Senior forward Branden Dawson attempts a point over Michigan forward Ricky Doyle Jan. 18, 2015, during the game against Michigan at Breslin Center. The Spartans defeated the Wolverines, 76-67. Erin Hampton/The State News
After nine Big Ten games, MSU is halfway through the conference season. Some called it a rebuilding season, but sitting just a game and a half out of first place, the Spartans remain within shouting distance of the top spot.
Wisconsin has been the class of the league all season, never dropping to lower than No. 7 in the AP Top 25 Poll. The Badgers are currently ranked fifth in the nation and a Jan. 11 upset at the hands of Rutgers is the lone blemish on their conference record.
Below Wisconsin, a pack of teams is huddled together at 6-3 in the league. No. 17 Maryland, No. 20 Ohio State, Indiana, and Purdue join the Spartans in the second spot. MSU (15-7 overall, 6-3 Big Ten) was swept by Maryland earlier this season but has yet to meet the Buckeyes or Boilermakers.
Although he wasn’t happy with his team’s performance against Michigan, MSU head coach Tom Izzo admits that his team’s record “ain’t all bad.”
Reaching 20 wins is generally a good way of determining which teams have the best shot of qualifying for the NCAA tournament, so for the Spartans, winning five of their final nine games should be key. With a Feb. 14 home date with Ohio State in the headlights, MSU will play two very winnable games (Illinois and Northwestern) before then.
MSU will have a week of practice before its next game on Saturday against Illinois, something that couldn’t have come at a better time, according to Izzo.
“We gotta get better if we’re gonna be a team that has a chance to do something at the end of the year,” Izzo said. “I say if you ever have a week off that is needed (this is it).”
The Big Ten season has been unpredictable, possibly more so than in years past. Just when it seems a team is settling in, another one steps in and knocks that team back down.
Since defeating MSU by 16 points on Jan. 17, Maryland has lost games by 19 and 24 points to then-No. 23 Indiana and then-unranked Ohio State.
Indiana followed up its impressive victory with consecutive losses to Ohio State and Purdue.
“When you catch a team is important,” Izzo said last week. “And I’m amazed by what’s going on in our league and I’m really amazed what’s going on around the country right now and said so last night. I’m baffled by it.”
MSU will have plenty of chances to improves its tournament credentials down the stretch, including a Mar. 1 matchup with Wisconsin, but senior guard Travis Trice believes that the first addition to the resume should be a league title and everything else will follow.
“Right now, we’re just trying to take it one game at a time," Trice said. "Our first goal is to win a Big Ten championship, so that’s our main goal and our main objective right now. When the tournament comes, we’ll focus in on that.”
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