Spartans in Favorable Position Due to Purdue Slide

The Michigan State Spartans could land a good spot in the Big Ten Tournament, thanks to Purdue's recent losing streak.

Michigan State's Tre Holloman celebrates after a Spartans score against Purdue during the second half on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans have played some of their best basketball over the past week. 

Since a disappointing loss to Indiana, MSU has rattled off three straight wins against some of the top teams in the conference. Its most recent victory over Michigan gave it a half-game lead in the Big Ten. 

While the race for the conference title is far from over, the Purdue Boilermakers are one team the Spartans may not need to worry about as much. The back-to-back Big Ten champions have lost four consecutive games, including a road thrashing against the Hoosiers. 

Purdue’s recent losses help Tom Izzo’s team in more ways than one. Not only is Purdue less of a threat to the conference, but it also helps the Spartans in the conference tournament. 

MSU has a tough stretch to close out the 2024-25 campaign. It starts this week on the road against a ranked Maryland team, then the Spartans host Wisconsin, a team with which they are competing closely for the conference, and then finishes with Iowa on the road and Michigan at home. 

For Izzo’s squad to only need one win in that stretch to earn a double-bye in the tournament is a testament to the position the Spartans have put themselves in. They have not had a double-bye since the 2022-23 season when they lost in the first game to Ohio State.

Before that, MSU landed a double bye in the 2018-19 season, winning the regular season and conference title. This team reminds many Spartan fans of a team of this caliber, one that went to the Final Four. 

The Spartans have struggled with Purdue in recent years, losing five of their last seven games to Matt Painter's squad. MSU finally snapped that streak last week, defeating the Boilermakers, 75-66. 

Purdue has tumbled since reaching the national championship game last season. Without Zach Edey, the Boilermakers have not been as dominant. They are still a good team, but not to the level they have been in the last few years. 

If MSU can land a double-bye, which seems likely at this point, it gives Izzo extra time to prepare for potential opponents. Not many teams will be able to prepare for an Izzo squad on a day’s notice. 

Spartan fans have waited years to see an MSU team capable of winning a conference title and making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. This year’s team can.

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