CHICAGO — Big Ten Media Days provides a golden opportunity to pepper the who’s who about the pressing issues in college athletics. Private equity in college sports? NCAA Tournament expansion? The 5-in-5 eligibility snafu? Transfer portal rules? Revenue sharing? It was all discussed ad nauseam.
Lost in the sauce might be … the hoops.
“Can I hit you with an actual basketball question?” I asked Thursday.
“Yeah,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo says with a laugh. “Hell of a theory!”
Here’s what we gleaned.
Michigan State’s SG competition is a three-man race
Jeremy Fears Jr. is Michigan State’s starting point guard, and Coen Carr, Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper will form an intimidating, physical frontline trio. But it’s a three-man race for the last starting spot between veteran Samford transfer Trey Fort, returning sophomore Kur Teng and emerging freshman Jordan Scott.
“That’s the one missing link right now,” Izzo said. “That two-guard is pretty important both offensively and defensively. It’s going to be our biggest question mark.”
Fort entered preseason as the favorite for the gig. He’s a high-volume sniper from downtown who thrives in transition — long a staple of Izzo Ball — and he’s already 24 years old. Defensively, though, is a major work in progress and was one of the reasons he fell out of the rotation the last time he was at a high-major program (Mississippi State in 2023-24).
“It’s, uh, getting there,” Izzo said. “But his offense is there.”
Teng and Scott might be young, but they’re itching for a chance. Teng’s shooting stroke is legit, and he’s had a full offseason to master this system and get up to speed. He’s going to play. Michigan State looks poised to try and get Scott on the floor even more now that prized FAU transfer Kaleb Glenn will miss the entire season with a devastating torn patellar. Scott, who ranked just outside the top-50 in the Class of 2025, is all of 6-foot-7…
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