Following a pair of single-digit wins at home, the Michigan State men’s basketball team moved up again in the national rankings.
The Spartans (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten) climbed four spots to No. 8 in the new AP Top 25 released Monday. They beat Penn State 90-85 on Wednesday and edged then-No. 19 Illinois 80-78 on Sunday to extend their lonest winning streak in six years to 11 straight.
Michigan State, which opened the season unranked, remains the lone team unbeaten in Big Ten play. Its next game is against Rutgers (10-8, 3-4) on Saturday (1:30 p.m., CBS) at Madison Square Garden. The Spartans are in the top 10 for the first time this season and lead all Big Ten teams in the poll, ahead of No. 11 Purdue, No. 15 Oregon, No. 17 Illinois, No. 18 Wisconsin and No. 21 Michigan.
The Michigan State women’s basketball team moved up one spot to No. 21 in the new AP poll. The Spartans (15-3, 5-2) are coming off a pair of road wins last week, 70-60 at Rutgers on Wednesday and 86-68 at Illinois on Sunday. They host Penn State (10-9, 1-7) on Wednesday (6:30 p.m., BTN+) and play at No. 24 Michigan (13-5, 4-3) on Saturday (Noon, BTN).
Unbeaten UCLA remains the No. 1 team in the women’s rankings and one of seven Big Ten squads in the poll, followed by No. 4 USC, No. 8 Maryland, No. 12 Ohio State, Michigan State, No. 23 Minnesota and Michigan.