Michigan State Basketball

Mady Sissoko is making a difference with his foundation in Mali.

Michigan State's six seniors honored in emotional final home game win of the NCAA regular season.

Tom Izzo had been 74-0 at Breslin Center in the month of November. Make that 74-1 now that MSU has become the first AP Top 5 team in 18 years to lose its season opener to an unranked opponent.

The NCAA this month changed its decades-old rule against double-digit jersey numbers beginning with a 6, 7, 8, or 9. Steven Izzo saw an opportunity to make history, but college sports' Debbie Downer of a governing body put the kibosh on it.

A billionaire MSU alumnus and benefactor tried to lure Izzo to the NBA 13 years ago and failed. What's different this time, though, is that the billionaire MSU alumnus and benefactor who may make a run at him is one of his former players.

Hoggard has two years of college eligibility left — his senior year and a potential fifth year the NCAA offers players whose seasons were cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2019-2020 season.

Akins isn't hiring an agent, meaning he could withdraw from draft consideration and return to college next season.

Hall's return means that, barring any transfers out of the program, MSU returns all but one of its contributors from 2022-2023's Sweet 16 team that came just one basket short of a trip to the Elite Eight (and possibly beyond).

Walker's return means Tom Izzo will get back his entire starting backcourt for 2023-2024. That's a lot of bodies for not as many minutes, and in today's day and age of pseudo-free agency in college basketball, you can't assume that all of those players will be OK with sharing time.

MSU has to get better in the low post if the Spartans plan to build on what they accomplished this year. This big in the transfer portal doesn't fit the typical Izzo mold, but MSU has reportedly reached out to him.