9. Michigan State (4-1)
Tom Izzo has led Michigan State to continued success, with several Final Fours, numerous conference titles, and a litany of other success. However, last season was a disaster, as a team that started as a national favorite finished right at .500 in league play and wasn’t a sure thing for the Big Dance. The Spartans changed things up a bit in the offseason and enter this season as more of a sleeping giant, but can they live up to that different billing?
The season has featured four home wins without significant difficulty for the Spartans, though beating Samford by just 8 points was a little alarming earlier this week. Looking backwards a bit, Michigan State entered the Champions Classic as heavy underdogs but didn’t play horrible against top-ranked Kansas, losing by just 8 against the Jayhawks. What has been horrible has been the long-range shooting, though Izzo and company hope the 3-pointers can start falling in the weeks to come.
This edition of Michigan State basketball is leaning hard on Jaden Akins and Jaxon Kohler, while Omaha transfer Frankie Fidler has proven to be the solid addition of the offseason. As alluded to earlier, the offense still has work ahead, as the Spartans rank in the bottom 5 in the entire nation in 3-point shooting percentage. Their problems won’t all be fixed by making some shots, but it’s going to cost them important games in Big Ten play and be the difference between a top-tier finish and another stark disappointment.