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Michigan State Spartans Basketball Back in the Top 25

Check out the AP Poll

By Joe Tuohey
Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

So, I didn't realize that they were still putting out an AP poll this week, but MSU checks in at #23:

AP Top 25

Rank TEAM RECORD PTS
1 Kentucky Wildcats (65) 34-0 1,625
2 Villanova Wildcats 32-2 1,522
3 Wisconsin Badgers 31-3 1,460
4 Duke Blue Devils 29-4 1,406
5 Arizona Wildcats 31-3 1,405
6 Virginia Cavaliers 29-3 1,333
7 Gonzaga Bulldogs 32-2 1,229
8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 29-5 1,178
9 Iowa State Cyclones 25-8 1,043
10 Kansas Jayhawks 26-8 995
11 Northern Iowa Panthers 30-3 979
12 Maryland Terrapins 27-6 935
13 Oklahoma Sooners 22-10 740
14 Wichita State Shockers 28-4 737
15 North Carolina Tar Heels 24-11 703
16 Baylor Bears 24-9 680
17 Louisville Cardinals 24-8 614
18 SMU Mustangs 27-6 485
19 Utah Utes 24-8 455
20 West Virginia Mountaineers 23-9 398
21 Arkansas Razorbacks 26-8 373
22 Georgetown Hoyas 21-10 177
23 Michigan State Spartans 23-11 159
24 Butler Bulldogs 22-10 142
25 Virginia Commonwealth Rams 26-9 109

Others receiving votes: Oregon 91, Providence 62, Xavier 18, Davidson 16, Ohio State 12, Stephen F. Austin 12, Wyoming 6, Boise State 5, LSU 5, BYU 3, Valparaiso 3, Wofford 2, Harvard 2, Murray St 2, Dayton 1, Iowa 1, Purdue 1, Colorado St 1

After wins against Ohio State and Maryland (and, I'm guessing some additional respect for the OT loss to Wisconsin) it's nice to see MSU back in the Top-25. It doesn't mean much at this juncture, but in a season filled with heartbreak, I'll take it.

This is a little frustrating in that you'd expect a team ranked at #23 to be a six-seed in the tournament, but, oh well. It's also interesting to see four and five seeds like Utah, West Virginia, and Arkansas ranked so closely to MSU. Virginia rates out as the second-highest two-seed, which feels about right. That'll be a bloodbath.

Let us know how you're feeling about tournament chances, etc. in the comments!

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