Michigan State All-American point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is as competitive as they come. He even famously told Tom Izzo in a huddle that he wants to win more than the Hall of Famer.
I’m not so sure that’s true, but Fears is definitely a competitor and there aren’t many college basketball players who can match his intensity. He wants to win a national title and he believes that he’s surrounded by the group of guys that will get that job done.
Unfortunately, ESPN disagrees.
Michigan State has been ranked in — or very close to — the top five by just about every major outlet this offseason but ESPN’s Jeff Borzello has the Spartans at No. 9. That’s obviously much lower than everyone else, but it’s hard to get mad at a top-10 ranking to start the season.
Unless you’re Fears. He was actually disgusted by the No. 9 ranking.
Talk that shi uno🔥🔥❤️❤️😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/gC9gs0nUe2
— Kur Teng (@kurtengburner) August 4, 2026
Can’t say that I disagree with Fears’ take here that No. 9 is a little crazy considering Borzello is just assuming that all these fifth-year guys are going to be granted that extra year. Also, he still has Michigan ahead of Michigan State which is wild to me considering the Wolverines return just a couple of guys and lost their head coach.
Texas, Tennessee, and Arizona haven’t been ahead of Michigan State in many preseason polls, but Borzello believes they should all be slotted ahead of the Spartans.
Just like Fears, I completely disagree with the No. 9 spot.
Michigan State is a top-five team
Whether it plays out like this all season or not, Michigan State is a top five team, talent-wise.
The Spartans will have one of the most loaded starting fives in all of college basketball this season, led by an All-American point guard and a legitimate Big Ten Player of the Year candidate in Coen Carr on the wing. They also have a two-man sophomore class that’s about to break out and an incoming freshman class that was ranked in the top five. On top of that, the Spartans return key role players like Kur Teng and Jesse McCulloch and have a couple of transfers in Kaleb Glenn and Anton Bonke that are ready to go.
Michigan State is at least two deep at every position on the floor and that’s what makes the roster so intriguing. Outside of point guard, Michigan State has depth at every single position.
Add in the fact that Izzo is one of the best coaches in sports and he’s more motivated than ever to get back to the top of college basketball and you have a team that’s going to be extremely difficult to stop this season.
Yet somehow, Borzello and ESPN think the Spartans are just the ninth-best team in the country.
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