Way-Too-Early College Basketball Rankings

Michigan State drops in updated CBS Sports’ 2021-22 college basketball rankings

The confirmed departures of Aaron Henry and Rocket Watts has resulted in Michigan State dropping a few spots in CBS Sports’ rankings.

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The confirmed departures of Aaron Henry and Rocket Watts has resulted in Michigan State dropping a few spots in CBS Sports’ updated 2021-22 college basketball rankings.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports has released an updated batch of his super early college basketball rankings for next season and the Spartans have dropped two spots to No. 21. Here’s what Parrish had to say about Michigan State:

Aaron Henry is following Joshua Langford and Rocket Watts out the door. But the arrival of five-star guard Max Christie and Northeastern transfer Tyson Walker should have Tom Izzo in his 24th straight NCAA Tournament.

Click on the tweet below to see the complete rankings from Parrish:

COLLEGE BASKETBALL RANKINGS: The 2021-22 @CBSSports Preseason Top 25 And 1 has been updated to reflect recent developments.

VERSION 12.0

1. Gonzaga
2. UCLA
3. Kansas
4. Villanova
5. Alabama
6. Ohio State
7. Michigan
8. Duke
9. Baylor
10. Arkansashttps://t.co/YHFxnCE8Vx

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) May 21, 2021

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Where Michigan State lands in ‘Way-Too-Early’ 2021-22 rankings

Let’s take a look at where Michigan State is projected heading into next season, and at the end, I’ll offer up my insight as well.

As one season comes to a close, another begins — or at least the preseason rankings do.

Every year it’s become the norm for sports news outlets to release their super early rankings for the next season right after the current season wraps up. This year is no different, with Michigan State once again being a regular participant in these rankings.

To save you the time of searching the internet for each of these rankings and to see where your Spartans landed, I’ve put together this nice, concise list with all of the major media rankings.

Let’s take a look at where Michigan State is projected heading into next season, and at the end, I’ll offer up my insight as well.

Spartans just outside top 10 in USA TODAY’s 2021-22 ‘Way-Too-Early’ rankings

Michigan State will once again be one of the top teams in the country next season, according to Scott Gleeson of USA TODAY.

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Michigan State will once again be one of the top teams in the country next season, according to Scott Gleeson of USA TODAY.

Gleeson released his way-too-early top 25 rankings on Tuesday, and the Spartans were listed just outside the top 10 at No. 13. Here’s what Gleeson had to say about Michigan State and why he’s so high on the Spartans:

Northeastern transfer Tyson Walker, one of the best mid-major guards in the country, chose the Spartans over Kansas and Maryland. He averaged 18.8 points and 4.8 assists and was the CAA defensive player of the year. He’ll mesh with a returning roster of Joey Hauser and potentially leading scorer Aaron Henry if he holds off on the NBA. Five-star freshman Max Christie will add immediate scoring.

Michigan State is one of five Big Ten teams in Gleeson’s rankings. Along with the Spartans is Michigan (No. 4), Ohio State (No. 5), Purdue (No. 7) and Maryland (No. 11).

Click here to see the complete way-too-early rankings from Gleeson.

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Michigan State listed in CBS Sports’ ‘Never-Too-Early’ rankings

It’s never too early to look ahead to next season, right?

This is the time of the year where sports media outlets release their super early rankings for the next college basketball season, and by no surprise Michigan State has become a regular participant in these rankings. That includes the “Never-Too-Early 2021-22 Top 25 And 1 preseason rankings” by Gary Parrish of CBS Sports.

Michigan State is listed at No. 18 in Parrish’s poll, which is slightly higher than where the Spartans’ sit in ESPN’s version of these super early rankings.

Here’s what Parrish had to say about the Spartans entering next season:

Aaron Henry is expected to follow Joshua Langford and Rocket Watts out the door. But the arrival of five-star guard Max Christie and Northeastern transfer Tyson Walker should have Tom Izzo in his 24th straight NCAA Tournament.

Michigan State was one of six Big Ten teams in Parrish’s rankings, including Ohio State (No. 6), Michigan (No. 8), Purdue (No. 9), Maryland (No. 13), and Illinois (No. 25).

Click here to see the complete rankings from Parrish, including his interesting take on the No. 1 team entering the off-season.

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