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Michigan State basketball still not ranked, but a big week will change that

By Connor Muldowney

Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo yells at a referee after a no call on Jaxon Kohler during the second half in the game against Monmouth on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo yells at a referee after a no call on Jaxon Kohler during the second half in the game against Monmouth on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Through two games of the 2024-25 season, it's relatively clear that Michigan State basketball has what it takes to contend in the Big Ten.

It's still very early in the season but the Spartans have depth, defense, and the ability to score at all three levels with a budding star running the point. That's usually the exact recipe that conference title contenders have and Michigan State has flashed all three against two inferior opponents.

This doesn't come as much of a surprise, though, given the fact that Michigan State fared well overseas during its summer Spain trip and it shook off rust in the two comfortable exhibition wins.

There's still a lot of basketball to be played, but it just feels like this could be one of those surprise Tom Izzo-coached teams that starts the season unranked and then climbs into the Top 25 and stays there for most of the year. We've seen this story play out before and it's the exact opposite of last year's team which started in the top five and then fizzled out early on only to limp into the NCAA Tournament.

But when could this team climb into the rankings? Well, it could be next week.

Michigan State is just six spots outside of the AP Top 25 after one week and a win over No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday night would guarantee a spot in the rankings. The Spartans would then need to take care of Bowling Green over the weekend and then a spot in the Top 25 is theirs.

We have seen before that even close losses to top teams can earn Michigan State some respect so even with a tight loss to the No. 1 team in the country and maybe winning every game leading up to the Maui Invitational could be enough.

Either way, be patient, Michigan State fans. A strong showing this week could have the Spartans in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the start of last season.

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