A month and a half ago, the weekly Associated Press top-25 poll dropped with Michigan State steadfastly at No. 4. Voters only put Gonzaga, Baylor and Iowa – which now have a combined 43-3 record – above Tom Izzo’s group. At that point, the Spartans were riding high with a 6-0 record that featured a road win at Duke and home victory against Notre Dame.
Since that day, Michigan State has won two games. It endured a three-game losing streak, beat Nebraska and Rutgers, lost to Purdue by two points, spent several weeks sidelined due to a COVID-19 outbreak, then got dumped 67-37 by Rutgers in East Lansing.