How Izzo, MSU Remaining Dominant in Ever-Changing Landscape
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We are in one of the more chaotic eras in the history of college sports.
Over the last few years, several historic "blue blood" programs have fallen below that level of play. Programs like Kentucky, North Carolina, and Kansas have recently struggled to meet that threshold in the current landscape of collegiate athletics.
Michigan State, however, has not. Spartans head coach Tom Izzo has consistently kept his program among the top teams in the sport as we adjust to this new era. Beyond that, he has also kept his players in town.
How Tom Izzo, Michigan State Keeping Players Around
Now, potentially more than ever, roster continuity is extremely difficult to maintain. Player movement is common, and more players are entering the transfer portal each season. However, Izzo has kept his stars around. Besides Michigan State, UConn and Duke are really the only perennial storied programs that have stayed afloat as consistent deep NCAA Tournament contenders amid the current state of college athletics.
College basketball analyst Andy Katz recently ranked his top 10 seniors returning to college basketball this season, and the list included two Spartans: Jeremy Fears Jr. (No. 1) and Coen Carr (No. 10).
Not only did Izzo keep two of the best upperclassmen in college basketball around this season, but both Fears and Carr have spent their entire collegiate careers in East Lansing.
Fears will enter the 2026-27 season as arguably the best player in the entire sport. Last season, he averaged 15.2 points, 9.4 assists, and 1.3 steals a night, earning AP Second Team All-American honors and leading the nation in assists per game. Carr is legitimately one of the most athletic players college basketball has seen in quite some time. His shooting remains woeful, but he is one of the most electric players in the country and impacts winning in a bunch of different ways.
Especially in Fears' case, Izzo deserves a ton of credit for retaining him. If he entered the portal this offseason, he probably would've been the top player in the entire cycle and would've been paid a life-changing amount of money to go to whichever program he wanted. Now, Michigan State is one of the biggest brands in the sport, but Izzo is keeping guys around in an era where many prominent coaches are struggling to do so.
Continuity is arguably the most important factor in roster building. Since arriving at Michigan State, Fears and Carr have made the NCAA Tournament every year, including one Sweet 16 appearance and one Elite Eight appearance. Izzo has not only brought guys back, but guys who have been part of sustained success.
How Continuity Leaves Michigan State With High Expectations
Beyond Carr and Fears, Izzo is bringing back four of his top six scorers from a team that earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and made the Sweet 16. That continuity brings high expectations for teams that have already succeeded with those rotation pieces.
The Spartans will probably enter the 2026-27 season as a top-10 team in college basketball and are expected to be a legitimate Final Four contender. Michigan State is not only bringing back several key players, but it will also be led by potentially the best player in college basketball.
Above all, continuity is extremely important in college basketball, but it's also incredibly difficult to maintain year over year. Izzo has managed to keep his top players in his program for multiple years and has turned guys like Fears into true college basketball superstars. In an era when player movement is as present as it's ever been, Izzo is staying ahead of the curve.
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Hugh Straine is an accomplished writer and proud Bucknell University alumnus, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. He has served as editor of The Bucknellian, worked as an analyst for ESPN+ and Hulu, and currently reports on college sports as a general reporter for On SI.