Michigan State re-enters the AP Poll Top 10 after winning against Wisconsin. The Spartans were already showing desperation after falling so low in position in the last few games; currently, they have conquered their work and are in a great place to advance.
This could be the perfect time to regain the lineup in games and, who knows, even move up in position. In recent weeks we have seen the team go from 10th to 14th position, which is not good and could mean a lost cause, but the team did not give up and rose again for the next few plays. Bets are running wild right now, check out Michigan State betting sites.
Last game
The last game was the turn of No.10 Michigan State vs. the No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illinois. Game notes from sportswriter Marlowe Alter: “Two of the Big Ten’s best teams face off. Illinois is led by junior center Kofi Cockburn, who averages 21.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.
MSU senior forward Gabe Brown is averaging 13.6 points. Big Ten NCAA Basketball Support Watch: Michigan needs a month of big wins. Michigan State and Michigan show their promise with wins on the road in the Big Ten.”
The decisive victory came in week 12 and was over Wisconsin, currently in eighth place. As a result, the Spartan team regained its 10th place in this week’s poll, one spot ahead of the newly created No. 11 Badgers. Michigan State tops the Big Ten standings at 6-1 in conference play.
Those 4 points ahead represent that the team could be climbing to victory. This week several groups stood out in the AP. Number 1 Auburn went to number 2, and Gonzaga went to number one this week after the Tigers got the better of number 12 Kentucky. This is the first time in Auburn basketball history that the Tigers have ranked first in the AP Poll.
The Big Ten managed to place five of their teams in the best teams rankings at the end of January. The most important thing is that Michigan State, which showed some low, returned to the top 10 after beating Wisconsin; Ohio State also moved up three positions. As not everything is rosy, three Big Ten teams fell.
Full AP results:
| rank | Team | points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn (45) | 1,504 |
| 2 | Gonzaga (15) | 1,475 |
| 3 | Arizona (1) | 1,381 |
| 4 | Baylor | 1,335 |
| 5 | Kansas | 1,281 |
| 6 | Purdue | 1,119 |
| 7 | UCLA | 1,116 |
| 8 | Houston | 1,116 |
| 9 | Duke | 1,017 |
| 10 | Michigan State | 979 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 894 |
| 12 | Kentucky | 822 |
| 13 | Texas Tech | 766 |
| 14 | Villanova | 713 |
| 15 | USC | 711 |
| 16 | Ohio State | 584 |
| 17 | Providence | 542 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 419 |
| 19 | LSU | 399 |
| 20 | Connecticut | 284 |
| 21 | Xavier | 269 |
| 22 | Marquette | 177 |
| 23 | Iowa State | 167 |
| 24 | Illinois | 155 |
| 25 | Davidson | 132 |
How Associated Press (AP) Team Ranking Works
- First of all, the Associated Press is an association of US journalists, in which well-known and respected journalists represent several media outlets. Since 1948, the AP has set-top 25 rankings for college basketball. The AP ranking is done in the preseason and is changed every week based on the results; North Carolina and UCLA are the universities that most often had first place. Some factors are taken into account by the AP for a university to appear in the ranking, see:
- Cast Strength: How many veterans are still on the roster, and how did the team perform last season. Seniors are always well regarded by the AP, seniors are synonymous with experience, and considering that the average age of college teams is low, having experience is essential to be a candidate for titles.
- Strength of Recruitment: Universities with good recruitment start the season with high hopes for titles, and the AP consistently rates teams with 5-star rookies well.
- Calendar strength: Which conference the university is in and who it will play against also counts towards the rankings. A loss to Duke (one of the college’s strongest universities) has one weight, and a failure to Fresno State (a small university on the west coast of the USA) has an entirely different weight. The same goes for victories.
The individual awards for the best rookie, the best player
- Both conferences and the NCAA award the best athletes of the season. See some of the top season awards given out.
- Naismith College Player Of The Year: Considered one of the most important awards in College Basketball, it is given to the best athlete of the year in College Basketball.
- John R. Wooden Award: This award is named after the most outstanding NCAA coach who won multiple titles with UCLA. Applicants must be students and have an average GPA of 2.00 (University Grade Average) or higher throughout their university career.
