Michigan State Spartans
2015-16 record: 29-6, 13-5 in the Big Ten
Head coach: Tom Izzo
Tenure at Michigan State: 22nd season
Career coaching record: 524-205
Home court: Breslin Student Events Center
Starters: G Eron Harris, G Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr., G Joshua Langford, F Miles Bridges, F Nick Ward
Bench: G Cassius Winston, G Matt McQuaid, F Gavin Schilling
Overview: After a stunning first-round loss to No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee State in the NCAA tournament, the Spartans will have to put the disappointment behind them and find a way to replace their top three scorers heading into this season. The trio of Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes and Matt Costello combined for 44.3 points per contest for Michigan State and provided the senior leadership necessary to carry the team through adversity in big games.
Izzo will look to work his magic once again with a young squad centered around veteran guards Eron Harris and Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr. in the backcourt. The player everybody will have their eyes on, though, is dynamic freshman Miles Bridges. The forward was the eighth-ranked player in the Class of 2016 and scored 33 points on 12-of-14 shooting in the Spartans’ exhibition game Oct. 27 against Northwood University. If Bridges can emerge as the team's go-to scoring option, Michigan State has the pieces around the freshman to be a fixture in the top 25 all year.
Freshmen Joshua Langford and Cassius Winston also come to East Lansing, Mich., with much-anticipation after being rated as five-star and four-star prospects, respectively. The two guards will likely battle for playing time and will develop into key rotation players once conference play comes along. In the frontcourt, Gavin Schilling's return from yet another knee injury should eventually help the Spartans offset some of the rebounding lost with the departures of Valentine and Costello.
The Spartans will face a tough start to the year with early-season matchups against Arizona, Kentucky and Duke. But if Izzo can round his young talent into form by March, Michigan State could emerge as a dangerous team in the NCAA tournament.
One thing that needs to go right: Bridges lives up to the preseason hype and draws enough of the defense's attention to allow Harris to become a reliable second scoring option for the Spartans.
One thing that could go wrong: Michigan State's youth at numerous positions and lack of frontcourt depth prove to be insurmountable challenges as the team struggles to recover from a slow start in nonconference play.
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