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Ranking the last 10 Michigan State basketball teams from worst to best

By Trevor Michael

Michigan State's Cassius Winston, left, talks with head coach Tom Izzo during the first half on
Michigan State's Cassius Winston, left, talks with head coach Tom Izzo during the first half on / Nick King/Lansing State Journal, Lansing
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1. 2017-18

The final team on this list, and the team I think is the best Michigan State basketball squad in the past decade, is the 2017-18 team. This team could be one of the best in Michigan State history, potentially even better than the two national title teams, but that's a conversation for another day.

This team won MSU its first of three straight Big Ten titles after finishing the season 30-5 (16-2). They once again were led by Miles Bridges who shockingly returned for his sophomore season. This squad also had sophomore Cassius Winston who was beginning to turn into his elite self that we saw in the next two teams as well as a healthy Joshua Langford. But the reason I think this team is the best of the past decade is because of one player: Jaren Jackson Jr.

Jackson Jr. was a dominant force for MSU the second he stepped foot on campus. Not only was he an elite offensive presence, but he was as good of a rim-protector as the Spartans have ever had. So the combination of the elite sophomore group along with Jackson Jr. makes this team the best in the past decade for me.

Even though this team was upset in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, I'm not going to penalize them for that. One loss doesn't change anything for me. There is a great argument to swap this team with No. 2 on the list, but again I think this team would win a seven-game series even though the 2018-19 team will be remembered for having the better season.

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