9. Michigan State Spartans
Record: 9-2 (2-0 Big Ten)
Last Week: No. 9
Now winners of four straight games, including a couple over Iowa and Florida, Michigan State definitely deserves to be in the top-10 at this point in time. And while Michigan has emerged as the favorite to win the Big Ten thanks to their hot start, it is safe to assume that the Spartans will be right on their tail with hopes of taking them down a notch or two in conference play. Head coach Tom Izzo has his team playing at a high level on both ends of the floor and the potential is there for a superb season.
And one of the main reasons for this has been the dominance of forward Nick Ward. Through the first 11 games of this season, the 6-foot-8 junior is leading the team in scoring at 16.7 points in just 21.7 minutes per game. He is finishing on 68.0% of his total shot attempts, all of which have come inside the arc so far this season. As long as he continues to dominate offensively in the paint, Sparty will be very tough to match up against.
Michigan State has just two non-conference games remaining on the schedule and both should be easy victories. Oakland and Northern Illinois simply should not be able to compete at the Breslin Center and this should allow Sparty to enter the heart of conference play at 11-2.