Michigan State’s backcourt depth has taken a step back this season compared to last year when the Spartans had Jase Richardson, Tre Holloman, Jaden Akins, and Jeremy Fears Jr. — that’s just an embarrassment of riches in the backcourt.
Tom Izzo lost Richardson, Holloman, and Akins and brought in Jordan Scott, Divine Ugochukwu, and Denham Wojcik. The proven depth took a massive hit.
It took an even bigger hit when Ugochukwu went down with a season-ending foot injury against Minnesota. There’s a “small chance” that Ugochukwu could still return over the next two weeks, but I would say there’s less than a one percent chance that happens.
The backcourt may have taken another hit this weekend when Wojcik reaggravated a shoulder injury against Louisville, according to David Harns of Spartans Illustrated.
Wojcik already revealed that he;s been playing through a shoulder injury since the Iowa game.
Denham Wojcik reaggravated his injured shoulder today. He's been playing through it since Iowa - he plans to have surgery in the offseason. pic.twitter.com/DR9X1teu98
— David Harns (@DavidHarns) March 22, 2026
For all the flak that Wojcik gets from some fans on the internet who don’t understand how important he is to the team because he’s the only player who is keeping Fears fresh.
The Spartans have been relying on Wojcik to give them 3-5 good minutes per game where he doesn’t let things get out of control, and he’s been doing so while receiving plenty of unfair criticism while playing with a bad shoulder. It’s obvious that he’s had shoulder issues with the tape he wears on it, but when he injured it against Louisville, it was pretty obvious that the pain level isn’t zero.
It’s time fans ease off Denham Wojcik a bit
Wojcik isn’t going to score a ton of points or be responsible for big runs, but he does what Izzo asks of him every time out. His defense leaves a lot to be desired, but he’s a decent passer and he pushes the ball up the floor which is required for a Spartan point guard.
The senior transfer from Harvard did score four points in the opening-round win over North Dakota State so he did more than what’s expected of him.
He never thought that he’d be playing backup point guard for a Sweet 16 team when he committed to the Spartans, but here we are, and he’s doing a good enough job.