Michigan State University men’s basketball team is ranked inside the AP Poll Top 10 for the first time in three seasons.
The Spartans (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten) have won 11 straight games, hitting their best streak in six years. The team remains unbeaten at home since their game with Memphis nearly two months ago and just won two more games this past week at the Breslin Center.
MSU is ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll, jumping four spots from last week. The Spartans are sandwiched between Houston (No. 7) and Kentucky (No. 9). Purdue, the second-highest ranked Big Ten team, is currently named 11th amongst all men's college basketball teams, and Oregon comes in at 15th place.
The Michigan State Spartans are also ranked No. 8 in the Coaches Poll, moving up four spots from last week, and are in the highest position this season. They have 558 total points and are the only Big Ten team in the Top 10.
MSU’s boost in rankings is a result of their two home game wins this past week. The team had an edging win against Penn State, 90-85, after nearly surrendering a double-digit lead. This past Sunday, they narrowly beat Illinois 80-78, an opponent that Tom Izzo, MSU's head basketball coach, proclaimed to be the best team in the league.
KenPom, a college basketball analytics and metrics site names the Spartans 13th overall nationally, behind Big Ten teams Michigan (11), Purdue (10), and Illinois (9). KenPom also ranks the Spartans at 21st place nationally for offensive efficiency and 17th for defensive efficiency.
MSU is named No. 16 nationally by the NCAA NET Rankings, up one spot with its win on Sunday.
The Spartans have five days off from games before playing Rutgers (10-8, 3-4) at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1:30 p.m. CBS will air the game.
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