Is MSU Basketball Being Underrated?

The Michigan State Spartans can't seem to get any respect.

Mar 28, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo in the first half of a South Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament against the Mississippi Rebels at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans are coming off a Big Ten title-winning season and a run to the Elite Eight. 

Based on how they ended the season, many would expect that they would be favorites to repeat as title contenders, or at least be considered in the top three or five. However, that has not been the case. 

Few have given the Spartans the respect they deserve regarding preseason conference standings. We discussed Big Ten Network analyst Andy Katz's Big Ten power rankings the other day, for example, and he placed the Spartans at No. 7, despite them still being the defending conference champions. 

He listed the Spartans as "Challengers" for teams like Purdue, Michigan, Oregon, UCLA, Illinois and Wisconsin. 

Mar 27, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo addresses the media in a press conference during NCAA Tournament South Regional Practice at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

MSU is losing lots of production, including Jase Richardson, Tre Holloman, Jaden Akins, Frankie Fidler and Szymon Zapala. 

The team did not attack the transfer portal too aggressively, which has led many college basketball pundits to believe the Spartans did not do enough to improve the roster. 

However, Fears and Carr's return and growth from Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper will be more valuable to this team than many understand. 

As a Spartan fan put it on social media, if those players were transfers, MSU would be considered a top 15 team in the country. But they aren’t, so the Spartans are being slept on. 

Does Izzo not deserve the benefit of the doubt? He has only been one of the sport’s winningest coaches, making eight Final Fours and winning the conference 11 times. 

Michigan State men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo speaks to another attendee during a game at Nike EYBL at the Memphis Sports & Events Center on Saturday, May 17, 2025. | Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Izzo and the Spartans will not concern themselves with preseason rankings, as they have always blocked out the noise and focused on the players within the program. 

However, it is still a bit frustrating that college basketball media is so infatuated with the new way of building rosters, even though it has not shown that it is a sustainable formula for winning. 

As always, Izzo and his team will focus on preparing for the season, ignoring where anyone ranks them.

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