The 5 Factors That Call For This Unorthodox Platoon to Win it All (College Basketball)
Reasons why the Michigan State Spartans have quite a compelling case to roll through March madness and put up a championship banner in 2025.
Glass Cleaning/Having Forces Down Low:
Jaxon Kohler this year is the rock that has been missing from each of Izzo’s past couple tournament runs. A real big man down low in the paint. A guy who rips down rebounds, sets picks to allow MSU’s athletic guards to create space, and has the ability to slip after screening to create easy points. In his first two years at MSU he sparingly saw the court and put up a measly two or three points as well as rebounds per game. This year he has put up 8 points per game, 8 rebounds per game, and about 1 block. He is a force on defense and has shown up out of nowhere in his Junior year. No one expected it, but what’s most astonishing is that he couldn’t make a free throw in his past years at State, but has ascended to an 83% clip from the stripe. He has even summoned an incredibly baffling touch from the three point line. He’s not a sharpshooter, but has the ability to do it, hitting on a little over a dozen of his attempts at 30%. He plays taller than his listed height at 6 feet and 9 inches tall. He is key to this team’s run.
Coen Carr is an athletic monstrosity as one of this team’s most electric shock plug options that also helps out in the paint. He can block every shot no matter who’s shooting it, leap out of the gym, rebound well enough, and throw down ridiculous slams from way above the rim. When he’s coming down the lane everyone scrambles for cover as he throws down a demoralizing dunk that energizes the whole Spartan bench. Carr might be one of the most entertaining watches in the entire tournament as a Sophomore coming off of the bench. He’s put up the best looking eight points per game possible. Made up of fast break rim rattlers and alley oops that can unsuspectingly strike whenever he cuts towards the hoop. This team is incredibly thin at the wing and him filling the void is an integral component of this squad. He’s yet another guy who has made significant strides from his Freshman to Sophomore season.
Unlimited Depth:
What really matters in March Madness is Depth. The way MSU’s depth has shown up has been a little bit unheralded. The main man at point guard who started out on the bench and has cemented himself as a permanent starter is Jace Richardson. The wizardry this man has displayed during the late season stretch has been awe inspiring. His per game scoring numbers have gone from 9 PPG to start the season to 16 PPG and the way he does it is poetry in motion. Quick bursts off the dribble, finishes with either hand through contact, and a stellar three ball that starts to rain down when the team needs it most. It’s very uncharacteristic for Tom Izzo to start a freshman at point guard. His backup at point guard, Tre Holloman, is just as capable as he is at scoring the ball and does it with ease. Putting up 20 points in some of the biggest games the Spartans have played. His defense is lockdown, his handle is tactful and crafty, and he is the man whose competitive fire ignites the team in a frenzy that results in miraculous scoring runs. Holloman is a stud and a sniper in the midrange game. The fact that Jace starts over him shows you just how impressive Richardson’s game is. He’s likely going to be a lottery draft pick once he enters the NBA Draft.
Next to the two pillars MSU has two supremely athletic guards who have some serious bounce. Jaden Akins and Jeremy Fears. Although they won’t kill you from beyond the arc they continually attack the rim. Drawing attention, getting to the stripe, and making something out of nothing with pure athletic prowess. Pair these four guards who all do their part with Carr and Kohler’s ability cleanup offensive rebounds that provide crucial second chance opportunities and State is unstoppable. State’s rotation plays about 20 minutes a game on average which results in fresh legs giving Tom Izzo the perfect roster composition to run his game of five second offensive sets, frequent fast break opportunities, and high flying finishes. It’s going to be tough for any team to lineup across from this MSU team. The real question is how their remaining two backcourt pieces perform in March. Xavier Booker has been consistently inconsistent, but came into the program as a big time prospect and he hasn’t filled the billing yet. Carson Cooper on the other hand has steadily improved adding strength to his frame that has allowed for his rebounding and foul trouble issues to decline significantly. He may be just as important as Kohler with his ability to grab boards on the offensive end. The worst big man on the team Zypala, who I’ve yet to mention, at seven feet tall has been a little bit clunkier than what this team would like in a big man. He gets toasted off the dribble, offers nothing to State’s offense, and doesn’t really excel at blocking shots. So the hope is he sees 10 or less minutes a game unless the game is out of reach in the tournament.
Reduced Fatigue Across the Board:
Having a lineup that has seven players see 20 minutes on the floor and three more see 15+ minutes is quite a blessing for any team with aspirations in the tourney. With the tempo that Izzo operates at players can give each minute played all they got because no one has to play with an intense workload. This gives them the flexibility to have games in the tourney where they give some more playing time to their studs. This platoon approach also has made the team more cohesive as a unit because every player has had ample experience with their counterparts on the court. College basketball is a game of runs and this team has the ability to evaporate a 13 point deficit in the matter of a couple minutes with their constant defensive intensity. The reduced fatigue also allows the squad to play at any pace, any time. A precious luxury that not many teams are afforded in college. No one wants to play Tom Izzo in March, especially with this fearless lineup they must face.
FINALLY Can Break a Zone Defense:
One issue Izzo has always had is breaking a zone defense in the tourney. Great zone defenses by the Texas Tech Raiders and Syracuse Orange have given Izzo fits in the past. This is because he’d always have a classic big man to anchor the middle of the floor to break zones. This resulted in frequent turnovers and constant stagnation of MSU’s offensive sets since the big man wasn’t a gifted passer and couldn’t really move with the ball. These games saw MSU struggle to eclipse 50 points on putrid efficiency. Now with Coen Carr’s athletic superiority and the plethora of capable ball handling guards (4), MSU has an easy recipe to dismantle their achilles heel of the past. Give the ball to Carr, let him create space, move the guards all over the three point line and have Jaxon Kohler set an abundance of screens. The dilemma of breaking a zone occurred in the second to last game of the regular season for MSU when the Spartans traveled to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes on their court. In the first half the Spartans had far too many possessions with no flow that saw the shot clock dwindle to under five seconds with no good shot opportunities afforded to them. This game dictated whether or not the Spartans would clinch the Big Ten Regular Season Title before their matchup with the Michigan Wolverines. They found themselves with their backs up against the wall and a fourteen point deficit in the first half. In the second half after Izzo lit into his team, Tre Holloman got into it with Iowa’s guard, and the Spartans ignited their flame to blow the Hawkeyes off the court with a 19-2 run. This eventually led to a Spartan lead that would balloon up to 17 points. This was all due to MSU finding a recipe to break the zone defense Fran McCrafferey had deployed by moving Carr around and turning the matchup into a fast break track meet. This comeback win was quite intriguing to see alongside the Spartans seven game winning streak heading into the Big Ten Tournament and eventually March Madness. This win streak stopped at eight games in a nail-biter against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament.
MSU is in a favorable spot in the bracket
Over the course of history MSU has found themselves in a juggernaut section of March Madness brackets. Routinely facing Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and the other storied programs in college basketball every year in the tournament. This year they matchup well with everyone in their region up until the elite eight (if Auburn doesn’t fall to an upset loss). First round the Spartans play Bryant, an easy win. Then it’s either New Mexico or Marquette who have talented pieces, but don’t pose a real threat to MSU. After that it’s either Iowa State, North Carolina, or San Diego State who all don’t jump out at you on paper in the Elite 16. If Auburn makes it I still don’t get too scared about State’s chances in the elite eight, but if they don’t it should be a cake walk to the final four for Izzo. Once it gets to that point in the tournament Izzo will want to fulfill his destiny of winning another championship and State has the ammunition to ascend to that level. They won’t have to deal with the wear and tear from tough matchups they usually are accustomed to in March, which should really work wonders for the team’s confidence. They can be champions this year. Even without great depth down low.
