No. 2 Michigan State Spartans

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Last Season: 28-9, 14-4 (t-1st Big Ten), lost to Butler in the Final Four

Head Coach: Tom Izzo

Key Losses: Raymar Morgan, Chris Allen

Newcomers: Keith Appling, Adreian Payne, Russell Byrd, Alex Guana

Projected Lineup:

• G: Kalin Lucas, Sr.
  
• G: Durrell Summers, Sr.
  
• F: Draymond Green, Jr.
  
• F: Delvon Roe, Jr.
  
• C: Derrick Nix, So.
  
• Bench: Garrick Sherman, So.; Adreian Payne, Fr.; Keith Appling, Fr.; Alex Gauna, Fr.; Korie Lucious, Jr.; Austin Thornton, Jr.
  

Outlook: I think we can all agree that the last year has not been ideal for Tom Izzo or the Michigan State program. It started early last season when he had to bench his star guard Kalin Lucas for what was assumed to be leadership issues. Later in the season it was starter Chris Allen was forced to ride the pine for a myriad of problems he had off the court. All this was happening while Delvon Roe tried to get his knees healthy and Durrell Summers tried to find some form of consistency. Over the summer, it was worse. Izzo nearly left East Lansing for Cleveland. Allen did leave, as he was forced out by Izzo. Lucas blew his achilles in the NCAA Tournament while Roe and Lucious both had knee surgeries. Freshman Russell Byrd may be out for the season with a stress fracture. Lucious also got a DUI, while two team members were accused of sexual assault by a fellow student. What did I miss?

And despite all of that, Izzo returns a team that may actually be better than the teams he had the last two seasons. Should I mention here that both of those teams made the Final Four?

There may not be a better coach in college basketball right now than Izzo, but he sure is going to have his work cut out for him this season. There is a ton of talent on this roster, but there may be just as many question marks. We'll start with Kalin Lucas. As a sophomore, Lucas was widely considered one of the best point guards in the country, which is why he was named Big Ten player of the year as he led the Spartans to the national title game. When he came back as a junior, he just didn't appear to be that much better. As I mentioned earlier, he was benched at the beginning of the season. When he came back, he still didn't seem like the same Kalin Lucas. The skills and the numbers were there, but he didn't seem to be quite as effective or dominant as he was the year prior. And now he will be heading into the season coming off of a serious injury. How effective is he going to be? Which Kalin Lucas will show up? Can he really be back to where he was as a sophomore is the last six months were spent getting him healthy instead of improving his jumper and adding a move or three to his offensive repertoire?

Two guard Durrell Summers has just as many question marks. His upside is seemingly limitless -- he has all the tools of a kid that will one day be a first round pick -- but he is as consistently inconsistent as anyone in the country. One of the (many) x-factors for MSU this season will be with Summers' shows up -- the one that took over in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 18.8 ppg and winning Midwest Regional MOP, or the one that scored in double figures just once in the last eight regular season games. The rest of the Spartan back court will be Korie Lucious and Keith Appling. Appling is a big-time scorer, but he is also a freshman. Who knows what, exactly, he is going to be able to produce this season. Lucious is coming off of surgery as well and is already going to miss the first game of the season due to a DUI.


Up front, there are question marks as well. Delvon Roe has as much talent as any four man in the talent, but his knees are in terrible shape. Can he make it through a full season at 100%? Will he be able to practice for a full season? Starting alongside Roe will be likely be a rotation of Izzo's three other post players. Derrick Nix is a 6'9", 270 lb sophomore that was a highly regarded recruit, but he didn't do much on the court as a freshman to prove himself to be any kind of a prospect. And he shot 13-48 from the free throw line. Garrick Sherman is a 6'10" sophomore who, like nix, was pretty unimpressive as a freshman. Freshman Adreian Payne has all the tools you look for in a big man, but he's a 6'10", 225 lb post player in a physical league who has been criticized for a lack of effort at times.

Perhaps the only sure thing on this roster is Draymond Green, who should slide into Raymar Morgan's starting role at the three. Green is a do-it-all kind of player. He is the best rebounder on this team, he can really pass the ball, and he's a good defensive player. He'll be looked upon to shoulder a bigger scoring load this season and to be more aggressive offensively to help take some of the pressure off of the MSU back court.

There are so many question marks with this Spartan team. Can the back court live up to their substantial potential? Is Lucas healthy? Will anyone besides Green be an impact player along the Spartan front court? If all the pieces get put together, this is a team with the talent, the size, and the veterans to make a run at a national title. It will require a heck of a coaching job, and I expect the Spartans to have some ups-and-downs throughout the season. But I don't think there is another coach that can better handle the task in front of him than Izzo.