12. Michigan State (14-2)
More than a few people were surprised to see a Big Ten regular season title come through for Michigan State last season. There’ll be additional surprise if there’s a repeat this season, but we’re not ignoring the potential of these Spartans this time around. They put together some pretty nice performances earlier in the year and are now looking to bounce back after a tight 2-point loss at Nebraska last week.
Monday provided that bounce back as the Spartans really delivered in an 80-51 win over a USC team that was ranked just a few weeks ago. Coen Carr led the scoring with 18 points while Jaxon Kohler added 16 points in another great performance. After digging a halftime hole, Michigan State used a strong second half to deliver a 76-66 win over Northwestern. Carson Cooper guided the way with 18 points and 9 rebounds as the Spartans claimed another Big Ten victory.
Things are a bit all over the place for Michigan State at the moment, but the baseline for the Spartans is that this team is really good and will have a say in the Big Ten title race again. That loss to Nebraska still stings but a 4-1 mark is a great start all things considered for Tom Izzo’s crew. The Spartans have played great defense in recent weeks and will hope to continue that both against Indiana and on their upcoming road trip out west.