Indiana loss more proof why Tom Izzo needs to use transfer portal

Tom Izzo has been vocal about not using the transfer portal but the Indiana loss is proof enough that he should use it.

What is going on with Michigan State basketball? After feeling very confident in the team a few weeks ago, Tom Izzo and the Spartans have now lost four of their last five games after a gut-wrenching 65-64 loss to Indiana.

There are a lot of reasons MSU lost to Indiana, but one thing stood out to me in particular once again: the lack of production at the center position.

This has been an ongoing discussion all year, and Izzo defended his decision to not use the transfer portal a few days ago. But this loss to Indiana is the perfect example of why that decision was the wrong one.

An Indiana transfer should have been a top target

If any game highlights the failure from Izzo in choosing to not use the portal it was this one. Not just because the Spartan big men combined for just five points, but because of what a center for Indiana did against MSU.

Kel’el Ware was a monster for Indiana on Sunday. Michigan State just couldn’t stop him no matter what it tried to do. He finished the game with 28 points and 12 rebounds, something we can’t even dream of the MSU bigs doing. On the surface you might think “Another center playing well against MSU doesn’t change the narrative at all.” But Ware isn’t just “another big”, he is someone that could’ve been a Spartan.

Ware was an Oregon Duck out of high school before he entered the transfer portal this past offseason. So theoretically, Izzo could have made a push to get Ware to come to MSU. Obviously that didn’t happen, and now Ware is at Indiana and is averaging a double-double this season. Just imagine where Michigan State would be if they had a guy like that this year.

Izzo needs to learn from this year’s mistake

Now I’m not suggesting that Ware would have chosen the Spartans over Indiana had Izzo gone after him but you’d be crazy to think MSU wouldn’t have had a chance. The Spartans had so much momentum this offseason coming off their Sweet 16 run and being a consensus top-five team. Indiana, on the other hand, had no momentum last offseason. So it isn’t crazy to suggest that MSU was a more desirable landing spot than Indiana for a big man.

We obviously can’t go back in time, but Izzo has to learn from his mistake this year. My fear is the game is passing him by, but if he can adjust to the new landscape regarding the transfer portal then I think Michigan State can get back to being one of the best programs in the country.