Photo: Dale Young ~ IMAGN IMAGES
EAST LANSING, Jan. 20, 2025 ~ After a marquee win against #17 Illinois, Michigan State basketball has risen into the A.P. and Coaches Poll Top 10, landing at #8 on both lists. This is the first time since 2022 that MSU has cracked the A.P. Top 10.
The Spartans have started the season with an elite 16-2 record, having won eleven games in a row, staying undefeated (7-0) in Big Ten play.
So far this season, senior guard Jaden Akins has led the way for the green and white in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game. Junior forward Jaxon Kohler is the top rebounder for the team, bringing in 7.9 boards per contest, while redshirt freshman point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. leads the way with 6.4 assists a game. That mark ranks third in the entire conference.
It was junior point guard Tre Holloman who led the way against the Fighting Illini though, scoring 17 points in the 80-78 victory.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Great day to be a Spartan 💚 pic.twitter.com/z3YZ4TS3ie
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) January 20, 2025
(CONTINUED) KenPom, a popular college basketball ranking model, currently has the Spartans as the 13th best team in the country. In the A.P. Poll, they fall behind Houston and in front of Kentucky. The next closest conference opponent is Purdue, who fell just short of the Top 10 at #11.
Michigan State’s schedule will not be getting any lighter for the rest of the season though, as six of the last 13 games are currently against ranked teams, including a rematch with Illinois on the road. The team will also be making a West Coast trip after next week’s game against Minnesota for two games against USC and UCLA, the first trip of its kind for the program in the new era of the Big Ten.
Before that plays out, Michigan State will be heading east to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday, Jan. 25 for a matinee against Rutgers. Coverage on 760 WJR will start at 12:30 p.m.
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