Although it’s been a slow couple of weeks in the transfer portal for Michigan State with fans hitting the panic button on the center position, college basketball analysts and experts are still very high on the Spartans.
The fanbase may feel like the sky is falling, but that’s far from the case.
One prominent college basketball analyst even believes that Michigan State will begin the 2026-27 season as the favorite to win the national championship.
Seth Davis shared his updated “never-too-early” Top 25 this week and even with zero transfer portal additions or subtractions, Michigan State is still his No. 1 team, just ahead of No. 2 Illinois.
The other Big Ten teams to make his Top 25 were Michigan (6), Ohio State (17), Purdue (18), UCLA (19), Indiana (20), Wisconsin (23), and Nebraska (24). That’s a loaded Big Ten next season, if all goes the way Davis believes it will.
The Big Ten is likely to have three teams in the top 10 next season and potentiall all in the top five as Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois are all projected to be national title contenders.
Don’t sleep on Purdue because Matt Painter always has the Boilermakers cooking, Ohio State added some talent in the portal, and Indiana really knocked it out of the park in the portal. I think whoever wins the Big Ten next season will be the favorite to win the national title — I truly believe that.
Michigan State will have a legit title contender
While Davis is high on the Spartans, fans are a little hesitant to echo any national title hype before Izzo reaches into the transfer portal for a starting-caliber center or he brings Carson Cooper back.
Until then, the hype is going to be dialed down a bit.
This team is still going to be really good and it will be a national title contender with or without a transfer center. If Michigan State does add a quality transfer center to complement Jesse McCulloch and Ethan Taylor, I think the No. 1 ranking holds some weight. However, until that happens, I think this is a top-10 team, maybe top-five.
Michigan State will have the best point guard in the country, the best athlete in the world, an improved and much deeper shooting guard situation, a breakout candidate at power forward, and a question mark at center. Bringing in a top-five class as well as bringing back two transfers who are back from season-ending injuries to complement the current roster is a scary thought.
Whether we want to believe it or not, Michigan State will be one of the best teams in the country to begin next season, even if Izzo botches the center position this offseason.
Still, that doesn’t mean “one player away” won’t apply next March unfortunately.
Go get us a center, coach.
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