Spartans Refocus While Navigating Gauntlet of 5 Ranked Foes

A rivalry loss can be a bitter pill to swallow, but in the case of the No. 12-ranked Michigan State women's basketball team, there's no tie to wallow in what could've been after Sunday's overtime defeat against No. 8 Michigan.

The Spartan program is in the midst of a revival in just its second season under head coach Robyn Fralick, rapidly ascending toward the top of the Big Ten. But it's what lies ahead that will determine how much progress they continue to make and how much success the program has this season.

"We have a game on Wednesday, so the good news is you don't get a lot of time to wallow in it," Fralick told the media after the loss. "We've got a really good team in Maryland coming in on Wednesday. We're in the middle of conference play. There's so much in front of us. There's so much season left. There's so many things left to play for."

Where Michigan State Stands

The loss to Michigan bumped Michigan State to 8-3 in the Big Ten and 19-3 overall, good enough for fifth place in a stacked conference behind No. 2 UCLA, Michigan, No. 10 Iowa, and No. 9 Ohio State. The Spartans are now three games out of first place and a shot at the regular-season title with seven games left to play.

michigan state womens tea — Michigan State's Rashunda Jones, right, and Michigan's Olivia Olson battle for the ball during the third quarter on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

However, the upcoming stretch is going to not only be their toughest stretch of the season, but one of the toughest stretches in the entire country. MSU is one of seven current Top 25 women's basketball teams in the Big Ten, and it faces four of the others before the season's end.

The Challenges Ahead

The bright spot in the Michigan loss was that MSU took a top-tier team to overtime and could have easily won the game. That shows how quickly the program has grown, but now it needs to take another step.

We will see you back here Wednesday for another Top-25 match up!

Let’s get the Breslin BOOMing again! pic.twitter.com/gijul8Bek6
— Michigan State Women's Basketball (@MSU_WBasketball) February 2, 2026

The Spartans jump right back into the gauntlet by hosting No. 22 Maryland on Wednesday, which will be no easy task. But as if that wasn't tough enough, they welcome No. 2 UCLA, a potential national championship contender, to East Lansing a week later, then must travel to Ann Arbor for a rematch with the Wolverines on the road. Then, after two (should be) easier games, Michigan State ends the season against No. 9 Ohio State.

That's five Top 25 opponents in exactly one month, going back to Sunday. MSU is 3-2 in such matchups this season, and the Michigan rematch is the only repeat on the schedule.

It will take a great effort for Michigan State to make a run at the conference title, and using the loss as motivation and determination instead of dwelling on what could've been is the only path forward. Doing so against the grueling schedule at hand is the latest test and another opportunity to take a step in the rebuilding process.

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