Although the season didn't quite end like Michigan State basketball fans would've hoped, there's an overwhelming sense of "we're back" surrounding the program.
Following a few years of futility and disappointment, the Spartans finally won another Big Ten title (by three games, no less) and made a run to the Elite Eight before losing to a team with the average age of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Michigan State suffered some offseason attrition as Tre Holloman shockingly announced he'd be transferring and Xavier Booker and Gehrig Normand followed suit.
Overall, the Spartans lost a ton of production with those three transferring and Jaden Akins, Frankie Fidler, and Szymon Zapala graduating while Jase Richardson was good enough to be a one-and-done. Most of the starting lineup is gone and Izzo is left to pick up the pieces.
The roster is already coming together nicely because of the transfer portal and the 2025 recruiting class, and now the Spartans know who they'll be facing at home and away in conference play.
While the dates have yet to be released, the Spartans now know who they'll get at home and away and which three teams will be in both categories.
Indiana, Rutgers, and Michigan are the three teams that Michigan State will get both home and away next season while there are some truly tricky away-only opponents in Purdue (of course), Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Oregon. Those are all tough matchups. Penn State, Minnesota, and Washington can't be overlooked either.
The home-only opponents feel like gifts as the Spartans won't have to travel to face Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, Ohio State, USC, or UCLA. Those are all going to be tough games and Michigan State has the luxury of facing each of these teams at home only.
Overall, I like Michigan State's schedule and I think it has a good chance of repeating, as long as it can fill that last roster spot with another portal guard or Darius Adams.
The 2025-26 season can't come soon enough.