The Michigan State Spartans took control of the Big Ten on Friday night, pulling away from rival Michigan in the second half en route to a big 75-62 win in Ann Arbor. The victory puts Tom Izzo's squad in sole position of first place in the conference with the end of the regular season in sight, a half-game ahead of the Wolverines at 13-3 in Big Ten play.
With one of the best defenses in the country and a relentless physicality that helps make up for some shooting shortcomings on the offensive end, this sure seems like a vintage Izzo team, one led by one of the most dynamic freshmen in the country in guard Jase Richardson. Sparty looks to have what it takes for another deep March run, and the Michigan win gives them a marquee win to hang their hat on as Selection Sunday approaches.
Where does Michigan State stand in both the AP Top 25 and NCAA Tournament pictures? Let's break it down.
Michigan State projected AP Top 25 ranking after win over Michigan
Combined with a home win over a top-15 Purdue team earlier in the week, Sparty should be in position to make a big jump when the new AP poll comes out on Monday afternoon. State is now 20-5 overall, 13-3 in the second-best conference in the country and 7-4 in Quad 1 games this season (an impressive 13-5 across Quads 1 and 2).
They had been a bit lacking in high-end wins until this week, though, which is why the last two games have been so crucial to their resume. MSU will definitely leapfrog Michigan and Purdue at Nos. 12 and 13, respectively, and they should jump No. 9 Texas Tech after the Red Raiders lost to TCU earlier this week. And with No. 10 St. John's (vs. UConn) and No. 8 Iowa State (at No. 5 Houston) facing tough matchups this weekend, plus No. 6 Tennessee playing No. 7 Texas A&M on Saturday, the Spartans could be poised to take advantage of a major shakeup. Eighth or ninth feels like the floor, with the opportunity to climb even higher if things break right.
Michigan State bracketology update after win over Michigan
Prior to Friday night, Michigan State was widely viewed as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The win over Michigan, though, should be enough to jump them up a line, at least for now, especially considering that the two teams they've beaten this week were teams just ahead of them in most Bracketology projections.
"For now" is the operative phrase here, though. Michigan State's road home will only get tougher from here, with two more ranked matchups at Maryland and at home against Wisconsin before an always-dangerous trip to Iowa followed by a rematch against Michigan in the regular-season finale at the Breslin Center. If Sparty goes, say, 3-1 over that stretch, with two wins over the Maryland-Wisconsin-Michigan trio, it's hard to imagine how they wouldn't at least earn a top-three seed come March regardless of how the Big Ten Tournament plays out.
If things go south, though, that could change in a hurry. Even going 2-2 with losses to Wisconsin and Michigan might bump them back down to the four line, and even a No. 5 seed is in play with a 1-3 finish and an early exit in the conference tournament.