After being robbed of a chance for a national title in 2020, with the cancelation of the NCAA Tournament (that team finished at No. 7 in Kenpom’s final ratings — Tom Izzo’s 12th team to finish in the top-10 in Kenpom’s ratings, which now include Izzo’s entire tenure), and after a historically bad season in 2021 (finishing at No. 64 in Kenpom’s final ratings — the worst-performing team Izzo has ever had), last year’s Michigan State team showed tremendous progress (finishing at No. 42 in Kenpom’s final ratings).
As Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans resume their rebuilding project and quest for a national championship, this 2022-2023 season may appear to be a pause before the excitement of the 2023-2024 season (and its stellar freshman class), but, in fact, this season will likely determine the ceiling of that 2023-2024 team.