MSU Basketball Slides in Rankings Following Home Loss to UM
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Michigan State's ranking took a tumble in the latest rankings update.
The Spartans dropped three spots, from seventh to 10th, in the new AP Poll, which was officially released on Monday afternoon. MSU's drop comes on the heels of a narrow overtime victory over Rutgers last Tuesday, and then a home loss to now-No. 2 Michigan on Friday.
This is still the third straight week that Michigan State has rested inside the nation's top 10 teams, and the seventh time this season alone the Spartans have been in that range. MSU has been ranked in every AP Poll this year and has been ranked in the last 29 polls overall.
Michigan State (19-3 overall, 9-2 Big Ten) has another big week ahead of itself, though, as the calendar turns to February and the final stretch before March nears.
Big Week Ahead for MSU
Minnesota
First up this week for Michigan State is a trip to Minnesota (10-12, 3-8). The Golden Gophers' record is not impressive, of course, but this is a sneakily difficult game for MSU. Minnesota is actually on a seven-game losing streak right now, but it's about as impressive a seven-game losing streak a team can have. Every single game has been competitive.
The Golden Gophers' skid has included two overtime losses, a buzzer-beating loss to Wisconsin, a game at now-No. 5 Illinois that was tied at halftime, an eight-point lead during the second half against now-No. 9 Nebraska, and another loss to Wisconsin where they blew a 20-point lead. Minnesota hasn't won a game in nearly a month, but it's a team that can cause problems.
No. 5 Illinois
It's a similar structure to last week's lineup of Rutgers and UM, really. The first game is a road contest against an underperforming team, and then MSU will have a two-day prep for a top-5 opponent. This week, it's just Minnesota and then the fifth-ranked Fighting Illini.
Illinois is one of the hottest teams in the country. It carries an 11-game win streak into this week, which includes wins at Iowa, No. 12 Purdue, and the ninth-ranked Cornhuskers. Playing at the Breslin Center is not going to spook the Illini away.
The surprise for Illinois has been true freshman Keaton Wagler. Elite true freshmen in college hoops are usually five-star prospects that everyone expects to be one-and-dones, but Wagler is averaging 18.1 points per game after finishing as a three-star ranked 261st overall in the class of 2025 on the 247Sports Composite. Wagler's only other power-conference offers were from Minnesota and DePaul.
That game on Saturday night has the potential to be a springboard for MSU's season, as it tries to bounce back from that Michigan loss.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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