Michigan State basketball is a top-10 team despite Baylor loss

Michigan State basketball officially has their second loss of the season: an underwhelming 75-58 defeat to No. 6 Baylor at the Battle 4 Atlantis. After outperforming the Bears for most of the first half, the Spartans let up some steam, which seemed to carry into the second half.

Last week, it was odd that Michigan State was not ranked in the top 25. Now it’s apparent that Michigan State is a better basketball team.

After a quick glimpse at their resume, the Spartans are 5-2, with their only two losses coming against No. 4 Kansas and No. 6 Baylor (based on current ranking).

As we suspected, Michigan State basketball is better than its ranking suggests

When the new AP rankings are revealed on Tuesday, the Spartans should find themselves in the top 25, at least ahead of UConn, whom they just beat 64-60 in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Turnovers have been a problem for the Spartans in past years and have hurt them in several games this year. However, they were able to pull out a win against UConn, they were able to stack up for a portion of games against Baylor and Kansas.

Gabe Brown leads Michigan State in points per game with 13.5, followed shortly by Marcus Bingham Jr. (11.5) and Malik Hall (10). The breakout star in the Spartans’ game against Baylor was freshman Jaden Akins. He went 6-for-9 with 12 points. It’s his new career collegiate high, surpassing his game against Western Michigan (9 pts) and Eastern Michigan (8 pts).

It may not have been the result that Michigan State was looking for, losing to Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis Finals, but it was a great week for the Spartans.

Several different players chimed in for Michigan State against Loyola Chicago. Namely Hall had 24 points, Bingham Jr had 11, Brown had nine. On Thursday night, Brown (16 points) and Julius Marble II (15 points) led the scoring against UConn.

One guy the Spartans hope to lean on more is senior forward Joey Hauser. Last year, Hauser had nearly 10 points per game. This year, he’s only had one game with double-digit point totals, but he’s also been dealing with a calf strain. He didn’t play against Eastern Michigan and didn’t start any of the games this week, including against Loyola and UConn.

Even though the result was heartbreaking, a lot was learned about this Michigan State basketball team. This squad looks more talented and tougher than last year’s. They’ll be exciting to watch in March.