Another week of college hoops is in the books, and Michigan State basketball fans were eager to see where the Spartans would be ranked in the newest AP Top 25 ahead of another big week of action.
That’s right, it’s Feast Week in college basketball, and some of the nation’s top teams will be squaring off in early-season Thanksgiving tournaments, including Michigan State. The Spartans are partaking in the Fort Myers Tip-Off this season, facing East Carolina on Tuesday before meeting North Carolina on Thursday night. It should be a fun week of hoops.
Before Michigan State takes the court against two teams from North Carolina, including a ranked Tar Heels squad, we’re here to dissect the Spartans’ ranking in the newest AP Top 25 update.
On Monday, the Week 4 poll was revealed, and Michigan State saw the biggest jump of any team in the country, going from No. 17 all the way up to No. 11 after beating No. 12 Kentucky by 17 and then dominating Detroit Mercy by 28. The fact that Michigan State was the biggest riser is not a surprise, but it is interesting to see which teams are still ranked ahead of the Spartans.
Michigan, BYU, and Florida were all teams that I thought the Spartans might jump this week, but AP voters felt differently. Many believed Michigan State did enough in Week 3 to warrant a jump into the top 10, but that will have to wait another week.
If Michigan State is able to take care of business against East Carolina and No. 16 North Carolina, there’s no way it can be denied of a top-10 spot in Week 5.
What Michigan State has done this season under Tom Izzo has been so impressive. It began the year as the nation’s No. 22 team but it’s picked up wins over Arkansas and Kentucky to put college basketball on notice. Beating North Carolina this week would already exceed everyone’s expectations early on during this gauntlet of a non-conference schedule.
Izzo is doing what Hall of Fame coaches do, and that’s winning despite being counted out.
Let’s keep it rolling.