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Michigan State Basketball: Spartans Are Deserving Of No. 1

By Matt Johnson

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The crazy carousel of college basketball continues to go around and around with no end in sight.

Did anyone really think UCLA, a team with early season losses to Monmouth and Wake Forest, would take down Kentucky?

Could anyone have foreseen Wichita State losing four games before December? What about North Carolina losing to Northern Iowa or Virginia getting dropped by George Washington?

For the purposes of context, consider those questions rhetorical.

After all, national rankings don’t consider conventional wisdom or popular sentiment. All that matters to top-25 voters is what actually transpires. And what transpired Monday was Michigan State taking over the top-spot in both major polls for the first time since 2013-14.

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Perhaps a bit of consistency is what pollsters needed following a topsy-turvy month that featured several behemoth programs being brought down to earth. In Tom Izzo’s Spartans, consistency is exactly what they’ll get.

It’s a bit ironic that the Spartans, who lost the heart and soul of last season’s Final Four team during the off-season, now find themselves sitting on top. The early moments of 2015-16 were supposed to be about plugging the holes created by Travis Trice and Branden Dawson’s exhausted eligibility after all.

But that model failed to take one unescapable fact into account. No matter what the circumstances, Michigan State wins games. It’s what they’ve always done and will to continue to do with Izzo prowling the sidelines.

All told, the Spartans have made 18 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, never suffered a losing record in Big 10 play and won at least 27 games in seven of the last eight seasons under Izzo. Yet at first glance, the Spartans don’t have the look of a typical No. 1 team.

They don’t overwhelm opponents with athleticism. They don’t wear teams out with incredible depth. Rather, Michigan State plays sound, fundamental basketball that allows them to pounce at the right moment.

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Against Kansas, the Spartans trailed for a majority of the action until Denzel Valentine and Matt McQuaid helped bring Michigan State back from a nine-point, second-half deficit for a 79-73 win in Chicago.

Versus Louisville, Michigan State rallied from a three-point halftime deficit and broke a 58-58 draw by scoring seven straight points to go up 65-58 with just 1:58 left on a jumper by Valentine. In each case, there was nothing flashy about the Spartans’ performance. Rather, they were simply cold and efficient when it mattered most.

With Wisconsin’s personnel losses and Maryland returning the bulk of their 27-win outfit of 2014-15, fans of Big 10 basketball spent the offseason seeking a team to challenge the Terrapins for conference supremacy.

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If early returns are any indication, Michigan State is that team. Purdue and Indiana will also have a say in how the conference race shapes ultimately shapes up. And Mark Turgeon’s team does boast an impressive array of talent. But does anyone want to bet against the Spartans? To do so looks risky at best.

Michigan State has been their usual selves when it comes to rebounding and defense. They’re out-boarding foes by an average of nearly 18 and allowing just 59.8 points on 36.9 percent shooting.

Where the Spartans are making real waves is on the offensive end however.

Compared to last year’s 71. 1 points per game average, Michigan State is funning and gunning away at an 82.4 per contest clip in 2015-16. They’re also knocking down 49.6 percent of their shots, including 40 percent of their three-point attempts.

Along with Valentine’s nightly averages of 19.7 points and 8.8 rebounds, Michigan State is getting dead-eye three-point shooting from Bryn Forbes, who has hit 25 of his 51 tries from long range. Add-in Matt Costello and freshman Deyonta Davis’ presence in a typically-physical front court and the Spartans have the look of a bonafide national contender.

The schedule is also highly manageable.

Next: Big 12 Basketball: December Power Rankings

Assuming Michigan State can take care of Florida on Dec. 12, the rest of the non-conference is forgiving enough for the Spartans to remain No. 1 until the Big 10 opener at Iowa on Dec. 29.

From there, things get considerably tougher as the conference slate kicks into high gear.

Still, Michigan State’s consistency could be all it takes to claim a Big 10 title. Just don’t be surprised. Winning is just what Izzo and the Spartans do.

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