Michigan State Basketball: What's Next for Tom Izzo and the Spartans?
For the Michigan State menโs basketball team, this year came to a disappointing end in frustrating fashion.
In their loss to Louisville in the sweet sixteen, MSU only scored 44 pointsโthe lowest total for a number one seed in the shot-clock era.
The Spartans didnโt lose because they are a less talented team than Louisville, but because they were frustrated by the Cardinals' defense.
Gorgui Dieng, the Louisville center, shut the Spartans down inside by blocking seven shots, grabbing ten rebounds, and swiping three steals.
Louisville also gave the Spartans headaches by pressing them all game long.
โThey disrupted us a little bit and we didnโt have enough guys who could play well,โ MSU coach Tom Izzo said after the game.
The mood on the bus afterwards was a somber one. It was quiet, and you could tell an era was over at Michigan State.
So whatโs next for the Spartans?
Green, Austin Thornton and Brandon Wood are gone and the team will be in desperate need of leadership.
The clear front runner to step into the โDraymond Green roleโ is Keith Appling.
The point guard cooled off near the end of the season, but he will need to step up his game next season if the Spartans are going to make another tournament run.
It also helps that Michigan State has one of the most exciting recruiting classes in recent history coming in next year.
They have three four-star recruits that are all in the ESPNU Top 100. Five-star recruit Gary Harris turned heads with his game winning shot in the high school tournament.
Finally, we can never count out Tom Izzo.
It seems he always finds a way to make it to the tournament, no matter how much talent or youth he has on a team.
Michigan State is going to be a successful program in the coming years. The recruiting class they have coming in coupled with the players they already have, plus Tom Izzo, equals a very bright future.
