Michigan State University basketball opens the 2023-2024 season on Monday night against James Madison and expectations are high.
The Spartans return several key players from last year’s squad that made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament including Tyson Walker, AJ Hoggard and Jaden Akins. On paper, the team seems deserving of its No. 4 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason rankings.
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The guard play of Walker and Hoggard is pivotal to the team’s success. Both guards contrast in play style and stature but they complement each other.
Graduate senior Walker is the team’s leading scorer and is a scrappy on-ball defender. He averaged 15 points and three assists last season.
The other half of the tandem, senior Hoggard’s natural feel for the game makes him a good playmaker and his 220-pound frame helps him finish strong at the rim. He averaged 13 points and six assists last season.
Junior combo guard Akins is very athletic and can consistently knock down the three. His quick first step and leaping ability gives him the potential to be a great scorer. He averaged 10 points on 42% three-point percentage last season. He is expected to take on a bigger role this season.
The team also returns senior forward, Malik Hall and sophomore forward Jaxon Kohler.
The longest-tenured player on the team, Hall returns for his fifth year aiming to make up for a season riddled with nagging injuries last year. He is a versatile player with the ability to play multiple different positions.
Kohler, who showed a lot of promise in his freshman season, will miss the start of the season after he underwent surgery on his left foot this offseason. He is expected to return before Christmas. This will limit coach Tom Izzo’s options in the low post at the start of the season.
The Spartans have reinforced its strong returning roster with one of the best recruiting classes in the nation. The class ranked fifth nationally by 247 Sports includes five-star center Xavier Booker and three four-stars, point guard Jeremy Fears, power forward Cohen Carr and small forward Gehrig Normand.
Through an intrasquad scrimmage and two exhibition games against Hillsdale and No. 9 Tennessee, Carr has been consistently the most impactful of the newcomers. Carr’s speed and jumping ability makes him a human highlight reel on fast breaks and is a lob threat when cutting to the basket in the half-court. His athletic play style can help the team play at a faster pace this season.
Spartan basketball is known for having tough non-conference schedules and will continue the tradition this season. They will face off against No. 2 Duke, No. 12 Arizona and No. 20 Baylor this season.
With a proven and experienced coach in Tom Izzo, the Spartans are always expected to be a tough team to beat. But this year, Izzo’s team is ready to emerge from scrappy contenders to championship favorites.