Burning questions for Michigan State basketball, including who takes Xavier Tillman's minutes?

The season that never truly ended left Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball wondering: "what if it had continued."

Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman had the Spartans playing as good as anyone in the country, their victory over Ohio State to close out the regular season giving them a share of a third straight Big Ten title. The Big Ten and NCAA tournaments looked to be stepping stones to a second consecutive Final Four and, potentially, Izzo’s second national title.

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Instead there was no postseason, and Winston's and Tillman’s MSU careers came to an end amid a pandemic.

Which also leaves the Spartans with a number of uncertainties as the 2020-21 season begins with the first day of practice Wednesday. Here are five of the biggest questions MSU must answer going into the fall:

What is the schedule?

Teams are entering the start of workouts as administrators continue to put together schedules behind the scenes.

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The NCAA issued a start Nov. 25 date for basketball. A little more than a month out, MSU still does not have its schedule finalized. Reports of beginning the season in Orlando as part of a preseason tournament continue to swirl, but how long things work out remains to be seen.

Teams must also prepare for disruptions in the season as various college football programs have been shut down for games or practices because of COVID-19 cases.

Can Rocket Watts replace Winston?

Watts — who averaged 9.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists as a freshman — is expected to replace the departing Winston, a two-time All-American point guard. And the developing combo guard presents a different style than his predecessor.

Winston was more of a facilitator first and scorer second early in his career, Watts is more of a volume shooter. Watts had seven games last season with 10-or-more shot attempts, including 20 in a comeback at Penn State. Winston had 14 games with double-digit shot attempts in his first two seasons, including just three as a freshman.

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Watts also is wired differently than his fellow Detroit native, more of a natural alpha male on the court. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound sophomore's step-back jump shot is more in the mold of some of Izzo’s best scoring point guards such as Kalin Lucas and Keith Appling. Where he impressed the coaching staff last year was with his court vision and willingness to keep the ball moving within the flow of the offense.

How good is Joey Hauser?

While he won’t necessarily be replacing Tillman, who was more of a post presence, the junior transfer from Marquette will be relied upon to replace some of his production.

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Hauser averaged 9.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists a game to earn All-Big East freshman team honors in 2018-19. Izzo said a year ago that the 6-9, 220-pounder was “probably the second-best shooter on our team” and compared him to former Spartan A.J. Granger, a stretch power forward who can hit 3-pointers.

How well Hauser can bang for boards inside could dictate what direction Izzo goes with the other frontcourt spot. But having a bona fide scorer and outside shooter helps relieve one of MSU’s biggest concerns.

Can Aaron Henry, Gabe Brown and the rest of the junior class take that next step?

The biggest leap must be taken by Henry, the 6-6 swingman who pulled his name out of the NBA draft after two years of incremental development. His defense and ability to move the ball have been strong, but Izzo wants the sometimes-mercurial Henry to be more aggressive in attacking the basket and looking to score. He averaged 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists a year ago.

Brown, an athletic, pogo-stick leaper has yet to harness his full potential. Izzo would love the 6-7 forward to take better shots despite making 34.1% of his 3-pointers last season.

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Forwards Thomas Kithier (6-8) and Marcus Bingham (6-11) enter pivotal years with an abundance of minutes available now that Tillman is gone. Those two will be pushed by sophomore Julius Marble and freshman Mady Sissoko, whom offer differing skill-sets at the center spot.

And then there is Foster Loyer, who was named captain along with Henry and Joshua Langford last week. MSU desperately needs the 6-foot, 175-pound point guard to emerge as a reliable, second option to run the offense. If his on-court development progresses, he could see more playing time, allowing Watts to play off the ball and focus on getting his shots.

How healthy is Joshua Langford?

The fifth-year senior, who has not played since December 2018, may be the wild card to just how good the Spartans can be this winter.

Langford’s defense and shooting were elite before two surgeries on his left foot in less than a year, but no one will know how much he can provide until hard workouts begin. If the former McDonald’s All-American can give 10-15 minutes a game off the bench, that provides value; if Langford can show he’s back to where he was in the fall of 2018, the depth at the wing position would put MSU in position for a fourth straight regular-season Big Ten title and possibly more.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: The 5 biggest questions facing Michigan State basketball as practice starts