10. Michigan State (16-2)
The Spartans weren’t going to surprise people like they did last season but this team is still making significant things happen on the basketball court. The early work was great with wins over teams like Arkansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina and the Spartans still look the part of a Big Ten contender with how they’ve started, minus a tough ending against Nebraska.
That strong work continued this week with Tuesday’s 81-60 win at home over Indiana. Jeremy Fears Jr. continued establishing himself as one of the league’s best guards with 23 points and 10 assists in the win while Jaxon Kohler had his own double-double. Out west, the Spartans added another one to the win column by topping Washington 80-63. They grabbed another road win thanks to 19 points from Fears in a great team effort on both ends.
Getting off to a 6-1 start in the Big Ten is evidence that the Spartans are a contender this season. They’ve shown that they can hang with anyone and have for the most part come up on the right side in these exciting matchups. They’ve been handling things with ease, with four straight wins all by double figures, and have put themselves in great shape. They continue their trip out west at Oregon before hosting Maryland next weekend.