How good is Michigan State basketball this season? Good enough to win a national title, or at least that’s what the experts are telling us after a 7-0 start with three ranked wins.
Only one other team in college basketball has beaten three ranked teams and that’s Arizona who is also considered one of the best teams in the country. The Spartans, however, are still trying to earn respect from the rest of the nation. While they are 7-0 with three big wins over teams ranked in the top 16, they haven’t beaten unranked teams by 40 unlike an in-state rival receiving a ton of love.
But Michigan State does fit the criteria of national champions.
In fact, the last 19 national champions have been undefeated through Thanksgiving, and Michigan State fits that description after beating No. 16 North Carolina on Thursday night.
The last 19 NCAAT champions have been undefeated through Thanksgiving Day.
— T3™️ (@T3Bracketology) November 28, 2025
Is the champion below?
Arizona
Duke
Purdue
Iowa State
Michigan
Michigan State
Louisville
Indiana
Missouri
Saint Mary’s
Vanderbilt
Colorado
Utah State
Nebraska
Iowa
LSU
SMU
Ohio State
George Mason
USC…
Only 28 other teams also fit that description, but there are obviously plenty on the list of still-undefeateds that likely won’t have a chance at a national title like George Mason (although Spartan fans know that name all too well), Miami (OH), Belmont, and UC San Diego. The Spartans feel like one of the best teams on this list along with Arizona, Duke, Purdue, Michigan, and Louisville.
It’s going to be interesting to see how long the Spartans can remain undefeated. They play two more teams on this list in the coming week as both Iowa and Duke come to the Breslin Center.
Michigan State will get two more chances to prove that it’s one of the top national title contenders when the Hawkeyes and Blue Devils come to East Lansing, and those two will be two of the best games of the season. Spartan fans have been spoiled by elite-level basketball play over the past month, and the students with Izzone tickets are about to be treated with two more great games.
Obviously winning both is the goal, but if the Spartans do split, it has to be considered a success. Winning both would put Michigan State is the conversation for the No. 1 team in the country.