L ast season, Michigan State basketball entered the season unranked in the preseason top 25. By the end of the season, Michigan State finished as a two seed in the NCAA tournament with the help of senior Jaden Akins and star freshman Jace Richardson.

Tom Izzo has been chasing the white whale since the 2000-01 season. Michigan State has maintained basketball excellence during his storied coaching career but a second national championship has proven elusive.

Michigan may be down a few starters for Saturday’s game against Purdue. Injuries are a potential concern for the Wolverines, as the Wolverine Confidential podcast crew discussed on the latest episode.

In her poll, Goodman has Michigan State ranked fourth in the BigTen, behind UCLA (4), Michigan (11), and Maryland (14). On3 also has Washington (17), Iowa (18), Minnesota (20), and Ohio State (23) . With eight teams all ranked in its top 25, it’s safe to say the Big Ten will be a very competitive conference this upcoming season.

Last week, Izzo was highly critical of the NCAA when the sanctioning body allowed Louisville men's basketball to sign a former G-League player. A few days later, Purdue coach Matt Painter said he thought it was a fake news report, and when he realized it wasn't, he said he was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure what was next in the game.