In the preseason, I noted that Michigan State had a bright outlook heading into the 2021-2022 season because of the team’s age (MSU is one of the large number of “old” teams, all of which have a leg-up on the rest of the competition), depth (this was a projection that has come to pass as I anticipated), NBA talent (Marcus Bingham Jr., Gabe Brown, Malik Hall, Jaden Akins and Max Christie, at least, all appear to be possible future NBA players), and coaching talent (Tom Izzo and crew have rejuvenated their approach, the team’s defense, and the transition attack) to compete for an NCAA title — the outstanding variable remains luck, and fans will have to wait and see on that essential component of any basketball season.
NCAA Men’s Basketball: Top-30 teams heading into conference play
