3 Washington Contributors Deserving MSU's Focus

These three members of the Huskies pose the biggest threat to the Spartans.

Jan 7, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Washington Huskies forward Hannes Steinbach (6) looks to get around Purdue Boilermakers center Oscar Cluff (45) during the first half at Mackey Arena. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Michigan State basketball is set to hit the West Coast.

The 12th-ranked Spartans (15-2 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) begin the two-game trip with Washington (10-7, 2-4). MSU is trying to do better than last year's trip out towards the Pacific Ocean, when it lost two games in Los Angeles to USC and UCLA.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo yells at a referee about a call made during a game against Northwestern at the Breslin Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

This season's long plane ride doesn't necessarily get any easier. Saturday's game against the Huskies, set for 6 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network, is a Quad 1 opportunity for Michigan State. One theme from Tom Izzo's Thursday press conference was he raved about the high level of talent on Washington's roster, just that it hadn't put it all together yet.

These are the players that the Spartans will have the toughest time dealing with:

F Hannes Steinbach

Dec 29, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies forward Hannes Steinbach (6) shoots the basket against the Utah Utes during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The Huskies' star player so far this year has been freshman forward Hannes Steinbach. He's currently averaging 17.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Standing at 6-foot-11, he runs either the four or the five, and is going to be a real challenge for Michigan State's Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper in this one.

Steinbach specializes inside the arc, but he does have the ability to stretch the floor. He takes one or two three-pointers per game and has made 30.4% of them thus far. An ESPN mock draft published on Tuesday had the German native going 19th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft.

G Zoom Diallo

Jan 7, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Washington Huskies guard Zoom Diallo (5) dribbles down court in front of Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) during the first half at Mackey Arena. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Another one of the Huskies' big scoring threats is guard Zoom Diallo, one of the only players on Washington's roster who was there last season. He's averaging 14.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game so far this season.

Diallo is not the greatest three-point shooter, as far as guards go. He's made 32.4% of his tries thus far, though he is an 88.4% free-throw shooter. He began his collegiate career as a four-star recruit ranked 42nd overall in the class of 2024, according to the 247Sports Composite. That ranked him fifth among point guards in his class, too.

G Desmond Claude Jr.

Jan 7, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Washington Huskies guard Desmond Claude (1) looks to get past Purdue Boilermakers guard C.J. Cox (0) during the first half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Somebody to keep an eye on as well is senior guard Desmond Claude Jr., who began his career at Xavier before playing at USC last season and then transferring again to Washington this season. Claude is averaging 13.3 points on the year.

Claude missed Washington's game on Sunday, reportedly due to a personal matter, but he came back for the Huskies' game versus No. 4 Michigan on Wednesday. He only played eight minutes, though, so it'll be interesting to see how much he plays against the Spartans.

Washington Huskies head coach Danny Sprinkle motions to his team during the first half of the NCAA men's basketball game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena in Columbus on Feb. 12, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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