Michigan State men’s basketball ranked in top-15 in Associated Press and Coaches polls

Michigan State men’s basketball is ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 for the first time this season, coming in at No. 12 this week. MSU is also ranked No. 15 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll.

The jump in the rankings comes after two wins this week, one against then-No. 4 Kentucky, which dropped to No. 15 in this week’s AP poll. The other victory was against Villanova. MSU’s schedule doesn’t get any easier as it faces off against No. 18 Alabama on Thursday in the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon.

So far, senior Joey Hauser and junior center Mady Sissoko have been pleasant surprises. Hauser rebounded from a two-point game against Gonzaga to score 23 against Kentucky and 13 against Villanova. He is averaging 14 points per game. Sissoko has been crucial to some MSU wins already this season, including its 86-77 win over Kentucky. He leads the team in rebounds with 6.5 per game.

Check out the full AP Poll below:

1. North Carolina
2. Houston
3. Kansas
4. Texas
5. Virginia
6. Gonzaga
7. Baylor
8. Duke
9. Arkansas
10. Creighton
11. Indiana
12. Michigan State
13. Auburn
14. Arizona
15. Kentucky
16. Illinois
17. San Diego State
18. Alabama
19. UCLA
20. UConn
21. Texas Tech
22. Tennessee
23. Maryland
24. Purdue
25. Iowa

Others receiving votes:
TCU (82), Saint Mary’s (59), Ohio State (56), Michigan (24), Xavier (22), Charleston (17), Toledo (16), Miami (10), Dayton (9), Villanova (7), UNLV (5), Virginia Tech (5), Saint Louis (5), Arizona State (5), Oregon (4), West Virginia (3), Texas A&M (2), Mississippi State (1), Utah State (1), Penn State (1)

Coaches Poll:

1. North Carolina
2. Houston
3. Kansas
4. Texas
5. Gonzaga
6. Virginia
7. Baylor
8. Creighton
9. Arkansas
10. Duke
11. Indiana
12. Arizona
13. Kentucky
14. Illinois
15. Michigan State
16. Auburn
17. UCLA
18. Alabama
19. San Diego State
20. Texas Tech
21. Tennessee
22. UConn
23. Purdue
24. Iowa
25. Maryland

Schools that dropped out: No. 18 Texas Christian; No. 21 Michigan; No. 23 Dayton.

Others receiving votes: Ohio St. 56; Michigan 52; Saint Mary’s 42; Texas Christian 33; Dayton 20; Wisconsin 16; Toledo 12; Virginia Tech 10; Miami-Florida 9; Villanova 8; Texas A&M 6; Memphis 6; Xavier 4; Saint Louis 4; St. John’s 3; Drake 3; Charleston 3; Iowa State 2; Arizona State 2; West Virginia 1; Tulane 1; Marquette 1.