing someone who can average in double figures and can stretch the floor. A guy who can get a double-double on any given night would be a nice replacement for Cooper and Kohler. Heck, I’d take two transfer bigs, but adding at least one that can start is most important.
Add another and/or somehow find a way to get Cooper or Kohler a fifth-year waiver, and Michigan State is in prime position for a title push.
3. Picking up another shooter
This isn’t the No. 1 priority, but it’s something that could raise the ceiling of next year’s team considerably. While the Spartans currently project to have guys like Glenn, Jasiah Jervis, Scott, Carlos Medlock Jr., Ugochukwu, McCulloch, and Teng on the roster as shooters, adding one more, especially in case of a transfer, could give Michigan State an elite scoring option off the bench.
Getting guys like Carr, Fears, and Ward to improve their jumpers would be a nice consolation prize, but adding a starting-caliber center who can shoot threes would knock out two birds with one stone.