Michigan State basketball needed a huge week against Purdue and Michigan to stay alive and well in the Big Ten title race and make moves toward a top three seed in the NCAA Tournament.
And the Spartans got just that.
Tom Izzo led his Spartans past Purdue on Tuesday night in comfortable fashion, beating the Boilermakers by nine (should have been at least 12) heading into a massive showdown with No. 12 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Friday night. The Spartans were underdogs for that matchup and found a way to win, 75-62.
With the win, Michigan State improved to 22-5 overall and 13-3 in the conference which moves it into sole possession of first place by a half-game.
Another 2-0 week would likely ensure at least a share of the Big Ten title, but that's not going to be easy with Maryland and Wisconsin waiting to face the first-place Spartans.
Michigan State dropped to No. 14 from No. 11 in last week's poll after losing to Indiana at home and then beating Illinois on the road. But where could the Spartans jump to in Monday's AP Top 25 with two top-15 wins by a combined 22 points?
I'm going with No. 9 or No. 10 at the lowest with Texas A&M, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Purdue all losing ahead of them. The Spartans will likely jump the other three Big Ten teams to at least No. 11 and I could also see them passing No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 8 Iowa State who both lost this weekend.
While these rankings don't mean much, the AP Top 25 is a decent indicator of where a team might end up, seeding-wise, when the NCAA Tournament rolls around. Getting closer to that top eight could mean a potential No. 2 seed.
There's still some work to do, but I see Michigan State projected as a No. 3 seed after these wins with No. 2 potential if it can beat Maryland and Wisconsin this week.
On Monday, I fully expect the Spartans back in the top 10.