The Michigan State men's basketball team has a .500 record after eight games in the 2023-2024 season, but history would say there is nothing to worry about yet.
So, here is where Michigan State stands after about a month of regular-season play: unranked after eight games and losses to four teams currently ranked in the top-25, with an overall record of 4-4 (0-1 in Big Ten play).
With arguably the best back-court in the country in Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard, fans may sit back and wonder, “how can this be happening?"
Then, you add freshmen Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears Jr. and Xavier Booker (with Gehrig Normand not seeing action yet as he is expected to redshirt) with an already well-versed team, and yet the Spartans have lost four of their first eight contests, including two of the past three games.
But if you’ve watched Michigan State basketball under head coach Tom Izzo over the years, the fans have seen this narrative before. Time and time again, the Spartans have started slow and picked up in late December, January and beyond.
Here are a few examples:
-In 2018, MSU started 5-2 and won the next 12 games
-In 2019, MSU started 5-3 and won eight of its next 10 games.
In 2021, MSU started 5-2 and won nine of its next 10 games.
In 2022, MSU started 5-4 and won eight of its next 10 games.
*COVID-19 year in 2020 not included above.
By now, you’re seeing a trend and the trend is to not panic yet. We’ve seen this before and we will again.
This is a very winnable conference. The close exhibition loss to Tennessee and close loss to Arizona on Thanksgiving Day indicates this team can compete with just about anyone. MSU has to find a way to get over the hump, though, and avoid the slow starts that have plagued this squad thus far.
Izzo understands what it takes to be successful and this team returns a core of veterans who have been in Green and White for multiple years now. Those veterans need to find consistency in both their leadership and play on the court, but that is likely something that will come as the season progresses.
This is a March team, it always was going to be a March team. It’s been a slow start to the year, but it’s not a reason to panic yet.
The Spartans will need to protect the Breslin Center and win at least 14 conference games (perhaps more) to hang another banner in the rafters. A win against Purdue would go a long way as well.
Spartan Nation, do not fear. In my opinion, the team will turn this around, the team will appear in the top-25 again and the team has the tools to make a run in March.
The slow shooting will pick up. Additionally, forward/center Jaxon Kohler will be back in the post in the next few weeks from his foot injury, and hats off to the play of Carson Cooper in times of uncertainty at the four and five position, but he too needs to find consistency.
Walker came back for a reason, for revenge. There’s no one else in the country you would rather have the ball in their hand when the clock is nearing zero in a tight game. Through eight games, fans have seen flashes of that with Hoggard as the complementary piece, despite some early struggles, but something needs to change for this team to be more successful.
The final seconds have ticked off of too many football games during the 2023 season only for you to say, “I can’t wait for basketball season.” While basketball certainly has not gotten off to the start fans wanted to see, there is still time to correct the path of the 2023-2024 season and understand that there is time required for the team to come together properly.
R-E-L-A-X, Spartan Nation, Michigan State is just getting started.
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