Michigan State Hoops Slips in Rankings After Duke Loss

The Spartans felt a slight drop in the rankings after losing at home to the Blue Devils.

Michigan State guard Divine Ugochukwu (99) defends Duke guard Cayden Boozer (2) during the first half at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Progress is not linear. Michigan State men's basketball lost ground in the AP Poll for the first time this season, as the Spartans slipped two spots from seventh in the country to No. 9 when the new rankings came out on Monday.

The slight drop is largely due to the Spartans' 66-60 home loss to then-No. 4 Duke on Saturday. What might have mitigated the damage was MSU's dominant 71-52 victory over Iowa last Tuesday; the Hawkeyes were the first team out of this week's top 25 and beat Maryland by 19 following their loss to Michigan State.

Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) looks to pass as Iowa Hawkeyes center Trevin Jirak (27) defends during a game at the Breslin Center on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

MSU is still in a much better spot than it was before the season. The Spartans began their campaign ranked 22nd. The loss to the Blue Devils does sting a bit, but Michigan State still already has quality wins over No. 17 Arkansas, Kentucky, and No. 14 North Carolina it can lean on.

The Week Ahead for MSU

Nov 19, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions guard Kayden Mingo (4) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Harvard Crimson at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

There will not be as much room for advancement this coming week as there was last week for the Spartans. Only one game is on the schedule for MSU over the next seven games, which is a road game against Penn State on Saturday (noon ET, BTN).

The Nittany Lions enter the week 8-1, but they have played a non-conference schedule that is a total walk in the park when compared to what Michigan State has done. Their game against a top-100 KenPom opponent, No. 60 Providence, was a 77-65 loss on a neutral court.

Penn State faces Indiana on the road during its Big Ten opener on Tuesday before it has to deal with the Spartans. That will be the toughest game on the Nittany Lions' schedule to this point.

This is the third season that Mike Rhoades has been the head coach in Happy Valley. Headed into Penn State's game against IU, Rhoades has gone 40-33 overall, 15-25 during conference play, and is 0-3 against Michigan State during his tenure at PSU.

Nov 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades looks on from the bench during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State's top player to this point has been freshman guard Kayden Mingo, the highest-ranked recruit in program history. He's averaging 15.0 points per game so far, along with 4.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.1 steals. The Nittany Lions actually have five players averaging double-digit scoring: Mingo, guard Freddie Dilione V (13.2), guard Melih Tunca (12.8), forward Ivan Juric (10.6), and guard Josh Reed (10.6).

At the time this article is being written, Penn State is No. 81 in the NCAA's NET rankings, which puts the game near the border between Quad 1 and 2 (Q1 away games mean the opponent is ranked 75th or better).

Michigan State Spartans guard Divine Ugochukwu competing against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, inside the Breslin Center. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Keep up with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on MSU's ranking when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.