Michigan State basketball is fully reloaded this year. That's a problem for everyone else.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target Center served as the epicenter of introduction for so many new aspects of Big Ten men's basketball teams on Tuesday.

New coaches, new players — both via the transfer portal and the high school ranks — even discussion of new teams which aren't yet here but will join the league next academic year filled the air.

Then, there was ol' Michigan State basketball, led by Tom Izzo, now in his 28th season at the helm in East Lansing.

It's not that his team doesn't always make some level of noise, Izzo, the Big Ten's all-time leader in wins and eight Final Four appearances, comes off his college basketball record 25th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, but some years are louder than others.

On Tuesday, he admitted this coming season could be one of those years, something he only started to allow himself to believe three weeks back. That was when 68 former players came back to campus for alumni weekend and almost to a man, unprompted, they came away with the same takeaway: this is a close-knit team.

"Everybody talks about that, everybody has a family, but the only way you get that is that's earned through time," Izzo said. "I've got some fourth and fifth-year guys. I've got some guys that have been successful. I've had some guys that have failed and had to relook at things. Had some tough losses in the NCAA tournament. I've had some big wins in the NCAA tournament.

"So I think they understand the difference between winning and losing, and then last year coming within an overtime win of maybe getting to another Final Four. I think that left some hunger."

MSU brought four players — A.J. Hoggard, Tyson Walker, Malik Hall and Jaden Akins — to Minneapolis, the site of this season's Big Ten Tournament, who have played in the program for a combined 11 seasons.

"He's no transfer," Hoggard clarified at one point, of Walker. "This Year 3."

He has a point. Year 3 in the same program in college basketball is an eternity these days, which is why MSU's roster feels more familiar than most: it returns just more than 77% of last year's minutes, the third most in the conference.

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It starts with Hoggard, the point guard who averaged 12.9 points, 5.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game last season. He shot 41.7% from the field and a much improved 32.9% from behind the long line, yet said this season is about proving himself on a day-in, day-out basis.

"Some of you guys who don't think I am who I am," Hoggard said of keeping a chip on his shoulder. "Writing me off, or how you think about point guards in the country. I see everything, so just taking my own notes."

There's also Walker, who did make his way to the top of at least one list as the nation's top shooting guard. He became MSU's closer last year, averaging 14.8 points per game and shot 41.5% on long range.

Hall, the fifth-year senior who chose to return for one last go around following a season where he averaged 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds. And Akins may be MSU's X-factor — he shot 42.2% on nearly four 3-pointers attempted per game — averaged 9.8 points per game and 4.0 rebounds a season ago despite battling injuries.

But even with all that talent, MSU fell short against Kansas State in overtime, 98-93, in last season's Sweet 16.

"I have no complaints except we couldn't guard that little water bug," Izzo said of Markquis Nowell, who scored 20 points and added 19 assists. "Good enough to be right there, found a way not to win, so we've used that all summer."

The Spartans also return players who weren't on hand Tuesday. Sophomore guard Tre Holloman will "definitely be in the playing group" per Izzo, who he called one of the team's hardest workers.

There's also center Mady Sissoko, who now has his first full year of seasoning under his belt as a starter, while sophomores Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper are both expected to take steps forward from their freshmen seasons that already saw each produce more than could have reasonably been expected.

With so much known about this team, what do we not know about this group?

"The funniest team in America," Hoggard said. "Even our staff."

MSU also just so happens to bring in a top-five recruiting class in America, highlighted by forward Xavier Booker. Izzo said the five-star recruit knows he not only has to get better, but has to work harder at this level, and though he has the longest way to go from a "strength standpoint" he has the highest ceiling of anybody in the class.

"Skilled and talented player is what I like, great family is what I like," Izzo began. "Not entitled is what I love."

Best player in the class is high praise considering it also features point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who Izzo called one of the handful of best freshmen leaders he's ever had. Even Hoggard said as much, adding he wishes he'd had the same mentality when he walked onto campus.

That's still yet to mention super-jumper, (no, that's not his official position) Coen Carr. Akins has long been a high-flyer, but said that Carr is "the best athlete I've ever played with."

Hall, now in his fifth year, said the roster is not only as deep as he's been a part of, it's as talented at the top as he can remember. However, asked if this is the first time he felt he could win it all, he said no, he's felt that way every year.

"We've had spurts where we showed we could be the best team in the country but don't live up to the potential," Hall said. This year, obviously, I just feel it a little bit more."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball has almost everything for national title run