One week of college hoops is officially in the books, and Michigan State basketball sits at 2-0 on the young season while being one of the only teams with a ranked win in the country.
The Spartans picked up a big win over No. 14 Arkansas on Saturday night to improve to 2-0 and that likely means they’ll be moving up the ranks in the first AP Top 25 of the regular season which comes out on Monday afternoon.
Michigan State got the No. 22 spot in the preseason AP Top 25, but after beating Colgate and Arkansas, there’s a high chance that it sneaks into the top 20 in Week 2.
Where will the Spartans be ranked on Monday in the regular season’s first AP Top 25?
I’m going to say Michigan State comes in at No. 18 this week, jumping Gonzaga, Auburn, Kansas, and Arkansas. It could be argued that the Spartans have had a good enough start to the year to move them into the top 15, but judging by how the national media looked at the Spartans’ win over the Razorbacks, I don’t think AP voters will give Michigan State enough respect.
Gonzaga is 2-0 and I think the Bulldogs move up a spot or two, but I think Michigan State gets the nod here and jumps them. Auburn went to overtime with Bethune-Cookman, so it’ll drop. Kansas lost to North Carolina, and obviously Michigan State beat Arkansas.
There’s a chance North Carolina could jump Michigan State, but it’s hard to say a 13-point win over the No. 19 team is a ton better than a 3-point win over the No. 14 team.
My final guess is No. 18, but it could be No. 19 with some disrespect.