It’s a great time to be a Michigan State basketball fan.
Michigan State and Michigan faced uncertainty early in the season. The Spartans have their streak of 26 consecutive appearances in the men’s tournament, but they have only made the Sweet 16 once since 2019, leaving one wondering if Tom Izzo had another deep run at East Lansing. Meanwhile, Michigan brought in Dusty May to turn around a program that was coming off its worst season in over 40 years.
But with a mix of old and new, both programs thrive and leading the Big Ten with 5-0 conference records.
May mastered the portal in his first season in Ann Arbor, primarily by bringing Florida Atlantic’s Vladislav Goldin with him. During Michigan’s five championship victories, including a sweep of California schools, the big man averaged a conference-best 22.0 points and added 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 67.9% from the field.
For Izzo’s team, it’s a mix of veterans led by senior Jaden Akins and freshman Jase Richardson who have propelled Michigan State to a nine-game winning streak. The Spartans played typical solid defense, but the offense improved by getting to the foul line and hitting their shots at the charity stripe, the second-best free throw percentage in the country (81.5%).
It’s become somewhat normal for both fans to feel uneasy about the playoffs, but now there’s a renewed sense of optimism, and both teams are leading last weekend’s major storylines into the hoops.
The best teams survive on the road
Many of the nation’s top teams were tested this weekend in road competition, likely foreshadowing many tough conference battles to come.
After the tough blows it took in Florida, top-ranked Tennessee regrouped and showed resilience in pulling away from Texas for a 74-70 road victory. Auburn had a big scare when player of the year candidate Johni Broome injured his ankle, but the Tigers got past South Carolina. Then there was Iowa State, which looked sure to lose to Texas Tech before a buzzer put the Cyclones into overtime before winning in overtime. That doesn’t include Alabama, Kentucky, Florida and Connecticut, leaving hostile crowds with close victories.
With the exception of Auburn, all of these top teams picked up much-needed Quad 1 wins as they all fight for position in March. Still, many tests await them the rest of the way, and any opportunity to show their fight is necessary.
Southern California earns big win over Illinois
Eric Musselman’s Southern California experiment got off to a rocky start, but the first-year head coach earned his first victory when the Trojans marched into Champaign and gave Illinois a taste of his own medicine.
Illinois has been a juggernaut thus far, but it was USC’s offense that couldn’t be stopped in the second half of an 82-72 victory. Trailing by three points at intermission, USC shot 57.6 percent from the field in the second half and limited one of the best rebounding teams in the country.
The Trojans have a long way to go before they can be considered for the tournament, but securing the first Quad 1 victory of the season while also notching the first ranked road victory since 2010 is a good start as Musselman attempts to rebuild the program.
Arizona restarts season in Big 12 play
Nearly a month ago, Arizona was 4-5 after blowing a second-half lead against UCLA. The Wildcats, a regular-season power led by Tommy Lloyd, appeared headed for a brutal first season in the Big 12.
Instead, Arizona has found its form and is now winner of six straight games since that loss to the Bruins, joining Iowa State and Houston at the top of the conference. The Wildcats have also done it against quality opponents, picking up a road win over Cincinnati and avenging a loss to West Virginia. It’s easy to say that the winning streak coincided with veteran goaltender Caleb Love finally overcoming a rough start to the season. Love is averaging 19.5 points per game during his winning streak while the big men have continued to control the boards.
Lloyd and company are red hot, and they’ll have a week to possibly improve their resume with Baylor and Texas Tech on deck.
Utah State continues to thrive as coaches change
No matter who leads Logan, Utah State continues to do one thing: win.
The Aggies, now their third coach in three seasons, are the early leaders in the Mountain West and have the most wins in Division I with a 16-1 record. However, the latest victory came in one of the most ridiculous ways, with Ian Martinez converting a miraculous four-point play in the final seconds to beat Boise State.
If you haven’t watched Jerrod Calhoun’s team, this is absolutely a team to watch. In addition to the noisy environment within the Smith Spectrum, they found ways to win either by scoring as a group or playing solid defense. The Aggies appear well on their way to their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance, this time with their sights set on reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1970.
Alcorn State becomes last team to win
There will be no winless teams in Division I this season. After starting the season 0-14 with one of the worst scoring margins in the country, Alcorn State defended its home court by beating Alabama A&M 62-52 on Saturday. It may not mean much nationally for the Braves to finally get into the win column, but it ensures that there won’t be a winless team in the country, which doesn’t hasn’t happened since Grambling State went 0-28 in 2012-13.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: College basketball winners and losers: Michigan and Michigan State stay hot
