Michigan Statehas 11 or 12 players who could realistically play this year. Not all of them are going to receive the minutes or get the role they were perhaps imagining.
The games count from here for the sixth-ranked Spartans and Tom Izzo . MSU's exhibition slate hasn't gone exactly according to plan, with the team recently taking losses to No. 4 UConn at home and to Marquette on the road.
What should help Michigan State is that it has a few other tune-up games against Quinnipiac and Toledo before it's time for a date with No. 2 Duke. A few players still seem to be in a tricky spot entering the regular season, though.
Michigan State center Anton Bonke (34) battles for possession during an exhibition against UConn at the Breslin Center on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI
Anton Bonke , the Spartans' only incoming transfer this season, has been a surprise. Unfortunately, it's not been in a good way. He was brought to MSU to be the team's starting center, and he really hasn't been that.
Things seemed relatively normal with a 15-minute day against Incarnate Word. Bonke got the start, and while he didn't play great that night, it was exhibition No. 1. Any struggles that day could be shrugged off as some first-game jitters, especially for a big learning Izzo's system.
The alarm bells rang a bit against Connecticut. Bonke started that game, too, but he was benched during the entire second half. Then, the bells rang louder when it happened again at Marquette. Bonke played just nine minutes across those two games combined.
Michigan State's outlook changes if Bonke isn't the starting center. It was the only spot MSU really needed to address in the transfer portal last spring, but it also made it that much more important to get the right center.
It's not off to a great start. Not only was Bonke taken out of the starting lineup against Marquette, but he also seems to be the team's third-best center right now. Jesse McCulloch got the start at the five on Sunday, and true freshman Ethan Taylor is getting more minutes right now.
Michigan State's Kur Teng cycles a pass against North Dakota State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI
This year will also be very interesting for junior guard Kur Teng . The big issue for Teng is that the main thing he provides on the court is his three-point shooting, but there really isn't much out there that he does well. He becomes a liability when the shot isn't falling.
Teng shot 38.1% from three last year. The question is whether Teng can continue to make that percentage tick up in his junior season, and whether it will be high enough to make up for some of the other deficiencies in his game.
Michigan State's Kur Teng shoots a three during a game against Ohio State at the Breslin Center on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI
What doesn't help is that Michigan State *should* have enough shooting that Teng might be a little bit redundant on this season's roster. Teng is pretty locked into playing shooting guard, but MSU can also play Jordan Scott and Jasiah Jervis there. Scott shot 42.0% from three following New Year's last season. Jervis went 8-for-15 (53.3%) from behind the arc during the Spartans' exhibition games.
Scott and Jervis have more dimensions to their game than Teng, though. Teng's foot injury and surgery that sidelined him for most of the past offseason took away valuable practice time that he could have used to expand his game as well.
Michigan State's Kaleb Glenn passes the ball against UConn during the first half on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Michigan State's exhibition games have also been a struggle so far for Kaleb Glenn . He's one of the most interesting parts of the Spartans' frontcourt as somebody who stands at 6'7", has a great shot, and has some guard skills. It hasn't really clicked for Glenn yet, though. He received just four minutes during the Marquette exhibition.
Some of Glenn's struggles could just be him coming back from a major injury. He missed the entirety of the 2025-26 season with a knee injury, and there is a real mental hurdle to coming back from the injury he suffered.
If and when Glenn can put it together, he could be a very valuable asset to MSU's frontcourt, which has largely struggled. He's a good enough player that one wonders how he could've impacted last season's team, especially when that team was missing secondary creators.
Glenn mostly plays the 3 and the 4. There will be plenty of competition for minutes at those spots this year. Scott and Coen Carr will get playing time at small forward, and then Carr, Cam Ward, and Julius Avent could also all play power forward. Glenn should still be expected to contribute for Michigan State this year, but there is a bit of a logjam on the wings.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/michiganstate as 3 MSU Basketball Players in Toughest Spots Entering Season .
