After a couple of years of his teams being underrated in the preseason polls by voters, it seems that Tom Izzo and his Michigan State basketball team won't be able to fly under the radar any longer. On Monday, the first Coaches Poll of the 2026-27 college basketball season was released, and the Spartans came in firmly in the top ten at No. 6 in the country.
There is a lot of hype and excitement around this iteration of MSU basketball, and it makes sense, as Jeremy Fears Jr. is being tabbed as a unanimous preseason All-American, andseveral outlets have him as their preseason Player of the Year.
Only Florida, Duke, Illinois, Arizona, and UConn are ahead of the Spartans this year in the polls, making them the second-highest-ranked Big Ten team in the first
polls.
The last three years looked like this:
- 2025-26: No. 22
- 2024-25: Unranked
- 2024-25: No. 4
It's a clear shift and sign of respect for Izzo, who will continue the pursuit of his second National Title.
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X, and like our page on Facebookto follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Michigan State basketball to start season firmly in the Top Ten
