11. Michigan State (9-1)
When you consider the wide picture, it’s pretty hard for Michigan State to be in a better position than they are right now. The Spartans have stockpiled some pretty solid wins in nonconference play, with that lone blemish coming earlier this month against a very talented Duke team. The early work has included double-digit wins over Iowa, Kentucky, and North Carolina and now the Spartans are off to a hot start in Big Ten play.
Though still reveling in that tough loss to the Blue Devils, Michigan State was back on track this week with a tilt at Penn State. The Spartans survived Saturday’s afternoon battle with a 76-72 win over the Nittany Lions. Despite what wasn’t Michigan State’s best effort of the year, they survived with 23 points from Divine Ugochukwu and another double-double out of Jaxon Kohler as the team shot 56% from beyond the arc.
Many were surprised when Michigan State won last year’s regular season title in the Big Ten and this 2-0 start is the potential first step to an equally surprising repeat. We mentioned that it’s hard for this team to be in a better spot than right now, though you can easily argue that Michigan and Purdue are a step ahead of them right now in mid-December. Whether or not that’s still the case in a few months, the Spartans can only control their own destiny, continuing with games against Toledo and Oakland next week.