It was a tough weekend for the Spartans, but the future is bright when you start to look ahead to next season.
Michigan State basketball’s comeback effort against UConn in the Sweet 16 came up short on Friday night, with the Spartans falling by the final score of 67-63. The loss to the Huskies ended the Spartans’ season short of reaching the Final Four for a seventh straight season — which is the longest Final Four-less stretch of Tom Izzo’s career. It was another strong season for the Spartans but still a tough way for it to come to an end.
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While the wounds from Friday’s loss to UConn may still be open for many Spartans, I personally believe it’s never too early to look ahead to next season. So with that being said, let’s take a dive into what is to come this offseason and early outlook for what next year’s team could achieve.
Izzo’s future at Michigan State
Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Alright, let’s get this out of the way now. Izzo isn’t going anywhere and will be on the Spartans’ sidelines next season. Izzo was asked about his future at Michigan State following the Spartans’ defeat to UConn on Friday, and he made it clear he’s not retiring, nor has plans to do so anytime soon.
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“I’m feeling good,” Izzo said during the postgame press conference. “We’ll talk about retirement—why? What the hell am I going to do? The minute I don’t feel good, the minute I don’t feel like I’m giving my AD, president, or school every ounce of energy I have every day… you won’t have to worry about it. I don’t steal money. I won’t steal anybody’s time. But it’s sure as hell not going to be now. I’ve got some things to accomplish.”
This personally doesn’t come as a surprise or something I was worried about following the conclusion of this season. But, you never know, and it was at least nice to have Izzo squash that topic right away as we begin to look ahead to next season.
What we know about the roster as of now
Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler, right, celebrates with teammates Carson Cooper, center, and Gehrig Normand, left, after a MSU score and Nebraska timeout during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
While there are no questions around Izzo’s return for next season, that is not the case about the roster. I’m going to discuss retention and possible addition via the transfer portal in a little bit, so for now, let’s focus on what we know for sure about the Spartans’ roster for next year.
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As far as guys leaving, here’s the list of outgoing seniors: forward Jaxon Kohler, center Carson Cooper, guard Trey Fort, guard Denham Wojcik and guard Nate Sanders. The losses of Kohler and Cooper will be tough and I’ll personally miss watching them play as true Spartan dawgs — those are the clear most notable known departures off this year’s team.
Looking at who will be coming in next year, Michigan State will be welcoming in a top five recruiting class nationally made up of four incoming true freshman: center Ethan Taylor, shooting guard Jasiah Jervis, point guard Carlos Medlock Jr. and power forward Julius Avent. All four of these incoming Spartans are listed as four-star prospects and all ranked as top 100 players in the 2026 class.
The rest of the roster is uncertain when you take into consideration the transfer portal. So let’s move forward looking at how that could possibly shake out for the Spartans…
Focus on retaining Fears, Carr
(L to R) Michigan State basketball players Coen Carr and Jeremy Fears Jr. have a laugh talking about their coach Tom Izzo during a press conference at Capital One Arena in Washington DC on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The Spartans play the University of Connecticut on Friday evening.
There are two key aspects in the transfer portal: retention and addition. For the Spartans, both will be massively important but the retention of two key players is at the top of my offseason “To Do’s” checklist.
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If Michigan State is going to contend for championships next year, they must get Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr back for their senior seasons. There has already been some chatter about schools being interested in Fears and even some possible tampering going on behind the scenes. It’s not surprising after Fears had an All-American campaign where he averaged 15.2 points and 9.4 assists per game. I haven’t seen any speculation on Carr’s future and possible entry into the transfer portal, but I can assure you he’d be a top target if he were to consider leaving for another opportunity. So the first and top priority, in my opinion, is to make sure Fears and Carr are back in the green-and-white next year. The only way I’d be fine with either of them not returning is if they elected to jump to the NBA — which will only happen if they get a good enough grade to leave early.
I’m pretty confident Michigan State will do whatever is needed to keep both Fears and Carr on their roster for next season. But, you simply never know in the transfer portal era, and that’s why I’m calling this out as a massive key priority for this offseason.
Other Transfer Portal movement
Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Kur Teng (2) reacts against the UConn Huskies in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
It’s never easy to forecast who will stay or go via the transfer portal, and how that shakes out will ultimately impact who Michigan State will need to target as additions via the portal. But there are some assumptions we can make at this time.
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I’m anticipating Michigan State will see at least one guard leave via the portal simply because the backcourt is loaded right now. Assuming Fears and Jordan Scott return for next season, Michigan State will be returning its starting backcourt and welcome in two high-level incoming freshman guards in Jervis and Medlock. So what does that mean for guys like Kur Teng and Divine Ugochukwu? I hate assuming or predicting someone will leave via the portal but I will not be surprised if we see either of them decide to look for a new opportunity elsewhere.
We won’t know what are the exact needs via the portal until we know who is leaving, but one key area for the Spartans to target in the portal is center. Michigan State is losing two key bigs in Cooper and Kohler, and it’s my understanding the plan will be to look for a veteran center to help beef up the post. So definitely keep an eye out for the Spartans to at least look for a big via the portal.
Expectations for 2026-27 season
Oct 28, 2025; Hartford, CT, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) looks to shoot the ball defended by Connecticut Huskies center Eric Reibe (12) and Connecticut Huskies guard Silas Demary Jr. (2) during the second half at PeoplesBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images
There are so many factors in play and possible roster movement that it’s impossible to truly predict what next year looks like until we are into the summer. But as of late March and using a few assumptions, I think Michigan State is going to have the goods to be a National Championship contender next season.
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If Michigan State retains both Fears and Carr, we see continued progression from Cam Ward and Scott, and they add a solid to elite center via the transfer portal, then I really like the makeup of this team for next season. The depth should again be an advantage for the Spartans as well, and I personally feel like those three assumptions outlined are not terribly farfetched to expect.
As I said, we have a long ways to go before I can make a statement with certainty about next season’s expectations. But right now, this team on paper has the makings of a preseason top 10, maybe top 5 team. Oh, and let’s not forget where the Final Four is next year… right down the road in Detroit. Things are coming together for a potential special 2027 for the Spartans.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: What’s next for MSU basketball? Looking ahead to offseason, setting expectations for next year