Why Role for MSU's Divine Ugochukwu in 2026 is Intriguing

The Spartans' combo guard appears to be sticking around for another season.

Michigan State's Divine Ugochukwu makes a 3-pointer against USC during the second half on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The transfer portal is nearly closed.

Michigan State guard Divine Ugochukwu has seemed like a candidate to enter the transfer portal this cycle, for reasons that will be discussed further below. Alas, the final day to enter the transfer portal is Tuesday, and there hasn't been any sign yet that Ugochukwu (or any of his teammates, for that matter) is going to hop into the portal.

Crowded Backcourt

Michigan State Spartans guard Divine Ugochukwu competing against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, inside the Breslin Center. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

There are only going to be so many minutes to go around in MSU's backcourt next season. That's a reason why Ugochukwu was on the short list of players whose departure wouldn't have surprised me much.

Michigan State has other options at both point guard and shooting guard. Jeremy Fears Jr. has his name entered into the NBA Draft, but the odds that he remains in the draft process beyond the May 27 deadline feel pretty low. Fears would be the best returning point guard in the Big Ten and potentially the conference's preseason Player of the Year.

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. hunches over during a game against Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Then, the Spartans also have four-star prospect Carlos Medlock Jr. entering the program. Ugochukwu will have the upper hand on Medlock defensively to start, but Medlock is a much more versatile scorer. There being a battle between being PG2 and having a 2a and 2b system at the same time wouldn't be that surprising. Even then, though, Fears is realistically only going to be off the floor for 8-10 minutes per game.

Shooting guard is just as crowded. Jasiah Jervis, ranked 27th overall in the 2026 class by the 247Sports Composite, is a gifted athlete with one-and-done potential. He's going to command minutes right away at the two. Kur Teng is still a big part of the equation as a three-point specialist. Jordan Scott was also a spark at the two towards the end of this past season, but he might be in line for a move back to small forward.

How Ugochukwu Fits In

Michigan State Spartans guard Divine Ugochukwu high-fives fans following a victory over the San Jose State Spartans at the Breslin Center on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Defense will be the main thing keeping Ugochukwu on the court. Some extra offensive evolution will definitely help his case, but the numbers show Ugochukwu is much stronger on the other end. His offensive box plus/minus this past season was respectable at 1.0, but his box plus/minus on defense was up at 4.5.

Ugochukwu's experience also gives him a head start over Medlock at point guard. Tom Izzo is usually hesitant to give freshmen huge roles right away. He also may want to give Fears some more rest than he did this past season, especially when Ugochukwu was hurt. About 8-10 minutes at point guard and a similar number at shooting guard allow Ugochukwu plenty of time to carve out a big role, but it will be interesting to see how he lives life hopping back and forth between both spots.

Michigan State's Divine Ugochukwu passes the ball against Northwestern during the first half on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images