It’s going to be a busy night for AP voters as they try to sort out what’s sure to be a new-look AP Top 25 on Monday afternoon. Michigan State basketball fans are hoping to see the Spartans rise again.
Michigan State has done nothing but drop over the past few weeks, going from a top-10 team down to No. 15 in the latest poll. There’s a decent chance that the Spartans could see a slight rise up the rankings when the new poll comes out, especially considering eight top-10 teams lost this week.
There’s top of the rankings will look different, but I’d assume the 10-15 range also sees a shake-up with all of those top-10 teams falling.
Where will Michigan State be ranked in new AP Top 25?
Michigan State had its first 2-0 week since the calender turned to February. Tom Izzo’s team beat UCLA by 23 points before struggling to put Ohio State away on Sunday.
It was a tale of two games.
The win over the Bruins was stress-free and the Spartans led throughout but the Ohio State game was the exact opposite with Michigan State falling behind early and needing a second-half comeback to secure the win. To make matters even worse, the 17-9 Buckeyes were shorthanded, missing to of their top three scorers.
Will AP voters be impressed enough with the 22-5 Spartans to move them up?
Michigan, Houston (twice), UConn, Iowa State, Purdue, Kansas, Nebraska, and Illinois all lost this week, but we’ll see if any of that impacts the Spartans. I think it will.
I see Michigan State leaping over Illinois after it went 1-1 on a West Coast trip with a blown 23-point lead against UCLA leading to a buzzer-beating loss. Michigan State will also jump Texas Tech who lost to Arizona State. I could also see AP voters dropping Cincinnati a healthy amount after losing by 16 at home to Cincinnati.
My final prediction is No. 13 overall this week. I think the Spartans pass Texas Tech and one of either Illinois or Kansas.
A win over Purdue at Mackey this week would put MSU back in the top 10.