Spartans Amongst Elite Company Against-Top Tier Talent

The No. 8 Michigan State Spartans (24-5, 15-3) are one of the nation's best teams in a multitude of categories, but the one that means the most is how they have performed against the rest of the top teams in the country. After Sunday afternoon, they are one of the best in beating the best.

Sunday's big-time win over the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers (22-7, 12-6) gave the Spartans their 10th Quad 1 win of the season, making them just the fourth team in the nation to reach that mark. They join No. 7 Alabama (23-6), No. 4 Tennessee (24-5) and No. 1 Auburn (27-2), all SEC programs.

When it comes to determining the proper seedings in the NCAA Tournament, the committee will look at the team's resume and determine how efficient they were in taking care of the bad teams while finding ways to win against the rest of the nation's best. The Spartans have done both this year.

In 2018, Sports Illustrated's own Scooby Axson explained the definition of a Quad 1 matchup and how important it was for teams to win those games to earn a greater seed in March.

"Quadrant one wins are those home games vs. teams RPI ranked 1-30, neutral games vs. 1-50, and away games vs. 1–75," Axson wrote. "For example, a home win against a top 30 team would qualify as a quadrant one victory."

This season, the Spartans hold a 10-3 record against Quad 1 teams, including each of their last five opponents on their current win streak. Nine of those 10 wins have come against fellow conference teams, showing how difficult it has been to win in the Big Ten this season.

With two regular-season games left, the Spartans have a pair of Quad 1 opportunities. They hit the road to face the Iowa Hawkeyes (15-14, 6-12) on Thursday and then return home for a season finale with hated rival, No. 17 Michigan (22-7, 14-4).

If the Spartans win both, they will clinch a seventh Big Ten title under Coach Tom Izzo and will be a team in the conversation for a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament with 12 Quad 1 wins. The last time the Spartans were seeded that high (No. 2), they made the Final Four in 2018-'19.

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