After Nos. 1, 2 and 3 all lose at home, No. 4 Michigan State could ascend to No. 1 | Zagsblog
Recent Posts
About ZagsBlog
Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Follow Zags on Twitter
Couldn't connect with Twitter
Contact Zags
Connect with Zags:
Thursday / March 28.
  • After Nos. 1, 2 and 3 all lose at home, No. 4 Michigan State could ascend to No. 1

    Share Zagsblog Share Zagsblog
    After a wild week in which the teams ranked Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 all lost at home, Tom Izzo and Michigan State could ascend to No. 1 on Monday.

    The Spartans (24-3, 12-2 Big Ten) have won eight straight, also improving their chances of contending for a conference championship and earning a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

    “At least we’ve given ourselves a chance,” Izzo said after his team downed No. 3 Purdue 68-65 on Saturday.

    The Boilermakers (23-4, 12-2) have lost two straight after winning a school-record 19 games in a row and figure to fall in the poll.

    Also Saturday, No. 2 Virginia (23-3, 12-1) fell at home to Buzz Williams and Virginia Tech, 61-60, for their first loss in ACC play.

    No. 1 Villanova rebounded from Wednesday’s loss at home to St. John’s by downing Butler, 86-75. The Wildcats could remain at No. 1 with Virginia and Purdue losing, or they could tumble behind Michigan State.

    No. 5 Xavier (23-3, 11-2) keeps on chugging along. The Musketeers have won eight straight after Saturday’s 72-71 win at Creighton.

    Meantime, Ohio State (22-5, 13-1), which was picked 11th in the Big Ten, is now in sole possession of first place after beating Iowa. Chris Holtmann and company figure to move up from No. 14.

    ***

    Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

    And Like ZAGS on Facebook

    Written by

    [email protected]

    Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.

  • } });
    X