Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Michigan just won the NCAA title under Dusty May, leaving rivals Michigan State and Ohio State to close a massive gap after the Wolverines' dominant tournament
- Tom Izzo's Spartans must find a center in the portal to compete. With elite recruits arriving, pressure is on to win a title for the first time in decades.
- Jake Diebler faces intense scrutiny at Ohio State after a first-round exit. The Buckeyes need better recruiting to stay relevant against rising Big Ten programs
It’s hard to believe that two seasons ago, Dusty May was taking over a Michigan basketball team that had just eight wins. In two seasons, Michigan went from a bottom feeder in the Big Ten to national champions. Now Michigan State and Ohio State have to figure out how to do the same. Both teams reached the NCAA Tournament this past season. Michigan State ran into a buzzsaw in UConn, while Ohio State didn’t make it out of the first round.Â
The Spartans were one of the top teams in the Big Ten but just couldn’t quite get over that hump. With Michigan’s latest commitment from five-star guard Brandon McCoy Jr., the Spartans will have a lot of catching up to do. Ohio State’s job is even tougher. Here’s what Michigan’s two biggest rivals need to do to chase down the Wolverines.Â
Michigan State’s path to catching Michigan could come as quickly as next season
Michigan State is in a great position to contend in 2026-27 and dethrone Michigan. The Spartans, so far, haven’t lost any players to the transfer portal with four incoming freshmen. According to Sports Illustrated story, the biggest need the Spartans will address in the transfer portal is center. If Michigan State truly is a center away from being contenders, they could come after their rivals next season.Â
Tom Izzo has had a solid career at Michigan State but only has one national championship. Not to diminish that title, but it was almost 25 years ago. Michigan now has a more recent title than Michigan State, which turns up the heat on Izzo to win another one. Izzo doesn’t need another championship to solidify his path to the Hall of Fame. But it would remind fans of why he’s so good.Â
May came in and in two years won a national championship. Izzo has proven he can survive in the modern era of college athletics. He’s able to retain his roster while using the portal and still being aggressive with high school recruiting. Izzo has the perfect balance and has enough to contend in the Big Ten year after year. That pressure will be on high alert next year.Â
What if Michigan State doesn’t catch up to Michigan this year? Does that mean they won’t? Will Izzo be the one to do it? These are all valid questions, but it doesn’t mean Michigan State won’t ever catch Michigan. It just means it’s going to take more than one season to close the gap.Â
Will Jake Diebler survive the pressure after Michigan’s title season?
If you ask Ohio State fans, Jake Diebler probably should have gotten fired after Ohio State’s first-round loss to TCU a few weeks back. But he’s still around and if there ever was such a thing as urgency for him, the time is now. Ohio State hasn’t been competitive against Michigan State or Michigan in years. Sure, Ohio State played Michigan close, but the point is the Buckeyes are well behind the Wolverines.Â
The Buckeyes just haven’t been able to out-recruit Michigan and they haven't been able to keep up with them overall. Ohio State hasn’t made it out of the first weekend of March Madness since the 2014-15 season under Thad Matta. Since then, Ohio State has been to the NCAA Tournament five times and has just three wins. Ohio State can win games, they just don’t look as dangerous as the other top teams in the Big Ten. Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa and even Wisconsin have all closed the gap on Michigan. Ohio State has to be next.Â
That means Diebler is going to have to recruit the transfer portal better and build a roster that’s more than just occasionally good. Or Ohio State is going to have to decide when it’s time to move on from Diebler. He probably should have been fired after the season, only time will tell if Ohio State was right to give him another chance to improve this team. That same decision might just be what keeps this team behind.