REPORT: Are Spartans Championship Contenders?

The No. 8 Michigan State Spartans (24-5, 15-3) are quickly emerging as one of the top contenders to win a national title this season as one of the hottest teams in college basketball. Winners of five straight, including four consecutive top-20 wins, there is little reason to doubt this group.

Sports Illustrated's Kevin Sweeney gave out his top eight teams that have a legitimate chance to win a national title this season while providing reasons for and against why each program will reach the promised land.

The Spartans are among the nation's best, as Sweeney's eight teams included No. 1 Auburn, No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Houston, No. 5 Florida, No. 7 Alabama, No. 10 Iowa State and unranked Gonzaga.

Sweeney gave Michigan State immense credit for what it has done over the past few weeks and recognized the outstanding play of freshman guard Jase Richardson. Sweeney also trusts in the Spartans' ability to maintain a high efficiency on both ends of the floor to reach the mountain top.

"The Case For: The Spartans just completed one of the most impressive 15-day stretches of any team in the country this season, going 5–0 in Quad 1 games, including three road wins," Sweeney wrote.

"That stretch has positioned Tom Izzo’s team for the outright Big Ten regular-season crown and a top-two seed in the NCAA tournament. Freshman guard Jase Richardson has rapidly emerged into a superstar and is shouldering a bigger load of late after serving as a super sixth man for the first three months of the season.

" ... The Spartans’ three-point shooting is a big concern, but they’ve been a top-five offense in the Big Ten despite their perimeter woes thanks to their dominance of the offensive glass and ability to get to the free throw line."

On the opposite side of the coin, Sweeney provided reasons as to why the Spartans will not be taking home their third-ever national championship. He credits their lack of elite talent and poor three-point shooting that ranks 349th in all of Division I.

"The Case Against: Having 10 capable rotation players is a blessing, but the MSU closing lineup is still less talented than many of the elite teams discussed here," Sweeney wrote.

"And while they’ve navigated this incredibly tough stretch of schedule without getting much from beyond the arc, winning in March while largely eschewing the three-point shot still feels like a very difficult endeavor."

If the Spartans want to end up as champions in San Antonio this year, they must follow the mold that has worked for them all season.

Fast, efficient scoring in transition with suffocating perimeter defense and dominant rebounding on both ends. If they can accomplish those three keys, Michigan State has as good of a chance as each of the other seven teams listed by Sweeney.

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