44. Michigan Wolverines

45. VCU Rams

46. Dayton Flyers

47. St Mary’s Gaels

48. Washington Huskies

49. UCF Knights

50. Louisville Cardinals

51. Boise State Broncos

52. Clemson Tigers

53. New Mexico Lobos

54. Arizona State Sun Devils

55. Utah State Aggies

56. Colorado State Rams

57. Seton Hall Pirates

58. SMU Mustangs

59. South Carolina Gamecocks

60. Nevada Wolfpack

61. TCU Horned Frogs

62. Villanova Wildcats

63. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

64. Saint Louis Billikens

65. Syracuse Orange

66. Nebraska Cornhuskers

67. Pittsburgh Panthers

68. Iowa Hawkeyes

69. NC State Wolfpack

70. Butler Bulldogs

71. Princeton Tigers

72. Virginia Cavaliers

73. Saint Joseph’s Hawks

74. Oklahoma Sooners

75. West Virginia Mountaineers

76. Georgia Bulldogs

77. UAB Blazers

78: Wisconsin Badgers

79. San Diego State Aztecs

80. Missouri Tigers

81. Northwestern Wildcats

82. Loyola Chicago Ramblers

Happy Sunday, Welcome back to another edition of our 82 in 72 countdown! Yesterday we took a look at the Michigan Wolverines and what Dusty May has to work with in year one, be sure to check out that preview because today we are keeping it in the state of Michigan and previewing the Michigan State Spartans, who come in at number 43 in our preseason college basketball rankings!

Steven	Maxwell	Kam	Cody
50	43	33	53

2024-2025 will be Tom Izzo’s 30th season at the helm for Sparty, and with the current roster in East Lansing, Tom Izzo and the Spartans could be in for a prosperous campaign, but the Spartans are also looking to combat three straight seasons of underperforming comparative to expectations. The Spartans have only one Sweet Sixteen this decade but arguably bring their best roster of the decade in 2024-2025, and hearing recent reports from their Spain trip this summer and workouts, I might subscribe to that thought…

Michigan State is bringing a motherload of size this season, and the forward duo of Xavier Booker and Frankie Fidler is going to be a problem. Xavier Booker was one of my personal favorites from the 2023 high school class and is in line for a spike in usage and what should be a large jump in counting stats. At 6’ 11 240 lbs, Booker is a problem physically both down low and on the perimeter, and with a year of college basketball under his belt I am expecting a big leap this season for Booker. Alongside Xavier Booker, on the wing, will be the 6’ 7 220 lbs forward Frankie Fidler, who led the Spartans in scoring this summer in Spain. When I went back and studied Fidler, I found a high-IQ forward who isn’t afraid to shoot the rock but a forward who also covets valuable possessions and plays strong positional defense. There’s some Dalton Knecht in Frankie Fidler coming to Michigan State after averaging 20+ per game last season at Omaha, and there’s a very strong chance that Frankie Fidler will be the Spartans most consistent offense this season, a problem that has plagued them over the last few seasons.

If the Spartans can’t look to Fidler to be their offensive focal point, then the likely candidate becomes Jaden Akins. Akins will be looking for a senior year spike after having similar campaigns the prior two seasons, per Cerebro Sports, Akins has recorded the same CRAM score over the last two seasons(7.3, a slightly above average performer compared to his peers). Akins has shown flashes of being a dynamic offensive player but inconsistency(with play and playing time) has not allowed Akins to reach his full potential as a player. With Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard now departed, expect Akins to make the jump.

Starting alongside Jaden Akins, the Spartans are left with a difficult decision. Does Izzo go with junior Tre Holloman or redshirt freshman Jeremy Fears Jr.? Both Holloman and Fears played for the Spartans last season but Holloman fought for consistent playing time in a loaded back court and Fears was actually shot during last season and only appeared in 12 games for the Spartans. Holloman showed real flashes last season off the bench for the Spartans and should open the season as the starting floor general for Izzo, but I expect Fears to play a major role, likely the sixth man role, which might suite his skillset more as Fears has more scoring capability and would be advantageous with his pace and energy for the Spartans off the bench.

Carsen Cooper and Jaxon Kohler are both back to play in the post this season, with Cooper likely starting and Kohler filling in the bench minutes for coach Izzo. Carsen Cooper is one of the more underrated bigs in the country, but in what should be his first full season as a starter, I expect Cooper to blossom for the Spartans. Sparty also brings in Longwood transfer Szymon Zapala who will also play in the post and could very well play over Kohler.

Coen Carr is back in East Lansing this season and joining Carr, the wildcard for the Spartans this season is true freshman Jase Richardson. While his shooting needs improvement, not much else on the offensive end does for Richardson…Jase Richardson is one of the top true freshman guards in the country and is a gifted scorer at the rim. Richardson at 6’ 3 185 lbs brings NBA-level explosiveness and athleticism while on the floor and could push to start for Izzo as a true freshman. If Richardson can show consistency on the defensive end, he will play significant minutes for the Spartans, especially being able to play both on and off the ball.

Our team has Michigan State dancing this March and with the talent Tom Izzo brings to the hardwood this year, in his 30th season, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some magic in East Lansing in 2025…