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MSU men's basketball finishes as No. 9 in final AP Poll

March 18, 2020
The Spartan basketball team poses for photos after winning a share of the 2020 Big Ten Championship. The Spartans defeated the Buckeyes, 80-69, at the Breslin Student Events Center on March 8, 2020.
The Spartan basketball team poses for photos after winning a share of the 2020 Big Ten Championship. The Spartans defeated the Buckeyes, 80-69, at the Breslin Student Events Center on March 8, 2020. —
Photo by Matt Zubik | The State News

The AP Top 25 released their final rankings for the 2019-20 season on Wednesday. Michigan State men’s basketball finished as No. 9.

After starting as the preseason No. 1 for the first time in school history, MSU dropped from the rankings during Week 15. The drop came after back-to-back losses to Michigan and Penn State, putting the Spartans outside of the poll for the first time since 2017.

MSU remained unranked for two weeks until reentering the poll at No. 24 after win’s over Nebraska and Iowa. 

They placed themselves back in the top 10 during Week 19, following five straight victories, four of which came against ranked opponents. The Spartans’ comeback put them in the top ten for the first time since Week 10.

MSU ended with a 22-9 overall record, clinching a share of the Big Ten regular season title after a win over Ohio State in their final game of the season.

The Spartans finished with the highest ranking of all Big Ten teams. Behind them are Big Ten regular season co-champions Maryland at No. 12, Wisconsin at No. 17, as well as Ohio State at No. 19, Illinois at No. 21 and Iowa at No. 25.

The remaining final standings are as follows:

1: Kansas (28-3).

2: Gonzaga (31-2).

3: Dayton (29-2).

4: Florida State (26-5).

5: Baylor (26-4).

6: San Diego State (30-2).

7: Creighton (24-7).

8: Kentucky (25-6).

9: Michigan State (22-9).

10: Villanova (24-7).

11: Duke (25-6).

12: Maryland (24-7).

13: Oregon (24-7).

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14: Louisville (24-7).

15: Seton Hall (21-9).

16: Virginia (23-7).

17: Wisconsin (21-10).

18: BYU (24-8).

19: Ohio State (21-10).

20: Auburn (25-6).

21: Illinois (21-10).

22: Houston (23-8).

23: Butler (22-9).

24: West Virginia (21-10).

25: Iowa (20-11).

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