All three former Michigan State players who made the 2026 NCAA Tournament with their new teams have officially been eliminated from the field after the first weekend of action.
The nightmare scenario for most fans would be facing a former Spartan and getting eliminated by them, but that’s no longer a concern after Xavier Booker’s UCLA Bruins were knocked out by the UConn Huskies on Sunday night. If UCLA had won that game, it would have matched the Spartans up with UCLA in the Sweet 16 — a second matchup in three weeks.
Booker and the Bruins ran out of gas against the Huskies in the second half after playing neck-and-neck through the first 20 minutes, and the former Spartan had himself a solid two-game showing in this year’s tournament.
He averaged 14 points and 6.5 rebounds in two NCAA Tournament games for the Bruins. You have to feel good for this former Spartan who left on good terms and is someone who Tom Izzo says he roots for and still talks regularly with.
Booker will enter a big senior season, likely at UCLA, with hopes of building an NBA draft stock.
The Spartans will now no longer have to worry about Tre Holloman, Gehrig Normand, or Holloman ending their season early. They can just focus on UConn on Friday night.
Michigan State learns its next opponent
UConn and UCLA were battling it out for a good chunk of Sunday’s game, but the Huskies were just too much for the Bruins down the stretch, pulling away with a 16-point win.
Izzo will now get to face Dan Hurley and the Huskies for the first official time this season, and second time overall after losing the preseason exhibition game in Connecticut. Getting back to the Elite Eight is going to be a heck of a challenge, but this team is built for games like these against opponents that not many believe the Spartans can beat.
I like Michigan State’s chances against the Huskies this time around.