A week after breaking into the USA Today Coaches Poll top-25, Michigan State men's basketball has earned a spot in the AP Top-25 rankings this week for the first time since Nov. 20, 2023. The Spartans debut at No. 21 in this week's poll following dominant wins over Minnesota and Nebraska over the past week to open Big Ten play 2-0.
MSU also improved to No. 19 in the Coaches Poll.
Read more Spartans Illustrated Coverage of Men's Basketball:
- Michigan State opens Big Ten play with 90-72 win over Minnesota
- Michigan State basketball dominates Nebraska in Big Ten home opener, 89-52
- Hustle plays, high energy propel Spartans to dominant win over Cornhuskers
- Tom Izzo knows this Michigan State team might be different
- For Michigan State basketball, teamwork is truly making the dream work
Michigan State is one of six Big Ten programs in this week's AP Poll results and was ranked No. 21 in its most recent AP appearance coming on Nov. 20, 2023. The Spartans currently boast an 8-2 record with a 2-0 mark in Big Ten play following double-digit wins at Minnesota and Nebraska over the past week.
MSU sits just behind Wisconsin and three spots behind UCLA. The Badgers dropped nine spots after a close 67-64 loss to Michigan at home Tuesday night and a 74-88 loss at then No. 11 Marquette on Saturday. The Bruins, meanwhile debuted in the AP Poll for the first time this season after defeating Washington 69-58 at home on Tuesday and picking up a 73-71 win at then No. 12 Oregon Sunday to open Big Ten play 2-0.
There are also four teams from the conference earning votes. That includes Penn State (90 votes received), Illinois (47), Maryland (39), and Indiana (30). The Illini dropped out of the poll this week after being ranked No. 17 in last week's. The drop comes after a 70-66 loss to Northwestern in Evanston on Friday night.
The full AP Poll is available below.
AP Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll Dec. 9, 2024
1. Tennessee
2. Auburn
3. Iowa State
4. Duke
5. Kentucky
6. Marquette
7. Alabama
8. Gonzaga
9. Florida
10. Kansas
11. Purdue
12. Oregon
13. Oklahoma
14. Michigan
15. Houston
16. Clemson
17. Texas A&M
18. UConn
19. Ole Miss
20. Wisconsin
21. Michigan State
22. Cincinnati
23. San Diego State
24. UCLA
25. Mississippi State
Big Ten teams in bold
MSU is one of six Big Ten programs in this week's Coaches Poll results. Additionally, three teams from the league received votes. Those include Illinois (72 votes) who dropped out after being ranked No. 17 in last week's poll, Maryland (42), and Penn State (30).
The full Coaches Poll is available below.
USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll Dec. 9, 2024
1. Tennessee
2. Auburn
3. Iowa State
4. Marquette
5. Kentucky
6. Duke
7. Florida
8. Alabama
9. Gonzaga
10. Kansas
11. Purdue
12. Oregon
13. Houston
14. Michigan
15. Ole Miss
16. Clemson
17. Oklahoma
18. Texas A&M
19. Michigan State
20. UConn
21. UCLA
22. Wisconsin
23. Cincinnati
24. San Diego State
25. Baylor
Big Ten teams in bold
MSU will return to the court Tuesday, Dec. 17 against Oakland. The game is being played at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and will be broadcast on ESPN2, set to start at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
Don't miss out on any of our exclusive football, basketball, hockey, and recruiting coverage, not to mention our non-revenue sports coverage and subscriber exclusive forum. Sign up with Spartans Illustrated now!
Join the discussion on this article in our premium forums by clicking here.
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, Instagram, and Bluesky.
For video content, including our Red Cedar Radar and WE GOT IT podcasts, find us on YouTube and consider subscribing.
