Michigan State basketball looking like the favorite to land a 4-star PF this week

Bergen Catholic #0 Julius Avent make his entrance. Ridgewood boys basketball hosts Bergen Catholic in a game on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025.
Bergen Catholic #0 Julius Avent make his entrance. Ridgewood boys basketball hosts Bergen Catholic in a game on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. | Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball have been heavily scouting the 2026 recruiting class, and all the hard work may soon be paying off.

Michigan State has already secured a commitment from four-star point guard Carlos Medlock Jr., and it has upcoming visits with Ethan Taylor and Jalyn Collingwood this weekend for Midnight Madness. It feels like the momentum is on the Spartans’ side.

Well, on Monday, the program got even more good news. Michigan State is a finalist for one of the top power forwards in the 2026 class, Julius Avent, who is announcing his decision on Wednesday.

Sam Kayser broke the news on Monday night, stating that Avent is down to three schools.

Seton Hall, Xavier, and Michigan State will all be hoping for some good news on Wednesday from the talented power forward from New Jersey, but it feels like the Spartans hold an edge here.

Last week, Izzo and his staff went out to see Jasiah Jervis in New York and then went to visit Avent in New Jersey, and that may have been enough to convince him to be a Spartan. He visited Xavier on Sept. 12, Michigan State on Aug. 30, and he’s supposed to see Seton Hall this weekend, but announcing a decision before that feels like an elimination to the Pirates.

Michigan State is in a great spot here. Izzo just checked in on Avent, he was on campus about a month ago, and he’s making an announcement before visiting one of his three finalists.

Avent, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward, is ranked the No. 78 prospect in the class.