Michigan State Basketball Reportedly Eyeing Sharpshooting Montana Transfer

Things have been relatively quiet on the Michigan State basketball front in terms of the transfer portal.

While three Spartans—Xavier Booker, Gehrig Normand, and, unexpectedly, Tre Holloman—have entered the portal, the destinations of two of them remain unknown. Booker has already committed to UCLA, while Normand and Holloman are still looking for new homes.

As a result, there are some openings on the roster with the departure of three seniors and only two freshmen incoming. Plus, the future of Jase Richardson is still uncertain.

There’s a real possibility Michigan State could lose seven players this offseason.

If that happens, the Spartans will only have Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr, Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, Kur Teng, and Jesse McCulloch returning, with Jordan Scott and Cam Ward joining the team.

That leaves just eight players to fill a 9-10-man rotation like Michigan State had last season, meaning there is room for 3-4 more players if Tom Izzo decides to focus on the portal.

Reports suggest Michigan State has already reached out to a transfer guard from LSU, and there’s buzz around another potential target. This player would be a one-year rental from the mid-major level and wouldn’t expect to be the focal point, making him a good fit for the Spartans.

Montana transfer Malik Moore could be a perfect addition for Michigan State. Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 190 pounds, he offers better length than the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Holloman. While Moore could be more aggressive defensively (he averaged 0.8 steals per game last season), his shooting ability could make fans quickly forget the departing transfers.

Moore shot 41% from beyond the arc last season for Montana, which made the NCAA Tournament before losing to Wisconsin in the first round. In that game, Moore scored seven points with three rebounds, shooting 43% from the field.

After a slow start, where he went 2-for-13 from the floor and 1-for-8 from three over his first two games, Moore only failed to score in double digits five times during the regular season. He was a standout in the Big Sky Championship game, scoring 15 points to lead Montana past Northern Colorado and into the NCAA Tournament.

With one year of eligibility remaining, Moore is a career 39% shooter from three. That could be exactly what Michigan State needs.