We're in the dog days of summer and while the calendar just flipped to August, signaling the return of Michigan State football, we can't forget that another team's season is right around the corner.
That's right, Michigan State basketball is next up after football, tipping off in the month of October with an exhibition game against UConn. Fans are excited to see the Spartans defend their Big Ten title, but the national media has seemingly forgotten that Michigan State won one of the toughest and deepest conferences in the country last year by three whole games.
While Michigan State did lose guys like Jase Richardson, Jaden Akins, Tre Holloman, Xavier Booker, and Frankie Fidler, it does bring back Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr, Carson Cooper, and Jaxon Kohler.
Four guys with starting experience return to defend that crown and they're joined by some younger guys who didn't get much of a chance last year but who should break out in Jesse McCulloch and Kur Teng as well as transfers Trey Fort and Divine Ugochukwu (Kaleb Glenn, too, but he's out for the year) and incoming freshmen and top-100 prospects Cam Ward and Jordan Scott.
This team will be just fine. Probably more than just fine.
But don't tell that to national analysts like Andy Katz who just revealed his preseason Big Ten power rankings ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Time for @TheAndyKatz's late summer #B1GMBBall Power Rankings❕📊 Do you agree with his 1-18? pic.twitter.com/kY071ssotx
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) August 4, 2025
Katz obviously ranked Purdue No. 1 because everyone and their brother is doing it and had Michigan up there at No. 2, which I think is a premature stock-riser. Surely Michigan State was in his top five, right? I mean, the Spartans did just win the Big Ten and bring back four likely starters, two elite recruits, and an impressive transfer haul. But nope, Michigan State was No. 7.
This is probably right where Izzo wants to be heading into the season. The media is already overlooking the Spartans and they always seem to play better in that instance.
Michigan State will have plenty of non-conference chances to prove people wrong this season with teams like UConn (exhibition), Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky, and North Carolina on the schedule. I would bet that Michigan State finishes not only in the top five, but somewhere in that top-three range, fighting for a second straight Big Ten title until the very end.
Overlook the Spartans at your own risk.