Yeah they could be solid next year depending on what happens with Christie. Brown and Hauser are their two highest ORTG guys on Torvik, and Bingham was their best Center IMO. So those aren’t insignificant losses. But bringing that entire group back was just going to block the current/incoming freshmen, and we know that older group’s ceiling which is the R32 apparently.
If Christie goes pro I think their ceiling drops significantly, but if he comes back there’s some talent. Akins/Walker/Hoggard is a solid group of 1/2’s, and Christie/Hall are a really good 3/4. I like Marble as a backup C, so if they can get a good starting C and quality wing for depth, that could be a top 4 team in the B1G.
Yeah MSU could be very good next year if they hit on a lot of their outcomes. Kind of feel like this is still the type of team that Izzo will hold back most of the year, but it also feels like the kind of team where they get a lot of breakouts in late February and become sweet at the end
Loss of upperclassmen always pivotal for MSU. 3 guys not coming back for a fifth year means 3 guys who aren’t candidates to finally blossom in their last 20 games as a Spartan.
I think they finish top three in the conference next year. Hoggard and Walker can play together. But Jaden Akins is gonna be really good and might make it hard for them to play together. Christie will be more consistent, I’d imagine. Backcourt looks awesome IMO.
Only question is the post. Is Hauser returning? Is Hall? Bingham? Marble-Sissoko at the 5 isn’t viable in the Big Ten IMO unless Sissoko takes a big leap. Probably need a 4 and 5 in the portal depending who leaves.
Also curious if they return to being solid defensively. IIRC, they’ve had mediocre defenses the past couple years, which makes it harder to run theoretically. Which is what Tom wants to do.
I’m curious to see how Izzo handles the portal. He’s notoriously tough on players early in their MSU careers and has a short leash and high expectations. While he gave Hauser and Walker plenty of opportunities, he also yo-yo’d their roles and minutes around all the time. He needs to find the right type of player that can handle his demanding style while also being ready to contribute immediately.
I think MSU has a solid floor with Hoggard, Walker, Akins, Christie, Brooks, Hall, Hauser (?), Marble, Sissoko. I’m also happy that Brown and Bingham can finally move on to their next chapter and see what else life has to offer. But I do think MSU needs to count on a big leap from Akins and Christie in order to have a high ceiling - not to mention get another big since I don’t see Sissoko working out. I like Christie and Akins a lot, so seeing them get a bunch of playing time is probably going to be good once they mature a bit. But they are light on wings just like Michigan and need a leap.
I’m currently combing through B1G rosters seeing possible departures and how many spots each team could have for the portal and… Ayala would look nice in Maize and Blue
They’d make sense as Diabate/Houstan replacements if needed. But also I don’t think they would even entertain the idea. 0% chance. They have too much respect for Izzo to do it.
Not super into Ayala. He’s been pretty much just a guy his entire career. Meh defender, not a great passer, not a great shooter. OTOH, would bet on him being better than Kobe at the 2 next year.
Looking at rosters a few teams have interesting potential offseasons:
OSU - basically their whole team could return, but they also have 3-5 guys that are borderline rotation guys that could leave. Could have room to improve in the portal or could be stuck with another season of Brunk and Ahrens. Branham the ultimate swing NBA decision in the league
Indiana - need 2 players to transfer to fit their incoming scholarships from what I can tell. But a lot of them can’t transfer again because they just did. What’s the rule with grad transfers combined with COVID combined with 1 xfer exception combined with 4 year scholarships? Can IU not honor Kopp or Durr’s scholarship for a 5th year if they choose? Can they get another transfer exception? They’d have to or else their careers are over.
The last part is key. Also he’s not great at anything, but he’s competent at all of it and proven at the upper B1G level. Basically provides a hard floor across the board, and has secondary ball handling potential.
His shooting numbers aren’t great but a decent amount of his shots have been self created, would expect an increase in efficiency if he came to a better offensive system and dropped his USG. Only 18% of his shots at the rim were assisted, 20% of his other 2s, and 73% of his 3s
Also a grad transfer so would be easy to get through. Not even in the portal so getting way ahead of myself but seems ideal to me roster fit wise IMO.
I’ve always liked Ayala. I think Maryland asked him to do things he shouldn’t have been doing, and if he were on a better roster, he’d be a pretty good complementary piece.
I noticed that as well today. Saw his overall ORTG was down to like 108 or something when it was much higher mid season. Can’t say I’m shocked. People called for him to get more touches as if he was just gonna be super efficient with more and more turnaround 13 footers
There was a thread on 247 not that long ago where the idea of exactly those two players was floated, and I was shocked that casual Michigan fans apparently think they’re garbage players? I chimed in that I would be surprised if they came to Michigan for rivalry reasons as noted, but either could help our roster, and got roundly downvoted for that. Happy to see some validation of what I thought was a fairly uncontroversial opinion.