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Michigan State Basketball: Spartans ranked 13th-best all-time program

By Connor Muldowney

Mar 16, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo during practice at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo during practice at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State basketball has been ranked the 13th-best all-time college basketball program, according to an AP Poll.

Back in 1979, Magic Johnson and Jud Heathcote began the resurrection of the Michigan State basketball program. They helped deliver the first national title in school history before Magic went on to play for the Lakers and Heathcote retired about  a decade and a half later.

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Since then, Tom Izzo has taken over and he’s really brought Spartan basketball to new heights. In fact, Michigan State has made 20 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and seven Final Fours under the Hall of Fame head coach.

Although Michigan State doesn’t have the same storied past as Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA or North Carolina, the Spartans have been moving up all-time lists. For example, they have been named the No. 13 college basketball program of all time, according to a recent AP Poll.

According to the AP formula, this is how the top 100 teams were determined:

"To determine the all-time Top 100, the AP formula counted poll appearances (one point each) to mark consistency and No. 1 rankings (two points each) to acknowledge elite programs. Keep in mind that AP doesn’t release a poll after the NCAA Tournament, so eventual national champions are not factored into these rankings. Instead, this list focuses more on those programs that consistently appear in the poll and/or at the top during the regular seasons."

Michigan State is the fourth-best all-time Big Ten program, ranking behind Indiana (6th), Illinois (11th) and Ohio State (12th). Moreover, the Spartans rank one spot ahead of Michigan.

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Wondering who the top-five teams are? Well, Kentucky is first, North Carolina is second, Duke third, UCLA fourth and Kansas fifth. No surprises there.

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