Michigan State Basketball

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.

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.

The 2023 Final Four is the worst ever, but not because of a lack of blue-blood programs or TV-ratings sex appeal.

Sunday's chaos was remarkably on brand for this year's Big Ten, whose No. 2 and No. 12 teams are separated in the final standings by just two games.

The Spartans stopped the bleeding from their humiliating collapse at Iowa and came back to beat Nebraska after nearly getting chased out of the gym early. But it was more of the same for MSU — wild inconsistency.

In years past, a road date with Nebraska would be just what the doctor ordered for a struggling MSU. But that's just not the case anymore.