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• #Michigan state butler basketball free#

“I like they way they play, I like their story. “If I was not playing, I’d be a Butler fan,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. Indiana and Purdue may be the state’s traditional basketball powerhouses, but it’s little Butler – enrollment 4,200 – that’s big time now.

The entire Hoosier state is along for the ride. “We’ve been talking about the next game all year, and it’s great to be able to say the next game’s for a national championship,” Hayward said. The small school looked anything but, taking down another of college basketball’s biggest names with a 52-50 victory over Michigan State in the Final Four on Saturday night.īutler (33-4) now plays the winner of West Virginia-Duke in Monday night’s title game. Gordon Hayward had 19 points and nine rebounds, including one with 2 seconds left that sealed the game. Izzo needs to act now.How’s that for a Hollywood hoops script. And he averaged 5.9 rebounds per game in his second season but he’s capable of more.īates is a 6-11, 230-pound monster in the post who can neutralize even the most dominant bigs and he’s exactly what Michigan State needs on its roster for next season - along with Max Christie - in order to make Big Ten and national title runs.īut time is running out as Butler is making a serious push for Bates.

#Michigan state butler basketball free#

He also improved his free throw shooting percentage 20 whole points from his freshman to sophomore year. On top of being an elite rim protector, Bates can also dabble on the offensive end, averaging 9.8 points on 64 percent shooting as a sophomore in 2020-21. He averaged 2.9 blocks as a freshman in 2019-20 and then 2.7 blocks in 2020-21.

There’s a center currently in the portal that needs to be made a priority by Michigan State and Izzo: NC State’s Manny Bates.īates was one of the ACC’s best defenders for two years before he missed the entire 2021-22 campaign with an injury. Tshiebwe promises to be one of the biggest mismatches in college basketball history if Izzo doesn’t target a center in the portal with a defensive presence. Why does this matter in the case of Michigan State? Oh, just because he’s going to be the Spartans’ first 2022-23 season opponent in the Champions Classic. How would the Spartans expect to compete for a Big Ten title next year with a guy who averaged less than five minutes per game starting and playing 20-plus minutes at center? There’s just no way a team like that could do much of anything in the conference, let alone against some elite bigs in non-conference play.Īnd then Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky - the reigning national player of the year - announced he would be returning next season.

Then, on Tuesday, Julius Marble hit the transfer portal, leaving Michigan State with just one center on the roster for 2022-23 and it was the unproven and lightly-used Mady Sissoko. The Spartans were not mentioned as potential suitors for any of the top-tier bigs that entered the portal and the worry began to set in with some fans. More big names entered the portal and Michigan State stood its ground. By Connor Muldowney 1 year ago Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball have been relatively quiet in the transfer portal, but the Spartans must go all-in on Manny Bates.Īs soon as the offseason began, Michigan State basketball fans quickly turned their attention to the transfer portal and it was widely agreed upon that Tom Izzo needed to target a center.