Before the 2025-26 season began, Tom Izzo was hard at work trying to get his team to gel in a hurry. He had several new faces on the roster, and it was going to take one of his best coaching efforts to get them on the same page before facing a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule.
The previous season’s team was one of the closest he’s ever had, and he attributed that to the success that they saw. They wouldn’t have won the Big Ten or made the Elite Eight if they didn’t all play for each other rather than their own personal accolades.
That was why Michigan State was so hard to beat last season.
Losing Jase Richardson, Tre Holloman, Jaden Akins, Xavier Booker, Frankie Fidler, Szymon Zapala, and Gehrig Norman definitely put a strain on team chemistry with only four main contributors to the 2024-25 Big Ten title squad returning. Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr, Jaxon Kohler, and Carson Cooper would all have to take on leadership roles and get the team on the same page quickly.
All of these departures, along with the season-ending injury to Kaleb Glenn, had experts doubting Michigan State before the season. There were even some who believed the Spartans would be in danger of missing the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Izzo’s lengthy tournament streak was in danger, according to a few reputable college hoops personalities.
As for the Big Ten standings, Michigan State was picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll, voted on by the conference’s media, which was strange for the reigning league champs.
Michigan State was also only ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25 to begin the year.
Everything looked to be going against Izzo and the Spartans, but that’s when the Hall of Fame head coach does his best work. He loves being an underdog, and he embraced that role during the offseason, even saying after the 17-point win over Kentucky that his team isn’t that good and the Wildcats aren’t that bad. He knows how to humble his guys so they don’t get “fat and sassy”.
Now, six games into the season, Michigan State looks like an absolute wagon. The Spartans have gotten better each game, starting with Colgate, then Arkansas, followed by San Jose State, Kentucky, Detroit Mercy, and then East Carolina on Tuesday afternoon. They’ve won all but one game by double figures, and the wins are becoming more lopsided.
This team is gelling to perfection. The starters are playing well together, everyone has improved, and the bench is deeper than anyone expected.
Izzo is already coaching a masterpiece, and it feels like this team could be special.
The preseason expectations will be looked back on and laughed at once we get to March, and hopefully that comes after a second straight Big Ten title and the first Final Four run since 2019.