Final Four Insight Should Shape MSU's Transfer Portal Strategy

There are only four teams left, and Michigan State ain't one of them.

Instead, you've got to deal with UConn, Illinois, Michigan, and Arizona. The Spartans haven't been there since 2019. With Tom Izzo now going into Year 32 as MSU's head coach, the sense of urgency is heightened for Michigan State to position itself for another Final Four and the possibility of getting national title No. 2.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo walks in with his staff against Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Sports is a bit of a copycat world. Teams copy and steal plays from each other's playbooks all the time, recycle drills, and coaches are constantly giving each other advice. Izzo probably doesn't want to completely change everything, but some adjustments are needed.

One thing stands out from the entire Final Four field, though: all four teams have a higher-end big man who they either acquired via the transfer portal or who came from beyond American soil.

Breaking It Down

Every team has names that fit this mold. Michigan has Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara, who played for Illinois and UCLA, respectively, last season and became All-Big Ten Defensive Team honorees this season.

Illinois has the Ivisic twins, Tomislav and Zvonimir. They're both from Croatia. Tomislav has spent his whole collegiate career in Champaign, but Zvonimir played for John Calipari at Kentucky and Arkansas before joining the Fighting Illini.

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) celebrates with the trophy on the podium after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Arizona has also gone the international route. The Wildcats' starter, Motiejus Krivas, is from Lithuania, and he's just one of eight different players on Arizona's roster who are not from the United States.

UConn has Tarris Reed Jr., who, ironically enough, started his career at Michigan. Reed just scored 20 points in the Sweet Sixteen against Michigan State, ending the Spartans' season.

Necessity for Adaptability

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

Those bigs aren't just placeholders on the roster, either. Johnson and Mara are defensive forces and double-digit scorers for U-M. Illinois gets about 18 points and 10 rebounds per game from the Ivisic twins. Krivas averages 10 and 8 for Arizona. Reed averages 14 and 9 for the Huskies.

Center is the biggest question mark with the outlook on the 2026-27 roster with the departure of Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper.

This year's Final Four proves that Michigan State cannot cheap out on a transfer portal center. Sure, there is a system and culture to uphold, but another Szymon Zapala-type addition who plays 10-15 minutes a game wouldn't be the thing that moves the needle.

Consistency has been the greatest feature of the Izzo era. Twenty-eight straight NCAA Tournaments speak to that. The problem is that these last two teams, as great as they were, both felt like they were a piece or two away from truly competing. Getting that high-end portal or international center could be what gets MSU over the hump.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo watches the action from the sideline during a game vs. Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI