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Michigan State Basketball 12th in Latest Power 36 Rankings

The Spartans are ranked 12th in an updated version of the preseason Power 36 rankings.

Following the departure/return of many college basketball players, Andy Katz, an analyst for March Madness, released the updated version of his preseason Power 36 rankings.

Without the Spartans dynamic duo of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr., MSU fell to 12th on the list behind three other Big Ten teams.

"The Spartans will have one of the top wing groupings in the country. The addition of Joey Hauser gives the Spartans another scorer. Joshua Langford may be back by the start of the season. The question will be at point guard, following the loss of Cassius Winston. Expect the Spartans to be quicker and smaller, rather than stronger. But they will still be a force," Katz said.

Even so, it's odd seeing a squad who's won three Big Ten titles in a row be ranked lower than Illinois (4), Iowa (5), and Wisconsin (6).

Sure, the Spartans will look different; they might even be forced to play differently without Winston and Tillman, but are the results going to look any different?

Prior evidence suggests a simple answer.

No.

Andy Katz Preseason Power 36 Rankings (Top-15 Listed)

  1. Gonzaga
  2. Baylor
  3. Villanova
  4. Illinois
  5. Iowa
  6. Wisconsin
  7. Virginia
  8. Kansas
  9. Kentucky
  10. Tennessee
  11. Duke
  12. Michigan State
  13. Rutgers
  14. Arizona State
  15. Texas Tech

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