EAST LANSING, Mich. — Both of Michigan’s Big Ten basketball powers start the 2026-27 season in the national rankings. Michigan State checks in at No. 6 in the preseason men’s Top 25 released Monday, and Michigan, the defending national champion, sits at No. 16.
No team in the region is ranked higher than the Spartans. Tom Izzo begins his 32nd season in charge after a run that ended with a Sweet 16 loss to UConn, and the target this year is close to home, with the 2027 Final Four scheduled for Detroit.
Izzo held on to guard Jeremy Fears and a handful of returning role players, then went to the transfer portal to fill the middle with center Anton Bonke.
Michigan reloaded its frontcourt through the portal again. Big men Moustapha Thiam, JP Estrella and Jalen Reed join a roster that also features point guard Elliot Cadeau.
Florida opens at No. 1, with Duke, Illinois, UConn and Arizona rounding out the top five. Two Big Ten regulars are missing: Purdue fell out after 79 straight weeks in the poll, finishing with 53 votes, and Indiana drew eight votes.
The regular season tips off Nov. 2.
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