Michigan State basketball is entering the season with real buzz, and the preseason AP Poll backed that up by slotting the Spartans at No. 6 in the country.
That ranking fits the conversation around East Lansing, where plenty of people believe this group can chase a national title. Michigan State is bringing back several key pieces from last season and adding a highly regarded freshman class, which has fueled the optimism.
The AP placement also carries some weight historically: seven of the last 10 national champions were ranked in the top 10 before the season, and another, 2016-17 Villanova, opened at No. 11.
For Tom Izzo, this is familiar territory. It marks the 24th time in 32 seasons that Michigan State has started a year in the top 25.
But it has not been a steady run of lofty expectations lately. The Spartans opened three of their previous five seasons unranked.
Last year’s team began at No. 22, climbed as high as No. 7 during the season, and finished No. 11 in the final AP Poll.
The last time Michigan State started a season ranked this highly was 2023-24, when it opened at No. 4. That year unraveled quickly after a loss to James Madison in the opener, and the Spartans never got back into the top 25 from the Nov. 27, 2023 poll on.
Only Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr remain from that team. Fears said during internal media day last week that the season went badly because they "thought it was gonna be easy," and he believes this group is better prepared for what’s coming.
Michigan State has plenty of reason to believe it belongs in the title picture. The Spartans have reached the doorstep of the Final Four in each of the last two seasons, losing to Auburn in the Elite Eight two years ago and then to eventual national runner-up UConn in the Sweet Sixteen last year.
The roster has the kind of ingredients that usually travel well in March. Fears gives them the sort of clear-cut star title teams often need.
Carr still has the ability to swing a game with his dunks, and he has improved every season at Michigan State. Add in the team’s length, shooting, secondary shot creation and depth, and there is not an obvious weakness staring back yet.
In Other News...
Michigan State Has 3 Big Roster Questions Against UConn
Michigan State gets a useful early measuring stick when it hosts UConn at Breslin Center in a preseason exhibition, and the Spartans have a few roster questions worth watching long before the games count. Freshman center Ethan Taylor, sophomore Cam Ward and freshman two-guard Jasiah Jervis all stand out as players who could shape how this team looks once the 2026-27 season arrives, with each bringing a different kind of intrigue after what they have already shown.
For Tom Izzo, this is less about the final score than about what the rotation starts to reveal. Taylors presence inside, Wards sophomore leap and Jervis fit on the perimeter all give Michigan State something to evaluate against a high-level opponent, and UConn should provide a real stress test for where those pieces stand. The Spartans will leave the exhibition with answers, but probably not all of them. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State May Finally Have The Defensive Front Fans Wanted
Michigan States defensive front looked more like the unit fans had been waiting for in the win over Northwestern, with several players drawing strong Pro Football Focus grades and the group showing the kind of disruption that had been missing at times earlier in the season. Under recently hired coach Winston DeLattiboudere, the line has taken noticeable steps forward, and the Spartans are seeing a blend of veteran presence and younger pieces start to come together.
What makes the performance matter is that it did not feel like a one-game outlier so much as another sign of a room that is being developed the right way. The staff has been encouraged by the progress up front, and with that mix of experience and growth, Michigan State may be closer to having the defensive line it has been trying to build for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Has One Costly Problem It Can't Keep Wasting
Alessio Milivojevic gave Michigan State a little bit of everything in the loss to Northwestern, and that has become part of the problem for a team trying to stop the slide. Pat Fitzgerald pointed to the quarterbacks touchdown passes as proof the offense can still find answers, but he also noted the missed opportunities that left the Spartans with too much wasted potential in a game they needed to squeeze for everything it was worth.
Now comes UCLA, a matchup that adds another layer of uncertainty with backup Ty Dieffenbach having recently started because of an injury to the Bruins starter. Fitzgerald offered his read on both quarterbacks as Michigan State turns the page, but the larger issue remains the same: the Spartans cannot keep letting usable chances slip away and expect a losing streak to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]