Tom Izzo had his birthday spoiled on Friday night by Dusty May and the Wolverines, but Michigan State basketball still has a ton of season left.
The Spartans are 9-2 in conference play and 19-3 overall, so one loss to a top-three team isn’t going to crush any Big Ten title or deep NCAA Tournament run hopes. They will likely see a drop, potentially out of the top 10, when Monday’s newest AP Poll comes out. Will the Spartans drop out of the top 10 in this week’s rankings?
It’s very likely Michigan State is no longer a top-10 team, but it all depends on how much AP voters put on the margin of Friday’s loss, especially considering the Spartans were winning with seven minutes left.
There are still Sunday games left and some late on Saturday night, but we have a good idea of where Michigan State will be ranked come Monday afternoon?
Michigan State may be falling out of the top 10
Looking at the top 10 and the teams that have already played, and lost, Michigan State might not move down too much.
Michigan State will remain behind Nebraska who lost to Michigan earlier this week, but I honestly don’t think the Cornhuskers will even drop at all — they lost by three in Ann Arbor without two of their best players.
Iowa State, Illinois, and Houston will all jump the Spartans, so that would drop Michigan State to No. 10, and there’s a chance that Kansas hops Michigan State after beating No. 13 BYU. At the very worst, though, I see Michigan State as the No. 11 team in the newest poll on Monday, but if Gonzaga loses to St. Mary’s on Saturday night, I think the Spartans are No. 10 at the lowest.
A three-spot drop after losing a home game to your rival by double digits might cause you to think the Spartans would surely drop out of the top 10, but several teams right behind them lost, too.
When the new rankings come out on Monday, I don’t think there’s any way Michigan State isn’t still in the top 11.