It's been five days. Five days since Michigan State basketball was bounced by Auburn in the Elite Eight, effectively ending its season early and also the Spartan careers of Jaden Akins, Frankie Fidler, Szymon Zapala, Tre Holloman, Xavier Booker, Gehrig Normand, and potentially Jase Richardson.
Six guys are now gone after a 30-7 season which resulted in an Elite Eight run and a Big Ten title.
That may seem like a lot, but the Spartans are also returning Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr, Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, Kur Teng, (maybe) Richardson, and Jesse McCulloch while bringing in two top-50 recruits from the 2025 class in Cam Ward and Jordan Scott. This team has plenty of talent.
Michigan State will likely have three open spots to utilize if it wants to hit the transfer portal and the reigning Big Ten Coach of the Year, Tom Izzo, will likely land 1-2 guys that fit his system.
Mind you, it has been five days.
Yet, fans have begun to panic because other Big Ten teams are picking up major commitments in the transfer portal -- Michigan currently has the nation's top transfer class. Even UCLA is making moves, landing Xavier Booker on Friday. The Spartans have only reached out to one guy publicly, and they've remained pretty quiet in the portal.
It's been a typical Tom Izzo offseason. This is nothing new.
The same thing happened a year ago after Michigan State lost Tyson Walker, AJ Hoggard, Malik Hall, and Mady Sissoko. Everyone panicked that four starters from a 9-seed were gone. It felt like the NCAA Tournament streak would soon be coming to an end. And then all Izzo did was add Frankie Fidler and Szymon Zapala? Not great, right?
Wrong.
Izzo got two transfers who fit the system and eased into their roles. Fidler probably would've been better if he adjusted to his role earlier, but he was a solid bench piece and Zapala was a more than serviceable big. Oh, and having Jase Richardson didn't hurt.
Michigan State went on to win the Big Ten by three whole games along with 30 games, finishing six points away from Izzo's ninth Final Four.
So why are we hitting the panic button? Because the Spartans lost one unexpected player from the regular playing rotation -- something that almost never happens under Izzo.
Why don't we just sit back and trust Izzo? He's earned the benefit of the doubt and it's clear that he found his joy again this past season. He still has it. Izzo has not lost his fastball like some thought heading into the season.
And then what if Richardson returns? That is better than any transfer he's going to get. A lineup with Fears, Richardson, Teng, Carr, and Kohler would be really fun.
That's a Big Ten champion-caliber starting five, in my opinion.
Also, there's still plenty of time to worry about the portal. The Spartans will add at least one transfer this offseason and it'll be a nice fit for Izzo's system. Let's all just relax and trust that Izzo knows what he's doing and he knows how to construct a Big Ten title-winning roster.
The quest for a repeat starts now.