Another Arizona center transfer could be an option for Michigan State basketball

Arizona was one of the best basketball teams in college basketball this season, so why not go after some of their players in the portal? Oumar Ballo is the first Wildcat center to enter the portal that I think Tom Izzo should go after, but he only has one year of eligibility remaining. So if Michigan State basketball is looking for a more long-term option at center from the portal, Dylan Anderson may be a better option.

Dylan Anderson is a 7-foot center who has spent the last two seasons with Arizona. He redshirted this past season, but played a little bit for the Wildcats as a freshman.

During his freshman season, he only averaged 1.4 points and 0.6 rebounds per game, but this was on only 3.7 minutes of playing time. With these stats being from two years ago and his production being as low as it was, it is hard to get a good feel for the type of player he can be. But some other things stand out and tell me that he could transform into a very solid player.

For starters, averaging 1.4 points in about three and half minutes of playing time really isn't that bad. If you extend that out to 25 minutes of game time, Dylan would average 10 points per game. Now that would be a solid contribution. These stats are also from two years ago when he was a freshman, so it's probably a safe assumption that he has gotten stronger and improved sense then. Anderson's shooting splits were also pretty solid as well, including 41 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line. He was also 33 percent from 3-point range. A 7-footer who can shoot that well from beyond the arc is definitely someone I would be happy to have on my team.

Now Tom Izzo has a few decisions to make. The first is if he even wants to target a center in the transfer portal. Michigan State has not been publically linked with a center in the portal yet, but I would be shocked if Izzo doesn't at least try to get a center, especially after Mady Sissoko entered the portal. But the more important question might be if he wants a one-year rental at center or a more long-term project. Anderson would be a good option for a long-term project, but if Izzo prefers a short-term option than his teammate Ballo would suffice.

Regardless of what Izzo chooses to do, I think he needs to take a center. That would raise the ceiling of next year’s team exponentially, so hopefully Izzo can accomplish that soon.