Where MSU Basketball Is Predicted to Finish in Top 25 Rankings

Michigan State basketball could keep moving up in the AP while heading down to Fort Myers

Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo speaks to the media after a game against the Detroit Mercy Titans at the Breslin Center on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. MSU won the game, 84-56. | Jacob Cotsonika, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Michigan State basketball is now 5-0 on the season after beating Detroit Mercy at home 84-56. Michigan State will now travel to Fort Myers, Florida, to play both Eastern Carolina and North Carolina over Thanksgiving weekend. 

Point Guard Jeremy Fears had one of the best games of his career so far at Michigan State. The red-shirt sophomore had a team high in both points with 18 and assists with 11. Both Jaxohn Kohler and Coen Carr had 13 points, and Carson Cooper followed it up with 12. Michigan State dominated the game from start to finish.

Where MSU Ranks

Now, with the AP poll coming out later, CBS has predicted where the top 25 teams would end up after the third week of college basketball. Michigan State is predicted to end up at 15 and move up two spots. If CBS’s predicted poll ends up being correct, Michigan State would be the fourth-best team in the Big Ten, behind Purdue (2), Michigan (6), and Illinois (12).

“Tom Izzo and Michigan State will be climbing the polls Monday after defeating Kentucky 83-66 in the Champions Classic on Tuesday. His Spartans are 5-0 on the season with two wins over ranked opponents.”

Michigan State has played two ranked teams this season and won both games. The first was a tight game against Arkansas, 69-66. Michigan State had a horrible shooting night against the Razorbacks, as they went 1-14 from beyond the arc. It took freshman forward Caw Ward, in the second game of his college career, to lead the team in scoring with 18 to beat Arkansas.

In its second game against a ranked opponent, Michigan State beat down on Kentucky in Madison Square Garden, 83-66.

After nine minutes into the game, after the score was tied at 17-17, Michigan State ran away with the game and never looked back. Then, Michigan State had five three-pointers in the game and would end the game going 11-22 from beyond the arc.  

Jeremy Fears was the most impactful player on the court for either team. Fears ended the game with eight points and 13 assists. Jaxon Kohler was also dominant down low as he had 14 points down low, and showed his range as he went 2-2 from three-point range.

Overall, Michigan State has played its way into the top 15 rankings. A win against both Eastern and North Carolina on a neutral court could give them a boost into the top 10.

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