Tom Izzo on potential Michigan State lineup changes: ‘Maybe we'll have a quarterback controversy’

The college basketball season is nearly here. With that, coaches are deciding on their opening lineups, including at Michigan State. There, head coach Tom Izzo joked about a potential quarterback controversy.

Following Michigan State’s recent exhibition win over Ferris State, Izzo shared that the Spartans are likely going to have some lineup changes going into the regular season, though he wasn’t clear about what those changes could be.

“We got a lot done,” Tom Izzo said. “We got a lot of tape to watch. We got a lot to figure out. Got a lot of bodies, we got a lot of moving parts. There might be some lineup changes, so don’t be surprised if [that happens]. Guys are gonna play well. It’s not the best players, it’s who plays the best.”

In the win over Ferris State, Michigan State shot 45 percent from the field and 33 percent from three-point range. The Spartans also had 14 turnovers and allowed seven offensive rebounds while trying to iron out the wrinkles before the regular season begins.

Tom Izzo had a deep rotation of players in the game, with 10 players getting double-digits in terms of minutes and 15 players total seeing the floor in the game. Frankie Fidler led the Spartans in scoring with 14 points. Jeremy Fears led in assists with eight. Then, off the bench, Jaxon Kohler led Michigan State in rebounds with 11 on the game.

“So, it’s pretty simple,” Izzo said. “I think I’ve done a poor job holding my own guys accountable. It’ll be interesting to see what the next four or five days are like. Maybe we’ll have a quarterback controversy. That’ll be fun.”

One starter who struggled in the win over Ferris State was Szymon Zapala. In 14 minutes, he scored two points and had one assist while leading the team in turnovers with four.

Ultimately, Michigan State did earn the win and ended up going 2-0 in the exhibition season. The regular season will begin on Monday, November 4th, against Monmouth. Their first power conference opponent will be on November 12th when Michigan State plays Kansas during the Champions Classic.

Ahead of the season, ESPN released its preseason bracketology predictions for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. In those predictions, ESPN has Michigan State as a seventh-seed in the NCAA Tournament, playing in Atlanta for the first round. That first round game is predicted to be against Ole Miss. So, it will be interesting to see if the Spartans can outdo those expectations.