MSU Gearing Up for Sneakily Talented Washington Squad
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EAST LANSING, Mich. — It can take a long time for a coach to get his team to play as one, especially during the transfer portal era.
Tom Izzo’s program at Michigan State has generally been insulated from that. The Spartans still lose players to the portal and now take in some, but MSU still values internal development over completely rebuilding through the portal every year. That cannot be said about 12th-ranked Michigan State’s next opponent, Washington.
The Huskies did not go through a coaching change this offseason, but that hasn’t prevented their roster from being completely overhauled. Fourteen of Washington’s 16 players are either incoming transfers or freshmen. It’s difficult to get that many new pieces to play as one, but the potential is there. The roster turnover isn’t even because of a coaching change; this is Danny Sprinkle’s second season in charge in Seattle.
“What scares me the most is—they [the Huskies] have had some injuries—but definitely, when you look at that roster… you don’t sleep as well, because it’s a talented roster,” Izzo said on Thursday. “I think this one’s really talented. They have had some injuries. They’re trying to put some people together.”
The desired record has not really materialized for Sprinkle's team yet, though. UW will enter the game 10-7 overall, but just 2-4 during Big Ten play. As of Thursday, the Huskies are 57th in the NCAA's NET rankings with a 1-4 Quad 1 record. Still, there is plenty of time to turn a corner, and they'll likely be looking at the Spartans as a serious opportunity to do so.
"This time of year, teams start... I either see an upswing or a downswing," Izzo said. "Very few teams stay the same at this time of year. You're either moving one direction or the other."
Rebounding to be Key Again
For Washington, it starts with a freshman from Germany: 6-foot-10 forward Hannes Steinbach. His 17.9 points per game are the most on the team, and his 11.2 rebounds per game are the most in the Big Ten (MSU’s Jaxon Kohler is second at 10.1).
“Steinbach is one of the best players in the league, maybe the whole country,” Izzo said.
The battle on the glass between Steinbech and Kohler will definitely be something to watch. Michigan State is third nationally at average rebound margin (+13.9), as of Thursday; Washington is tied for 79th (+4.9). Even though the stats favor MSU there, Izzo thinks Steinbach and the Huskies will be a challenge on the glass.
“[Washington] is a very good rebounding team, so our rebounding will be challenged,” Izzo said. “We’ve been a good rebounding team, but for different reasons than people think, because we don’t extend our defense, people don’t penetrate. If they don’t penetrate, you don’t have mismatches and people helping out, and then [we] have freedom to go get a rebound.”
Essentially, rebounding is a lot more complex than just boxing out. A part of why the Spartans are consistently winning the battle on the glass is because their guards defend well and don’t force bigs, like Kohler or Carson Cooper, to vacate their premises in the paint to provide help defense. If the bigs remain in the paint, chances are they’ll come down with any missed shot, which helps explain why Michigan State is the top defensive rebounding team in the country, according to KenPom.
Stopping Washington’s guards from penetrating won’t be an easy task, though.
UW’s Backcourt
One of the Huskies’ strengths is the talent in its backcourt. Washington has four different guards who are averaging at least 10 points per game this season.
The leader is Zoom Diallo, UW’s point guard and one of two returning players from last season. Diallo is averaging 14.9 points and 3.5 assists per game thus far. Diallo is a former top-50 recruit, so the talent is definitely there.
Washington also has a pair of transfers from USC: Wesley Yates III and Desmond Claude. Yates is at 13.8 points per game so far, while Claude is at 13.3.
Claude’s status is semi-unknown. He almost certainly will be available, but he reportedly missed a game against Ohio State for personal reasons and then only played eight minutes during the Huskies’ 82-72 loss to No. 4 Michigan on Wednesday.
UW also has East Tennessee State transfer Quimari Peterson, who averages 10.1 points per game while being one of the team’s better three-point shooters at 35.4%. The Huskies only make 31.5% as a team, which ranks 286th in college basketball and third-worst among Big Ten teams.
One familiar name on the Huskies’ roster is Bryson Tucker. Michigan State was involved in the recruitment of the former McDonald’s All-American. Tucker ended up choosing Indiana and then transferred this past offseason. He’s averaging 6.7 points and 4.5 rebounds thus far.
Final Thoughts
Keeping that many talented guards in front of you will be difficult. MSU does have the defense to do it, though. The Spartans have had the best defense in the Big Ten during conference play thus far, at least on a per-possession basis.
Jeremy Fears Jr.’s defense, both on and off the ball, will be a key component of this game. Defense has always been a strength of his, but that will be something Michigan State fans should focus on. The question mark lies more with the two-guards Kur Teng, Divine Ugochukwu, and perhaps Trey Fort.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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