The 2024-25 men's college basketball season is nearing its end, and teams are trying to secure their spots in the NCAA Tournament. For those already inside the AP Top 25 rankings, they are playing for seeding the rest of the regular season and their respective conference tournament.
On Tuesday night, there was a battle between two Top 25 teams in the nation, and they both resided in the Big Ten. The No. 13 Michigan State Spartans hosted the No. 14 Purdue Boilermakers, with a chance to keep pace with the first place Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten.
Michigan State picked up the convincing 75-66 win over Purdue behind a 12-point (three-for-six) performance from Jace Richardson, and double-digit scorers off the bench in Frankie Fidler (11 points) and Coen Carr (10 points). With that, the Spartans pull themselves that much closer to the Wolverines, who they happen to play on Friday.
Let's take a look at the Big Ten standings after this game.
Big Ten standings after Michigan State defeats Purdue in Top 25 matchup
Place | Team | Record (Conference) |
|---|---|---|
1 | Michigan | 20-5 (12-2) |
2 | Michigan State | 21-5 (12-3) |
3 | Purdue | 19-8 (11-5) |
4 | Wisconsin | 20-5 (10-4) |
5 | Maryland | 20-6 (10-5) |
6 | UCLA | 19-7 (10-5) |
7 | Illinois | 17-9 (9-7) |
8 | Nebraska | 17-9 (7-8) |
9 | Ohio State | 15-11 (7-8) |
10 | Oregon | 18-8 (7-8) |
11 | USC | 14-11 (6-8) |
12 | Indiana | 15-11 (6-9) |
13 | Iowa | 14-11 (5-9) |
14 | Minnesota | 13-12 (5-9) |
15 | Rutgers | 12-14 (5-10) |
16 | Washington | 13-12 (4-10) |
17 | Northwestern | 13-13 (4-11) |
18 | Penn State | 13-13 (3-12) |
While the Spartans have one more overall win than the Wolverines, they still sit in second place in the conference due to having one more conference loss. That can all change if the Spartans can pick up a win on Friday night in the must see matchup.
Yet, Michigan State's path down the stretch is rough. They have to play the Wolverines twice and the Maryland Terrapins and and Wisconsin Badgers once. What all these teams have in common is that they are all ranked in the Top 25.
As for the Boilermakers, the loss has to sting for them. According to ESPN, Purdue lost three consecutive games for the first time in five years. Now, they are 11-5 in conference play. While there is still hope they can claim first place in the conference, they will need the Spartans and the Wolverines to slow down. Purdue will get help, as they take on the likes of Indiana, Rutgers, UCLA, and Illinois in their final games of the regular season.
With this game in the books, all eyes will be on Friday night for the epic Spartans vs. Wolverines rivalry game.