Analyzing next season’s Michigan State basketball roster before the transfer portal opens is a risky and perhaps ridiculous exercise. Within hours of publishing last season, three MSU players were in the transfer portal. This year, the portal doesn’t officially open until April 7, so we’ll take a stab at it.
As of early Monday morning, March 30, these are the scholarship players slated to be on the 2026-27 MSU men’s basketball team. I’d be surprised if every player below comes back. And, if they do, I’ll be surprised if MSU’s coaches stand pat. In losing Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler, there appears to be a need for a seasoned center. But potentially not much else.
Let’s dig in. Here’s a look at the players who could return and those coming in — their potential roles, possibilities and hopes for next season:
GUARDS
Jeremy Fears Jr., 6-2, redshirt junior
MSU being a contender next season begins with the return of Fears, whatever it costs. This is where the NIL/revenue share era of college athletics could help the Spartans. Not that Fears wouldn’t have had reason to return in a previous era. But, in these times, he’ll have at least a couple million reasons to return. He’d have a chance to be selected in the NBA draft this year, but it’s not a sure thing. This is a deep draft. There will be significantly more guaranteed money for him in college next year. It’ll be easier for Izzo and MSU to offer Fears that sort of deal than it would be for them to do so with a transfer. Because if you spend big on an outside-the-program guy and he’s making more than anyone in your current locker room, he’d better be a legitimate star. Fears is. And his importance to the program and place on that team is established and understood.
As a player, Fears took enormous steps this season, becoming a player that could both orchestrate and score at a level that allowed an imperfect roster to be good enough offensively to finish second in the the Big Ten and reach the Sweet 16. He’s physically recovered from being shot in the leg as a freshman to the point that he’s close to the athlete he once was. If he can add consistency to his jump shot, it’ll improve his NBA outlook, as would another All-American season and leading an MSU team that wins big. College accomplishments helped make Mateen Cleaves and Denzel Valentine first-round NBA draft picks, despite some limitations as athletes. Same for Cassius Winston being drafted at all. Attributes matter most in the draft. But accolades matter more for point guards than they do for other positions.
Kur Teng, 6-4, junior
Teng showed this season that his smooth shot can make him a factor at the Big Ten level. He made 38% of his 3-pointers at a decent volume (4.2 attempted per game). For a guy whose greatest attribute is his shooting, you’d like to see that rise into the low 40s. The question with Teng is not whether he can be an effective and difference-making shooter at this level. It’s whether he’s athletic enough to be an adequate defender at that position and if he can improve his all-around offensive game so that he’s more than just a shooter. He made less than 38% of his 2-point attempts this season. Jeremy Fears, to compare, made 48% of his shots inside the arc, pull-up jumpers and finishing at the rim. Teng will have to battle for his role moving forward, with freshman Jasiah Jervis joining the program and Jordan Scott likely continuing to ascend. But there is value in what Teng brings. He’s a pure shooter, not just a guy who can make outside shots. There’s a difference. MSU could use him to stick around and see how much he can develop.
Divine Ugochukwu, 6-3, junior
Ugochukwu’s foot injury in February hurt MSU, even if the Spartans’ offensive efficiency numbers improved late in the season without him. He not only hit some critical shots as a shooting guard — at Penn State and Rutgers, notably — he also had stretches as a backup point guard where he was not just a minute-filler for Jeremy Fears Jr., but also provided a jolt. The Miami transfer helped MSU’s collective defense. We saw that when he was out. I’m curious to see what Ugochukwu does, given the additions of freshman Jasiah Jervis and Carlos Medlock Jr., two players who, together, could fill his roles. If Ugochukwu returns, he gives MSU a seasoned combo guard, who’s a fairly explosive athlete. The backcourt might seem crowded, but he would have value to MSU. He also might see a more clear path to a featured role somewhere else.
Jordan Scott, 6-8, sophomore
Scott’s readiness as a true freshman had a huge impact on MSU’s season, helping to improve a roster weakness at shooting guard. He wore down a little late in the year, but Scott’s trajectory is one of the more intriguing storylines heading into next season. His IQ, length and nose for the ball makes him difference-maker defensively and on the glass. Offensively, he was a 37% 3-point shooter, attempting nearly three a game, and showed some ability on the drive here and there. The next step is to become consistent and to be a threat shooting and creating off the bounce, and to get stronger, so he can handle every defensive assignment. If that happens, he could be a star at MSU and a pro. With Jasiah Jervis coming in, Coen Carr presumably coming back and Kaleb Glenn joining the fray, Scott will be valuable as someone who can play with a variety of lineups at shooting guard and on the wing.
Jasiah Jervis, 6-4, freshman
Jervis is the sort of player MSU could have used this past season — a shot-creator at shooting guard who appears to be college-ready. The Spartans will gladly take him for next season. Jervis’ ability to score off the dribble — both letting it fly from beyond the arc and attacking the rim — is a skill set the Spartans lacked this season at shooting guard. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Jervis looks like an impact player immediately. His shot creation should take pressure off Jeremy Fears Jr. He’s considered a two-way player. How quickly he’s a plus defender will go a ways in determining the size of his role.
Carlos Medlock Jr., 5-11, freshman
I’m glad Izzo and Co. didn’t hold Medlock’s size against him. Coaches have been paying the price for overlooking small point guards in the college game a long time — see Izzo with Tyler Ulis. Medlock is Jeremy Fears Jr.’s heir apparent. Like Fears, he’s the son of a great Mid-American Conference point guard from the 2000s. Depending on what happens with Divine Ugochukwu, Medlock could be MSU’s clear backup point guard next season. Medlock is a quick and crafty player, and a good shooter and finisher off the dribble. He’ll be a fun player to watch. MSU could use him to be ready to give 8-10 minutes a night at point guard.
RELATED: Couch: In defeat, Izzo is candid about his ambitions for MSU basketball, and his appreciation for the group that helped fortify the program
FORWARDS
Coen Carr, 6-6, senior
Carr’s finish to his junior season was promising. He became increasingly aggressive offensively getting into the teeth of the defense and realizing that he has the strength and athletic ability to score in the paint, no matter the matchup. He finished the season averaging 12 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Carr should be an every-night force on the glass. To be an all-conference player, he’ll need to become that. He’s become a defensive answer for MSU, and, each year, has improved his ability to finish at the basket in a variety of ways besides the breathtaking dunks that he’s known for.
Carr is not someone who can easily break down defenders in the half-court off the dribble. But he can get in the lane and to his spots — and his shot is improving. His pull-up midrange jumper has become a weapon and, from mid-January to the end of the season, he hit 15 of 43 3-point tries (35%), after making just 6 of his first 33 3-point tries. His career after MSU is tied in part to the development of that shot. If he can get that percentage into the high 30s, taking about four per game, it’ll help him have a big senior year.
Kaleb Glenn, 6-7, redshirt junior
MSU missed Kaleb Glenn last season. Glenn spent the season rehabbing a knee injury suffered in June, shortly after transferring from Florida Atlantic. By February, playing the scout team, you could see some of the impact he might have had. He’s someone who can get into the lane on the drive and create space with his strength. He’s not a guard, but his shot creation would have helped this MSU team. Same for his shooting. He was a 41% 3-point shooter as a sophomore at Florida Atlantic at a decent volume, getting his confidence back, he said, after a difficult freshman season at Louisville two years ago. Glenn, like Carr, will play both on the wing and the 4-spot next season.
Cam Ward, 6-9, sophomore
Ward is a pivotal part of MSU’s immediate future. Defensively, he can defend multiple positions. He’s not someone you have to worry about getting caught on switches. He’ll become MSU’s leading rebounder, with Jaxon Kohler departing. And offensively, with a full offseason and a healthy wrist, there is hope he’ll become a force on the block and facing up and driving, and a solid enough free-throw shooter to make what’s likely to be frequent trips to the line worth it. Ward is a natural power forward, but I do think he’ll play some center, too, if he can handle the matchup defensively. If MSU wants Fears and three of Jervis, Scott, Carr and Glenn on the court together, Ward will likely see time at the 5.
Julius Avent, 6-7, freshman
Avent looks and plays like a power forward. He isn’t the tallest guy, but he’s reportedly got a 7-3 wingspan. I think he’s got the potential to be a good defensive player, who can guard a couple different positions and handle getting switched out on a wing. Offensively, Avent likes to play through contact. He can stretch a defense. It’ll be interesting to see how ready he is. He’s the least heralded of MSU’s four freshmen, but he might have the body to contribute early.
CENTERS
Jesse McCulloch, 6-11, redshirt sophomore
This is a big offseason for McCulloch, who missed a good chunk of last summer with a stress fracture in his foot. McCulloch is a skilled big man, who can stretch a defense with his shot and has the size to battle down low and be a good positional rebounder. MSU only needed him occasionally and in spurts this past season. He’ll be needed a lot more next season, even if Izzo and his staff bring in a seasoned big man out of the transfer portal.
Ethan Taylor, 7-1, freshman
It’s hard to tell how ready Taylor is, because the key to being a Day 1 contributor as a big man at MSU is how you handle ball screens defensively and coverages and the physicality of dealing with grown men in the paint — none of which he will have had to process or counter before he steps foot on campus. Taylor’s got a lot of physical tools — good footwork, a decent knack for rim protection, it seems, and more aggression to him than the last heavily recruited big man the Spartans brought in. Still, I don’t think you can go into a season hoping to contend for championships with two unproven centers as your primary options. As a prospect, though, Taylor is a terrific addition. And if he picks it all up quickly, he’s got a chance to make a significant impact early.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Couch: Analyzing next season’s Michigan State basketball roster, player by player, before the transfer portal opens
Reporting by Graham Couch, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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