The Michigan State team that we all saw in the final 30 minutes against UConn in the Sweet 16 was completely different than the one we saw in the first 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the Spartans just ran out of gas. They picked a horrible time to have their worst start of the season.
Michigan State scratched and clawed its way back into the game, but when the final buzzer sounded, Tom Izzo’s mind immediately went to his seniors. Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper just wrapped up their college careers in the Sweet 16 which is about three rounds earlier than they would’ve hoped. It was a disappointing end to two otherwise fantastic Spartan careers.
Losing Cooper and Kohler means one thing for Izzo: he’s going to have a massive hole in the post.
Ethan Taylor comes in, Jesse McCulloch will be a redshirt sophomore, Cam Ward had flashes of brilliance this year, and Julius Avent is also coming in to help down low. Izzo knows he’s going to need more than that in his post if he’s going to realistically chase No. 2 next year. He knows he’s likely going to have to address than in the transfer portal.
While not talking about a specific position, Izzo did share that he plans on using the portal this offseason, but with one caveat: he’s going to continue doing it his way.
Izzo says about next year he is "going to the portal, but at Michigan State the portal is a little different. I am going to go into my own fricking locker room."
— Spartans Illustrated (@Spartans_Illo) March 28, 2026
He elaborates that he will meet which each player and talk about their role on next year's team.
What does this mean? Essentially that he’s going to target transfers who don’t think that they’re bigger than the program and who are there just for a paycheck. He’s going to get guys who he feels fit his program and are the OKG type.
He’s going to keep his locker room intact.
Culture should keep Michigan State together
Following the loss to UConn, Michigan State players were asked about the season and they all talked about the togetherness, chemistry, and culture. The Spartans thrived this season and for the past two years because of that culture that Izzo has cultivated.
Now, in a time when stars transfer for bigger paychecks elsewhere, it sounds like the team should remain intact next season despite other programs likely offering hard-to-pass-up deals.
Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr, and probably Kur Teng and Jordan Scott are going to be contacted at some point with the goal of getting them to enter the portal. It’s up to Izzo to make sure that they’re happy and they won’t need to be replaced next season.
As long as there are no surprise transfers, I could see Izzo just targeting another big in the portal.