Why has Michigan State basketball been so good this year? It's hard to pinpoint one single season, but the Spartans have improved in essentially every regard from a year ago.
The bigs have been more effective, especially on the defensive end, and the guard play has been fantastic compared to what it was last season with the backcourt (outside of Tyson Walker and Tre Holloman, to an extent) falling way short of expectations.
This year, the backcourt has been a major strength. While the bigs have improved, the guard play has arguably led the Spartans to this 13-3 record in the Big Ten and 22-5 mark overall.
And one analytics expert agrees.
Evan Miyakawa posted an impressive stat, proving that Michigan State might just have the deepest backcourt in the country. He said that Jase Richardson, Jeremy Fears, Jaden Akins, and Tre Holloman all have a BPR (Bayesian Performance Rating) of 4.9 or better. The BPR measures the overall value of each player while on the floor and this shows that each guard is valuable.
Final: Michigan State 75, Michigan 62.
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) February 22, 2025
The Spartan guards are such a force. Richardson, Fears, Akins, and Holloman combined for 60 of MSU's 72 points.
MSU is the only team with 4 guards having a BPR of 4.9 or better at https://t.co/cegyfz96ax. Deepest unit in the country. pic.twitter.com/OBiMSMz6Cu
This is an impressive stat and it should give Michigan State fans some hope because having elite guard play is required to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Having four guards with a BPR above 4.9 shows that each guy is important and plays their role correctly.
The only thing that concerns me about the Spartans' BPRs is the fact that Xavier Booker has the worst on the team, meaning he might be the least valuable, at least numbers-wise, in the playing rotation. I think I speak for every Spartan fan when I say I'm hoping for him to turn it around.
Still, this list is proof that Michigan State has one of the best backcourts in college basketball.