What's Next for Michigan State After Final Four Loss?

The Michigan State Spartans' terrific run in the NCAA men's basketball tournament was ended by the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. 

While the Spartans will look back on their tremendous run through the Big Dance for a week or two, the reality of a new season will creep up on the program sooner than it would like it to. 

One of the biggest changes the Spartans will go through during the offseason will be the turnover at the guard position. Both Travis Trice and Branden Dawson will exit the program because of graduation, and they will leave a massive void that underclassmen must fill. 

Trice leaves Michigan State as its top scorer from his senior season, as he averaged 15.3 points per game. He also contributed 5.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest in his senior season. 

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Dawson brought plenty of intangibles to the court on the defensive side of the ball, and he also averaged 11.9 points per game, which was third-best on the team. The 6'6" Dawson also earned 9.1 rebounds per game, which was 2.9 more than the next player on the stat chart. 

The good news for Tom Izzo and Co. is they already have replacements set to take over for the pair of contributors. Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. and Marvin Clark Jr. received a taste of the big-game atmosphere during the tournament, which will do them a world of good during their respective sophomore seasons. 

Nairn gained a ton of praise for his play down the stretch, and he has the potential to replace Trice as the program's top scorer next season. 

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As for the upperclassmen, Matt Costello, Bryn Forbes and Denzel Valentine will all be around for their senior seasosn in East Lansing. Valentine is the key returner, but both Costello and Forbes will be relied on to thrive in their specific roles, as well.

Costello will be asked to pull down more than his 5.2 rebounds per game from this season, as will Gavin Schilling, who will be a junior during the 2015-16 campaign. 

Forbes was a strong asset off the bench during the deep run to the Final Four, thanks to his shooting from beyond the arc. With the accurate Trice gone, Forbes may be asked to shoulder more of the weight from three-point range next year. 

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When it comes to the incoming freshman class, the Spartans are still working on their final group of first-year players. 

Deyonta Davis is currently the key name on the list of commits, but it could grow if Caleb Swanigan opts to join up with Michigan State for the upcoming season, as 247Sports notes MSU is a possible choice. 

Just like a few other uncommitted marquee recruits, Swanigan is waiting on some more dominos to fall before he makes his final decision. 

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The 6'9" Davis will be expected to help out down low with Dawson out of the picture. If Swanigan were to commit to the Spartans, they could boast a powerful frontcourt that would hand opponents plenty of trouble. 

With Swanigan in the fold, the Spartans would contain a potential starting lineup that would also include Nairn, Valentine, Davis and Costello. 

However, the Spartans will have to fight off heavy interest from Cal for Swanigan's services. If big man Ivan Rabb commits to Cal, Swanigan may go there as part of a package deal, per Scout.com's Evan Daniels: 

Although the winds of change will once again blow through East Lansing this offseason, the Spartans still have Izzo at the helm. 

As long as the experienced head coach is in charge, the Spartans will always be seen as a contender come March, just like we witnessed during this year's run to the Final Four. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.