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Preseason Sweet 16: Michigan State Spartans

clark kellogg

Editor's note: With the men's college basketball season starting to ramp back up, Yahoo! Sports analyst Clark Kellogg picks the teams he thinks have the best shot at making it to the Sweet 16 in 2006.

Each pick is listed alphabetically. Check back during the week for his latest selections.


Other Sweet 16 teams:
Arizona | Boston College | Connecticut | Duke | Gonzaga | Iowa | Kentucky | Louisville | Nevada Oklahoma | Stanford | Texas | Villanova | Wake Forest | West Virginia

THE REST OF THE BIG TEN

ILLINOIS
Despite losing significant personnel from last year's NCAA runner-up team, Dee Brown and James Augustine should keep the Illini in the conference title race.

INDIANA
Mike Davis' Hoosiers are one of my darkhorse teams to challenge for the conference crown.

MICHIGAN
Injuries dismantled a potential NCAA tournament team last year. If the Wolverines can stay healthy this season, a nice recovery is in store.

IOWA
The adversity of last year in the past, the Hawkeyes could be a force in the Big Ten.

MINNESOTA
Last season's NCAA tournament bid will be matched only if a strong supporting cast develops around conference MVP candidate Vincent Grier.

NORTHWESTERN
Unless the Wildcats get outstanding shooting from four positions, finishing in the upper half of the conference is unlikely.

OHIO STATE
My other conference darkhorse team. The '06 recruiting class has created a buzz in Columbus, and this year's team has the potential for a nice upside surprise.

PENN STATE
The wins will be hard to come by, especially in league play, but the future is looking brighter.

PURDUE
A new era begins in West Lafayette as Matt Painter takes over for the very successful and likable Gene Keady.

WISCONSIN
The Badgers have a proven, high-level performer in Alando Tucker, but question marks everywhere else.

Michigan State Spartans
News | Schedule | Roster

Overshadowed by the brilliance emanating from Urbana-Champaign, the Spartans made another (and to many a surprising) trip to the Final Four last season. Relying on superior perimeter depth and the strong interior play of Paul Davis, the Spartans finished second in the Big Ten on their way to a deep tournament run.

Eight of the 11 players that averaged at least eight minutes per game for Tom Izzo were upperclassmen, and four of them – Alan Anderson, Tim Bograkos, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert – have since moved on. Anderson, Hill and Torbert scored more a thousand points in their careers, while Bograkos was a walk-on who earned a scholarship with his defense, hustle and leadership. All played significant roles on last year's team, but Anderson was the only player to start every game.

That team won by wearing the opposition down with defense, depth, rebounding and a strong transition game. It also was one of the nation's best free-throw shooting teams at 77 percent. But it was Davis who carried MSU late in the season, and his consistent play (he posted a double-double in just about every game during the last quarter of the season) contributed mightily to the Spartans' overall success.

This year's team returns four starters, led by the athletic duo of Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown. These two players simply do things you cannot teach, while also getting better at doing the things you can, and that's scary.

Add point guard Drew Neitzel to the mix and Michigan State has a terrific triumvirate in the backcourt. Davis again will anchor the paint, and he'll get some help from returning frontcourt reserves Drew Naymick and Matt Trannon. A couple of freshman big men also will vie for playing time.

The Spartans should be a good rebounding and defensive team, and that will fuel a potentially lethal transition game. I also think their perimeter shooting will be solid, and if one of the big guys can become a consistent outside shooter, Izzo will have the same kind of versatility that his Big Ten championship teams had just a few seasons ago.

This team will not have the overall experience that last year's squad had, but if the newcomers can contribute consistently, it could be more talented and versatile at both ends of the floor.

Tom Izzo and his staff have proven quite capable of handling and meeting high expectations over the years and, barring injuries, this looks like another championship-caliber team.