Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Wisconsin and Nebraska make gains after start to league play
2. Michigan State Spartans (7-2)
Previous rank: 2
Michigan State entered the Las Vegas Invitational expecting some really good match ups. They opened things up with UCLA. The Spartans did a number by routing the Bruins by 20. Four out of the five starters went off for double-figures which is what they were hoping for this season. Texas beat North Carolina so Michigan State got to see the Longhorns. They defeated them by 10 with their starting back court accounting for 52 of 78 points.
The Spartans were riding high going in to the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. They felt pretty good about Louisville. And the Cardinals beat them in overtime. The crazy storyline of the game was Kenny Goins playing 30 minutes, hauling in 17 boards and not scoring a single point. Matt McQuaid missed that game and the next two. Kyle Ahrens got the start which thins out their small rotation.
Michigan State has played both Big Ten games already. Rutgers played them close, but Cassius Winston and Nick Ward went off for 20 apiece to beat the Knights by 11. The great thing about the Spartans is that they can get production outside of their big three of Winston, Ward and Joshua Langford. Goins went scoreless against Louisville and then dropped 19 against Iowa. Xavier Tillman is a wonderful body to have off the bench as well.
The loss to Louisville is too soon to tell. The Cardinals in somewhat of a rebuilding mode, but Chris Mack is a good coach. Either way, Michigan State is a quick 2-0 in Big Ten play. It was a terrific bounce back. They adjusted when McQuaid went down after losing. A top-10 team in the country may be pushing it, but they are still one of the best in the Big Ten.