Tom Izzo has been working around the clock this offseason to make sure that Michigan State basketball is back near the top of the sport next season.
Making it to the Elite Eight and falling short because of poor shooting and just not enough post production gave Izzo a taste of success that seemingly motivated him to work on his roster via the transfer portal this offseason after losing Jaden Akins, Jase Richardson, Tre Holloman, Frankie Fidler, Szymon Zapala, Xavier Booker, and Gehrig Normand.
Izzo went into the portal and landed three quality players in Trey Fort, Kaleb Glenn, and Divine Ugochukwu. They complement an incoming recruiting class of Jordan Scott and Cam Ward.
We must not forget that Izzo took a preseason unranked team and led them to 30 wins, an Elite Eight appearance, and a Big Ten regular season title (by three games). Those doubting that he has the pieces to make another run in 2025-26 are going to be sadly mistaken, more than likely.
Many fans, experts, and media members will overlook the Spartans heading into the 2025-26 season, but not Gary Parrish of CBS Sports.
According to Parrish's latest Top 25 And 1 projections for the 2025-26 season, Michigan State will be one of the best teams in the Big Ten yet again and one of the 15 best squads in the country. He has Michigan State ranked No. 15 behind Purdue (No. 4), Michigan (No. 8), and UCLA (No. 10). The other Big Ten teams to make the rankings are Oregon (16), Illinois (23), Wisconsin (25), and Ohio State (26).
Michigan State is right in the middle of the Big Ten's contenders, according to these rankings, which is likely right where Izzo wants to be.
Not many will be picking Michigan State to win the Big Ten over Purdue, Michigan, and UCLA this season, but Izzo loves proving people wrong and will likely do it again.
I'm not worried about this team and you shouldn't be either.