2. Michigan State Spartans
Record: 16-2 (7-0 Big Ten)
Last Week: No. 5
One of the most efficient teams in the country on both ends of the floor, I might be a bit higher on Michigan State than others. To put it simply, there might be teams behind the Spartans in these rankings with a better overall resume but MSU is arguably the hottest team in the nation. Head coach Tom Izzo’s team has not lost since Nov. 27 and they recently snagged possibly their biggest win of the year with a road victory over Nebraska.
From a personnel standpoint, Cassius Winston is arguably the best guard in the entire Big Ten and Nick Ward has been one of the most efficient bigs nationally. Add in the fact that the team has played at an exceptional level without one of their best players as of late and it is easy to see why Michigan State belongs in the national top-5.
With road games against Iowa and Purdue coming up, we are going to find out whether or not Michigan State has what it takes to land the No. 1 spot in the rankings quite soon.