Meet the Big Ten: Michigan State

Last season was a bit out of the ordinary for Michigan State. The Spartans did not win the Big Ten Championship for the first time in five years and then, in the NCAA Tournament, they suffered a first-round loss to North Carolina State. The early exit marked the first time they failed to reach the Final Four since the 1997-98 season. \nBut this season MSU is favored in both the Big Ten coaches and media pre-season polls to retain their position atop the conference. \nChris Hill will be expected to pick up the slack for the loss of All-Big Ten point guard Marcus Taylor, who bolted for the NBA last summer.\nAlthough Hill spent most of last year at shooting guard, coach Tom Izzo moved the sophomore to the point, at least for now. \nJunior college transfer Rashi Johnson is the heir apparent to Taylor, but until he adjusts to life in the Big Ten, the job will belong to Hill.\n"Right now Hill's going to play (point guard) a lot," Izzo said. "Rashi is coming but it's gonna take him a while to adapt to things. I hope to play Hill at both (guard positions) because I don't want to lose out on his incredible shooting ability."\nSophomores Kevin Torbert and Alan Anderson will also see significant minutes in the backcourt this season.\nMcDonalds All-American Paul Davis, a 6'10" freshman center, will join senior forwards Aloysius Anagonye and Adam Ballinger in the frontcourt. He averaged 29.7 points, 13.8 rebounds, 4.1 blocks and 3.8 steals per game as a high school senior, and is expected to make an immediate impact with the Spartans.