Michigan State just lost to a terrible Illinois team on the road, which happens to be their third consecutive loss.
After tonight’s game, Jeff Borzello of ESPN kept the Spartans two spots ahead of Kentucky in his Power Rankings.
No, really:
5. Michigan State Spartans (18-5)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: Lost to Illinois 79-74 on Tuesday, vs. Minnesota (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET)
Michigan State has now lost two in a row after a 13-game winning streak, and the primary reasons for the struggles aren’t too difficult to find. The Spartans allowed both Purdue and Indiana to score 1 point per possession after allowing just one opponent to hit that mark in the previous 11 games, and both teams also had success on the offensive glass. Nick Ward also had a combined 20 points on 9-for-22 shooting.
6. Michigan Wolverines (20-2)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: at Rutgers (Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET on BTN), vs. Wisconsin (Saturday, noon ET on Fox)
Michigan’s sputtering offense finally caught up with the Wolverines last week, as the defense allowed more than 1 point per possession for just the third time this season — and John Beilein’s offense couldn’t pick up the slack. The Wolverines have now been held below 1 point per possession in three of their past five games after seeing that happen just three times in the first 17 games.
7. Kentucky Wildcats (19-3)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: Beat South Carolina 76-48 on Tuesday, at Mississippi State (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET on CBS)
Kentucky is playing as well as anyone in the country right now, and the preseason predictions of the Wildcats winning the title don’t seem so far off. PJ Washington has been the catalyst for the recent streak, averaging 20.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in his past four games. He has continued to expand his game on the offensive end and has also hit six 3-pointers during that stretch.
Michigan State lost tonight to a 7 win Illinois team
In response @JeffBorzello moved them up two spots in the Power Rankings
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) February 6, 2019
Michigan State goes down to (7-15 )Illinois and @jeffborzello bumps the Spartans up to top 5 power rankings
— Tim Williams (@twilli10) February 6, 2019
