Michigan State came a few plays away from making the Elite Eight this past season and if that had happened, we might just be talking about the Spartans as a top-three team in college basketball to start the 2026-27 season.
Instead, most experts have Michigan State in the 5-10 range which is fair, but I think that’s still a little low. I’m not about to split hairs this early on in the summer regarding preseason predictions — outside of a CBS bracketology projection that I disagreed with — when the Spartans are a top-10 team in the country regardless of who you ask.
The Spartans should be considered one of the favorites to win the national title next April in Detroit and it’s not just because they were good this past season, but because they bring back a ton.
Michigan State actually has the most returning scoring production in the Big Ten, tied with Illinois.
Big Ten returning scoring by percentage:
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 20, 2026
Illinois 65.4%
Michigan St 65.4%
Rutgers 63.8%
Minnesota 53.7%
Nebraska 50.6%
Iowa 50.3%
UCLA 47.5%
Purdue 38.6%
Michigan 36.3%
Ohio St 34%
Wisconsin 29.5%
Maryland 28%
USC 25.4%
UW 19.6%
Northwestern 15.4%
Penn St 12.9%
Oregon 9.2%
IU 5%
There’s a reason people are saying that Michigan State and Illinois are the biggest threats to unseat Michigan as the top team in the Big Ten, especially after Dusty May left for the NBA.
Illinois is the scariest team in the conference, in my opinion, and the one squad that Michigan State is going to have to get through if it wants to win the Big Ten for the second time in three years. The Spartans should scare the heck out of everyone, too, especially since they tied in the Big Ten standings at 15-5 and Michigan State had a higher win percentage.
The Spartans are in the best spot in the Big Ten entering the 2026-27 season.
Michigan State’s experience is valuable experience
Not all experience is created equally. Just because a team is returning a lot of experience doesn’t mean that it’s set up for success. Michigan State, however, has a team with guys who have been to Sweet 16s, Elite Eights, and have won a Big Ten title.
The Spartans return an All-American, the best athlete in college basketball, and some key role players, including two really good second-year guys. That’s some good experience when you consider that a lot of them have won a Big Ten title and have made an Elite Eight.
Mix that experience in with a ton of returning production and a top-five incoming recruiting class and Michigan State has one of the most complete rosters in the country.
The 2026-27 season can’t start soon enough.
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