Michigan State Lands Forward Tabitha Betson from the Portal

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The Spartans are back at it, securing their second transfer portal commitment of the offseason.

It all started with landing 2025 Michigan Miss Basketball Anna Wypych and bringing her back to the state she was born and raised in. Now, the Spartans turn their attention to someone who was born and raised much farther away—on the opposite side of planet Earth.

Michigan State adds forward Tabitha Betson from Melbourne, Australia, who played for the University of Colorado over the last two seasons.

Now, as a junior, Betson will join up with the past two Miss Basketball winners from the state of Michigan, along with one of the best players in the country, Kennedy Blair.

As a freshman two years ago, Betson played in 30 games and started 13 of them. She averaged 18.1 minutes per game and 5.4 points per game. Betson learned quickly that her Australian size and physicality were much more powerful than most. She also averaged 3.8 rebounds per game, including 1.1 offensive rebounds per game. On top of that, she contributed 1.3 assists per game, 0.5 steals per game, and 0.3 blocks per game.

As a sophomore, Betson started three more games (16 total) but played in just 24 games on the season. She saw a slight increase in playing time, averaging 19.2 minutes per game, though her scoring dipped slightly to 4.8 points per game. Her blocks remained steady at 0.3 per game, while her steals improved from 0.5 to 0.6 per game. Assists also saw a small bump, going from 1.3 to 1.4 per game.

Rebounds dipped slightly from 3.8 per game to 3.5, and offensive rebounds fell from 1.1 to 0.8. However, Betson isn’t afraid to shoot from deep. As a sophomore, she increased her three-point attempts from 2.0 to 2.3 per game and improved her makes from 0.6 to 0.8 per game.

One of the more impressive developments in her game came at the free throw line, where Betson improved significantly, missing just three free throw attempts throughout her entire sophomore season.

Betson doesn’t arrive with eye-popping stats or game-changing size and ability. Instead, she brings an underrated and often unappreciated style of basketball—something that should mesh well with a Spartans squad looking to get past the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That’s a hurdle Michigan State has been unable to clear, as their season has ended at that stage in each of the past two years.

Head coach Robyn Fralick continues to bring in players who may not grab headlines at first glance but seem to fit exactly what the Spartans are trying to build. It’s a system rooted in toughness, versatility, and players who understand their roles.