Where MSU Landed in Latest AP Poll After Interesting Week
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This week was an interesting one for Michigan State basketball.
It was going to be interesting to see where the Spartans, ranked 10th last week, would end up being ranked in the new AP Poll. The voters would have to balance out a bad loss to Minnesota last Wednesday, but then also an elite win over then-No. 5 Illinois on Saturday.
When the new rankings were released on Monday afternoon, Michigan State ended up staying right where it was at 10th. This is the fourth consecutive week that the Spartans have been among the nation's top 10 teams and the eighth time this season overall. Illinois went down to being ranked No. 8.
The Spartans only have one game on their docket before another round of rankings get released. It's no freebie: Michigan State will travel to face Wisconsin on Friday (8 p.m. ET, FOX), which will be a Quad 1 opportunity for MSU.
More on Friday's Game vs. Wisconsin
On of the big dynamics in this one will be that Michigan State will be the more rested, and perhaps prepared, team. The Badgers have to play Illinois on the road on Tuesday. Per Tom Izzo, MSU got Sunday off, but that gives the Spartans five days of rest/preparation for this game to Wisconsin's two.
The Badgers are quietly one of the Big Ten's better teams this season and are ranked 43rd in the NET rankings. They stand at 16-7 overall and 8-4 during Big Ten play entering the week and game against the Fighting Illini, though that only includes a 1-5 record during Quad 1 games. Even more interestingly enough is that that Q1 win came at second-ranked Michigan --- probably the most impressive win for any team this season.
These two programs met twice last year and split the two meetings. Michigan State won the only regular season meeting, taking down the then-No. 11 Badgers, 71-62, in East Lansing. Wisconsin then got the better of the Spartans during the Big Ten Tournament semifinals in Indianapolis just about two weeks later, 77-74.
Two players stand out on Wisconsin's roster right now. The first one is leading scorer Nick Boyd, who transferred in from San Diego State this past offseason and is now averaging 20.0 points per game (fourth in the Big Ten). Shortly behind him is Michigan native John Blackwell, who has averaged 18.5 points per game this season and was one of the Badgers' best players last year, too.
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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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