Michigan State Women's Basketball Rises in the Polls

Michigan State Women’s Basketball Rises in the Polls

Posted by Admin January 21, 2025 Basketball

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Michigan State women’s basketball moved up to No. 21 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 Poll, which was revealed on Monday.

Michigan State was ranked No. 22 the week prior and would earn road victories over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini. The Spartans earned a slight boost in the poll, moving up one spot.

Michigan State is the fifth of seven Big Ten teams in the Top 25, ahead of Michigan and Minnesota, who round out the rankings.

On Sunday, Spartan junior guard Theryn Hallock led the team with a career-high 26 points to vault the Spartans over Illinois. Michigan State has now won four of their last five contests and have improved to 5-2 in Big Ten play.

The Spartans were ranked as high as No. 15 earlier in the season, but a slow start in conference play saw Michigan State drop.

Spartans coach Robyn Fralick will have to prepare her squad for a tough week of matchups, starting with Penn State at the Breslin Center on Wednesday. Then, they will take a short trip to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan, ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll, on Saturday.

Last season, the in-state rivals played two very close games, with the Spartans pulling away late in both matchups.

In such a big game, the Spartans must lean on their leading scorer, veteran Julia Ayrault. The forward scores an average of 16.2 points per game. Ayrault also leads the team on the glass with an average of 7.8 rebounds per game.

Saturday’s game will be important for Michigan State, as it can prove itself against a fellow ranked opponent to boost its resume. The Spartans have only played two games against ranked opponents, they have a record of 1-1 in those games.

The Spartans will also have to capitalize this week as they have a brutal road trip on the horizon. In mid-February, Michigan State will have to travel to Los Angeles for a two-game set against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins and the No. 4 USC Trojans, who feature sophomore guard Juju Watkins, one of the best players in the country.

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