At 14-9 and having lost five of their last seven, Michigan State are no locks to make the NCAA Tournament. But while his team may not be No. 1, head coach Tom Izzo knows for a fact who the No. 2 team in the conference is.
Speaking to the media after yesterday’s 61-55 loss to Rutgers, Izzo declared that the Scarlet Knights are the second-best team in the conference. He said that Rutgers are right behind Purdue (even though Rutgers beat Purdue in January.
“I think people, especially at Michigan State, will think, ‘Well, you lost to Rutgers’ — Rutgers, in my humble opinion, is the second-best team in this league right now,” Izzo said, via 247Sports. “They’re not as good as Purdue and they beat Purdue, so you figure that out, but I do think that they’re a very good team.”
Izzo and the Spartans were able to knock off Rutgers at the Breslin Center a few weeks ago. So complimenting them after failing to win at Madison Square Garden might be a little bit of copium.
At 16-6 on the season, Rutgers have almost matched their win total from last season when they made the First Four. Head coach Steve Pikiell has the team positioned as the No. 2 team in the conference right behind Purdue.
Each win makes Rutgers look more and more like a team that has finally put everything together and is capable of making a deep run in March.
Are Rutgers a top-two team in the Big Ten?