NCAA basketball: Top 15 appointment-worthy teams to watch this season

7. Michigan State Spartans

It wouldn’t be a regular college basketball year if Michigan State wasn’t a Big Ten threat. The Spartans were peaking at the end of last season and this year’s squad has a chance to win the Big Ten again thanks to the collection of talent Tom Izzo has assembled.

The losses of Cassius Winston to graduation and Xavier Tillman to the NBA Draft will hurt, but this Spartans team will look a bit different thanks to an infusion of perimeter shooting. Joshua Langford is back for his redshirt senior year, while former Marquette transfer Joey Hauser gives Izzo a stretch-4 he hasn’t had in years.

The intrigue comes from how Izzo will replace Winston and Tillman. Rocket Watts figures to take over at the point for Winston, while Marcus Bingham and freshman Mady Sissoko will compete to take Tillman’s minutes at the 5.

Michigan State also has assembled a typically competitive non-conference slate including matchups with Duke in the Champions Classic and Virginia in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Those games will be important for Izzo to teach his new nucleus what it takes to win in March.