MSU Hoops Rises Again in Latest College Basketball Rankings

The Spartans keep rising in the polls after another successful week.

The Michigan State Spartans compete against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division game at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on Fort Myers, Fla., on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. | Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Just keep winning, and you'll be rewarded. Michigan State basketball has begun the season 7-0 with three wins over ranked opponents already, the latest being a 16-point win over then-No. 16 North Carolina during Thanksgiving, and the rankings are starting to reflect that.

The Spartans rose four spots from 11th to seventh nationally in the latest AP Poll that was released on Monday afternoon, placing MSU among the top 10 teams in the country for the first time this season.

Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo yells to his players during a game against the Detroit Mercy Titans at the Breslin Center on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Additionally, the first edition of the NET rankings --- a metric used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee --- came out on Monday morning, and it placed Michigan State at No. 10.

MSU's newer, shinier ranking is immediately going to be put to the test. The Spartans have their Big Ten opener on Tuesday against Iowa, the first team left off the top 25. After that, they take on No. 4 Duke on Saturday. Both of those games are in the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

The Week Ahead for MSU

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo yells to his players during a game against San Jose State on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Iowa

Before the massive showdown with the Blue Devils, MSU has to start up its next campaign for a Big Ten title. This is one of two conference games the Spartans have in December, with the other being a road game against Penn State on Saturday, the 13th.

The Hawkeyes are off to a nice start during their first year with Ben McCollum as head coach, sitting at 7-0. McCollum won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State, took the job at Drake, and led the Bulldogs to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his only season there before taking the Iowa job.

Bennett Stirtz is definitely the player to watch on the Hawkeyes. He's followed McCollum from the Division II level to Drake, and now to Iowa. He was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year last season and is averaging 18.6 points per game while shooting 45.7% from three.

Nov 14, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer directs his team during the first half against the Indiana State Sycamores at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Duke

While conference games are always important, Duke coming to town is always a little bit more important. The Blue Devils are very, very good, the best team Michigan State will have faced to that point, and are still probably the villains of the sport.

Duke is 8-0 entering the week. The Blue Devils have an interesting game against Florida, the reigning national champions, in Durham on Tuesday.

The big star for Duke is freshman Cameron Boozer, a former five-star recruit. He's averaging 22.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks so far this season.

Michigan State Spartans guard Divine Ugochukwu high-fives fans following a victory over the San Jose State Spartans at the Breslin Center on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

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