NCAA Basketball: Texas, Virginia soar on top 25 ranking ahead of Thanksgiving

15. Michigan State (3-1)

Never doubt Tom Izzo. Michigan State has struggled these last few seasons and didn’t exactly have the most talented lineup in the Big Ten coming into this season. To make matters even more unfortunate, the Spartans faced a murderer’s row of a schedule early this year. While some may have counted Michigan State out early, they’ve actually played extremely impressively against that schedule; Izzo must really know what he’s doing.

After a near victory over Gonzaga last week, the Spartans got two impressive wins this week. In Indianapolis, they pulled out an 86-77 double-overtime victory over #4 Kentucky in the Champions Classic. Joey Hauser (23 points, 8 rebounds), Malik Hall (20 points), and Mady Sissoko (16 points, 8 rebounds) were all phenomenal in the win. A few days later, the Spartans got a 73-71 win over Villanova, with a 22-point effort from Tyson Walker and a double-double from AJ Hoggard.

They pushed Gonzaga to the limit and now have two big wins over teams ranked in the preseason. All five starters shined at times in the two wins from this week. The Spartans are growing together before our eyes and it’s pretty clear that our preseason expectations for this team were just a bit off. Great defense was on display early and the offense was efficient against Villanova; there’s a lot to love, especially from big man Sissoko. Next week only continues that murderous schedule, granting the Spartans a first-round date with Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational.