What's Holding MSU Back From Higher Preseason Ranking

Here's where the Spartans stand from a national perspective.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo shouts instructions out during a game against Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Expectations for Michigan State are quite high next season.

The Spartans haven't had much preseason hype in each of the last two seasons. They've entered the last two seasons unranked and at No. 22 in the preseason AP Poll. It's different now after a Big Ten title, back-to-back appearances in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and a lot of contributors coming back to MSU.

Sports Illustrated's Rankings

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. takes a breather before a free throw against Michigan on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, inside the Breslin Center. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated released his way-too-early top 25 for college basketball on Tuesday. He ended up slotting Michigan State at No. 10 in the country. The Spartans were third among Big Ten teams on his list, behind No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Illinois. Florida topped the list.

"[Jeremy] Fears profiles as one of the nation’s best players in his redshirt junior campaign, and he’s flanked with more backcourt talent this year with promising freshmen Jasiah Jervis and Carlos Medlock joining the fray," Sweeney wrote. "The frontcourt is more unproven, but the Spartans should be Big Ten contenders again."

Thoughts on MSU's Ranking

Michigan State's Tom Izzo yells at a referee about a call made during a game against Northwestern at the Breslin Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

I (in a slightly more biased opinion) would have had MSU a bit higher, but 10th seems like a relatively fair place to put the Spartans, overall. Michigan State has exceeded expectations in each of the last two seasons, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will happen a third straight year.

MSU has finished unranked in the postseason AP Poll the last two times it was ranked in the top 15 of a preseason poll. The Spartans were ranked 13th to start the 2020-21 season and were eliminated in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament as an 11-seed. Then, Michigan State was up at fourth to begin 2023-24 and ended up bowing out of the second round of March Madness as a 9-seed.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo walks in with his staff against Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Sweeney cites an "unproven" frontcourt as a reason not to have MSU higher, and that is a fair reason. I think Anton Bonke was a great fit for the Spartans in the portal, but we don't know yet if he, Jesse McCulloch, Cam Ward, Ethan Taylor, and Julius Avent will provide enough to put the program into the top tier of college hoops. It can happen, but it's a real variable.

There is hardly a glaring flaw, though. Michigan State has depth, lineup flexibility, length, shooting, and defense. It also has Tom Izzo. You need a lot of things to go right to win a national title, especially with a 76-team, single-elimination tournament. This team feels like it has a real chance to compete for it all if it can stay healthy.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo watches the action during a game against Indiana at the Breslin Center on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI