Mar 28, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo in the first half of a South Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament against the Mississippi Rebels at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Where MSU Men's Basketball Landed in Preseason AP Rankings

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Jacob Cotsonika | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The AP men's basketball preseason poll came out on Monday, and the Michigan State men's basketball team was there for the 23rd time with head coach Tom Izzo at the helm.

With all 61 ballots put together and the numbers crunched, the Spartans will begin the 2025-26 basketball season as the No. 22 team in the country. Purdue topped the list, receiving 35 first-place votes.

Why MSU Earned Its Ranking

Last Season

Michigan State got a lot of its respect back last season. Despite starting the season unranked in the AP Poll, MSU went 30-7, reaching the Elite Eight as a No. 2 seed during the NCAA Tournament.

The Spartans also went 17-3 during Big Ten play, winning the regular season conference championship by three games.

Key Returners

MSU also brings back several key contributors from last year's team that was so successful, which always helps preseason projections. The Spartans lost their top three scorers this offseason --- Jaden Akins, Jase Richardson, Tre Holloman --- but these returns and some new additions can help fill in gaps.

One returnee is redshirt sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr., the team's starting point guard. Scoring isn't necessarily Fears' strength, but he has always more than made up for it with his passing (5.4 assists per game last year) and strong defense.

Bringing back junior forward Coen Carr is also huge. At any point, Carr can swing momentum with one of his electrifying dunks, but he also made strides in other aspects of the game last year as a rebounder and defender.

There are also the two senior big men, Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper . Kohler was Michigan State's top rebounder last season and has always been one of those true Tom Izzo players, because you know he's always going to play extremely hard. Cooper is the same way and has generally been able to provide solid minutes, particularly defensively, throughout his Spartan career.

Portal Adds

MSU also has a few new players it got from the transfer portal who are projected to have significant roles this year.

One such player is Divine Ugochukwu, a sophomore who was at Miami (FL) last season. He will likely be the one handling the ball as the team's point guard whenever Fears is on the bench. Last year with the Hurricanes, Ugochukwu averaged 5.3 points and 2.3 assists on 20.2 minutes per game.

Michigan State also added former Samford guard Trey Fort. He will be one of the Spartans' high-volume three-point shooters this year, since he made 37.9% of them on 6.4 such attempts per game last season. Fort ended up averaging 14.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on 24.6 minutes.