The 2023 Final Four teams prove Tom Izzo needs to use transfer portal

Tom Izzo has not been the biggest proponent of the transfer portal, but last year’s Final Four teams proved that he needs to use it.

The transfer portal has been a hot topic in college athletics since the day it was introduced by the NCAA. The best way to use it, the effectiveness of doing so, and how to keep your favorite players from hitting the portal are just a few of the popular discussion points. This season, arguably more than ever before, has seen Michigan State basketball discussions centered around the transfer portal and Tom Izzo. However, it isn’t for the reasons you would hope.

The Spartans have a glaring weakness on this team, a lack of production in the post. Many fans and analysts thought Izzo should have hit the transfer portal in hopes of adding a veteran post player to the team before this season. Even though Izzo did have an open scholarship spot, he chose to roll with what was on the roster already.

Was that the wrong decision? I’m sure an argument can be made on both sides of that discussion. But looking at last season’s Final Four teams would tell you that it was a mistake by Izzo.

2023 Final Four teams were led by transfers

Justin Spiro shared an interesting post on X that put into perspective how helpful transfers can be.

Do you think using the transfer portal hurts your team?

Last year’s Final Four participants beg to differ… pic.twitter.com/Uq5ru4Pisr

— Justin Spiro (@DarkoStateNews) March 1, 2024

This graphic shows just how much last year’s Final Four teams relied on transfer portal players. A total of 33 players played at least 10 minutes in last year’s Final Four, and 13 of those players were transfers. That’s nearly half of all the players at 40 percent.

This by no means suggests that the only way to win in college basketball is by having a lot of transfers on your team. It’s still more than possible to make a deep NCAA Tournament run without them. But I’d argue this shows that Tom Izzo’s stance on the transfer portal needs to change and fast.

We have even seen a lot of success already in the portal at Michigan State. Tyson Walker is a transfer and has been MSU’s best player for two years. The Spartans’ second-best player last year Joey Hauser was also a transfer. Izzo’s success at using the portal with these two guys has always confused me as to why he seems to refuse to use it again.

As I mentioned, utilizing the transfer portal isn’t a guarantee that MSU will make the Final Four. But this data shows us that it can be extremely beneficial. How would this team look now if Tom Izzo did grab a veteran big man out of the portal? I’d argue Michigan State wouldn’t be flirting with the NCAA Tournament bubble if he had.