No. 7 Michigan State Spartans: Projected Rotation & Season Outlook
Tom Izzo did a great job of bringing back much of his core from a season ago to give the Spartans a great baseline heading into the next campaign. Jeremy Fears proved to be one of the best point guards in the country last season averaging 15.2 points and 9.4 assists, and he should be one of the frontrunners for the Wooden Award in his senior year. They also retain Coen Carr, Kur Teng, Jordan Scott and Cam Ward. Carr is perhaps the most dynamic athlete in the country and appears poised for a big senior campaign.
The biggest task for Izzo will be replacing the stout interior of Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper. For that they will be leaning heavily on Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke. The 7-2 center provides an imposing presence on the defensive end and Izzo will hope to continue developing his skills on the offensive end to be able to best complement his star point guard.
The Spartans put together an impressive freshman recruiting class as well, signing four Top 100 players. Ethan Taylor figures to have the easiest path to playing time as a 7-footer with elite physical tools on a team without many other interior options. That said, Jasiah Jervis may prove to be the most impactful as one of the best pure shot-makers in the class who will give Michigan State a much needed scoring punch on the perimeter alongside Fears.
On paper, this Michigan State team is easily more talented than what the Spartans had a season ago. The question is if Izzo is going to be able to get this squad to match the physicality and dominance on the glass they showed last season. Don't be surprised if the Spartans start a little slow early on, but by February once all these talented young players get up to speed, they could be hard to deal with in Big Ten competition.
Check out how injuries are affecting the status of other players & teams on RotoWire's college basketball injury report.
2026-27 Michigan State Basketball Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: Jeremy Fears (15.2 PPG, 9.4 APG)
SG: Kur Teng (7.3 PPG)
SF: Jordan Scott (5.8 PPG)
PF: Coen Carr (12.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG)
C: Anton Bonke (10.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG at Charlotte)
Key Reserves: Cam Ward (5.1 PPG), Jasiah Jervis (No. 26 on SC Next 100), Ethan Taylor (No. 35 on SC Next 100), Kaleb Glenn (Redshirt), Carlos Medlock Jr. (No. 50 on SC Next 100), Julius Avent (No. 91 on SC Next 100)
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