A pair of blowout victories and the return of its star player helped Michigan State move up in the Associated Press Top 25 basketball poll.
The Spartans (16-1) are No. 4 in this week’s poll, up one spot from a week ago after spending a month before that as the nation’s top-ranked team. The Spartans received one first-place vote.
Michigan State is coming off victories over Illinois and Penn State by an average margin of victory of 26 points. Sunday’s 92-65 victory over Penn State included the return of senior guard Denzel Valentine, who missed four games with a knee injury.