NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Seton Hall soars, Auburn drops

Michigan State only played one game during this past week and it’s hard to complain about taking down Wisconsin by double-digits at home. This was simply another strong performance by the Spartans, who appear to be steadily rising up the rankings with each week. Head coach Tom Izzo’s team is emerging as the clear favorite to win the Big Ten moving forward and easily the conference’s best bet to make a deep run into March and contend for the national title.

There are many reasons to be high on Michigan State moving forward but Cassius Winston should be at the top of that list. The senior point guard is easily one of the best leaders in the country as he is the catalyst of an elite-level offense. He also brings the poise and experience of a veteran guard capable of carving up defenses with his scoring or playmaking at any given moment. Guard play is essential to success in March and Michigan State has that with Winston.

Additionally, Rocket Watts scored 11 points in that home win over Wisconsin. That marked his second consecutive double-digit scoring game and hopefully is a sign of good things to come moving forward. The talented freshman has the potential to be a big-time difference maker as the season continues. His scoring potential is tremendous but he has had some issues with efficiency during his first collegiate season. Watch out for him as a spark-plug scorer off the bench for Sparty.