Spartans Sit Atop Big Ten Standings Alongside Bitter Rival

The Michigan State Spartans sit atop the conference standings and are one of just two teams left in the Big Ten with an undefeated conference record. That other team just so happens to be their bitter rival, Michigan Wolverines.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts to a call to a referee during the second half against Bowling Green at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 18 Michigan State Spartans (12-2) recently earned their third straight Big Ten win to begin the season and are now sitting at the top of the conference standings with just one other team. At 3-0 in Big Ten play alongside the Spartans are none other than the Michigan Wolverines (11-3).

The Wolverines picked up an impressive 11-point win over the USC Trojans on the road, Saturday night, improving to 3-0 in the Big Ten. They had recently fallen out of the top 25 with back-to-back losses to Arkansas and No. 14 Oklahoma but are still a threat to win the Big Ten this season.

The Spartans on the other hand, have put together a seven-game winning streak and have slowly climbed the rankings all the way inside the top 20. Wins over Minnesota, Nebraska and the Buckeyes account for their three in conference. Both teams have yet to play a ranked conference opponent.

The two rivals are amongst the top performing teams in the conference to this point as the Wolverines have the highest team field goal percentage (51.3%) and fifth-highest point total average (84.1). The Spartans rank eighth in points per game (81.1) and are tied for eighth in field goal percentage (47.4).

Michigan State will not meet the Wolverines this season until Friday, Feb. 21 at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There is a very good chance that when that game comes, both programs will still be at the top of the conference standings and potentially still tied for first.

After recent down years for both the Spartans and Wolverines, it's looking like the conference could very well go through them this year. With two of the top rosters in the Big Ten, there is no reason why either of these teams would not be able to take over the top spot that Purdue has held for the past two seasons.

What has transpired to this point of the season calls back to the early 2010s when the Spartans and Wolverines were on top the conference annually, competing for regular season titles and conference tournament championships. That may be returning in the near future for both programs.

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