Fansided

5 reasons surging Michigan State Spartans will win the 2020 Big Ten Tournament

By Mike Phillips

COLLEGE PARK, MD - FEBRUARY 29: Rocket Watts #2 of the Michigan State Spartans takes a jump shot over Donta Scott #24 of the Maryland Terrapins during a college basketball game at the Xfinity Center on February 29, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - FEBRUARY 29: Rocket Watts #2 of the Michigan State Spartans takes a jump shot over Donta Scott #24 of the Maryland Terrapins during a college basketball game at the Xfinity Center on February 29, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next

4. The Spartans finally settled on their rotation

One of the big issues for Michigan State early in the season was an unsettled rotation. This became a problem when Joshua Langford went down with a foot injury before Michigan State’s first game, knocking him out for his senior season.

Langford was expected to be the Spartans’ primary perimeter threat, and his loss forced other players into roles they were not expected to assume. Michigan State also didn’t get the breakthrough they expected from Marcus Bingham Jr, who was slated to get a lot of playing time down low with Xavier Tillman.

The lineup issues led Izzo to spend much of December and January tinkering with his rotation to find the right mix of guys. It took a bit longer than usual but Izzo landed on a strong seven-man rotation right as the Spartans started to get hot.

The usual starting five is Cassius Winston, Rocket Watts, Kyle Ahrens, Aaron Henry, and Xavier Tillman, with Malik Hall and Gabe Brown as the two primary options off the bench. Those seven players gobble up the bulk of the playing time for Michigan State with guys like Foster Loyer, Bingham, and Thomas Kithier filling the gaps.

This group has a good mix of shooting, size and defense, which is the key to success in basketball. Izzo’s new rotation has great chemistry and is playing very well together, making the Spartans a very tough out.