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Michigan State basketball: 3 starting lineup options for 2020-2021 season

By Mike Phillips

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 15: Head Coach Tom Izzo watches the game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on February 15, 2020 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 15: Head Coach Tom Izzo watches the game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on February 15, 2020 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /
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Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Michigan State basketball loses Cassius Winston to the NBA, but Tom Izzo has a number of attractive starting lineup options without his star point guard.

2019 marked the first time Michigan State basketball began the year as the preseason no. 1 in the polls, but they never got a chance to see how that year would end. The Spartans were one of three teams to win a share of the Big Ten’s regular-season title, but they never got to play out the season due to the coronavirus-related cancellation of all NCAA sports.

The big loss for the Spartans comes with Cassius Winston, their senior leader and point guard, graduating. Winston had been the Spartans’ best player for the past two years so his departure will certainly change how they run the offense.

Kyle Ahrens is also graduating while there is still an open question about whether Joshua Langford will pursue a medical redshirt for a fifth year of eligibility. Langford did not play at all in his senior season due to a foot injury that also sidelined him for the second half of his junior year.

The other wild card in the mix is whether Xavier Tillman will go pro or return for his senior season. Tillman is a fringe first-round pick at the moment, so there are pros and cons on either side of the stay in school vs. go pro argument.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some potential lineup options for Michigan State basketball next season, beginning with the best-case scenario.