The No. 12 Michigan State Spartans (14-2) have gotten out to a sensational start to this season, earning big win after big win, earning an impressive 5-0 Big Ten record. They are currently one of the top teams to win the Big Ten regular season title and one analyst made his case for the Spartans.
College basketball analyst and play-by-play broadcaster John Fanta published a story on Monday morning breaking down seven teams within the Big Ten that have a legitimate chance at taking home the regular season conference title. He put the Spartans at the top of the list in “Tier A.”
Fanta also put No. 19 Illinois and No. 20 Michigan in that top tier, giving them the best chances. Fanta went into detail as to why the Spartans will win it and began by acknowledging the man that has made this program run like a well-oiled machine for the past three decades.
“The man on the sidelines is a good start to this argument,” Fanta wrote. “Now in his 30th season, Hall of Famer Tom Izzo has built a team in his image, as the Spartans rank 11th nationally in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency while ranking eighth in the country in rebounding margin at +11. This team grinds opponents down defensively for 40 minutes and has the tools to get enough from their offense, which ranks in the top 40 in efficiency.”
The Spartans are doing everything outside of just making shots to impact winning and come out of some gritty conference games on the right side. They have a litter of scorers that can change a game in the blink of an eye, and Fanta recognized the leaders that have helped this team succeed the most.
“Senior guard Jaden Akins has figured out that he needs to be Michigan State’s alpha, averaging 16 points per game, while Jaxon Kohler has become one of the Big Ten’s best rebounders, averaging 8.5 boards per game,” Fanta wrote. “While perimeter shooting isn’t the strength of this team, they do have several capable 3-point shooters, which gives them a different dimension…. Depth is a big reason why this team can win the league, as nine Spartans are averaging at least 16 minutes per game on the season.”
With Michigan State scheduled to face five teams ranked inside the top 20 over the next month, they will need to play even better basketball than they have shown to this point of the year. They have not played a ranked team since Thanksgiving and must turn it up a notch over the next few weeks.
Fanta wrote about the “X Factor” for the Spartans heading down the stretch and laid it all out as to why their star freshman will be an extremely pivotal piece to this team’s success, working alongside Akins, Kohler, and company.
“Jase Richardson, the son of former Spartan and 14-year NBA standout Jason Richardson,” Fanta wrote. “The freshman has had three games with multiple 3-pointers this season and that figure needs to continue to rise for a Spartans team in need of shot-making. Shooting 48% from the floor, Richardson possesses good form and changes the game when he’s on the floor because the Spartans have playmakers in Jeremy Fears and Tre Holloman, who are combining for 10 assists per game. While Coen Carr’s explosiveness also swings Michigan State into another gear, the play of Richardson and his confidence continuing to climb is the biggest key to this team having success and making a deep run in March.”
The Spartans have all the tools to become the top team in the conference at the end of the regular season and will likely be slated as a top-five seed in the NCAA Tournament if they continue their steady play. Fanta is just one of many analysts who have high hopes for Izzo’s club going forward.
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