Spartan Hoopla: Can Michigan State Contend with One-Loss Teams?

With college basketball entering its final month of regular season play, there's still one question waiting for the Michigan State Spartans to answer.

Can they compete with the nation's one-loss teams?

Kansas, Syracuse, Villanova, and Kentucky are groomed for March already, but hold on just one moment, because here comes fifth-ranked Michigan State (19-3).

Perhaps that question will be answered Tuesday night when Sparty makes the trek to Madison to square-off with Big Ten hopefuls, the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Badgers are three games behind the Spartans, but still within striking distance—barely. 

It's no secret that Bo Ryan is tough to beat at home (12-0), just like his colleague Tom Izzo's team. Sparty is no slouch on road trips, however, touting a 5-2 record when away from the friendly confines of the Breslin Center. Michigan State has dropped its last six in Madison, eager to earn some road redemption against the Badgers on Tuesday night.

A win in Madison would be a true testament to Michigan State's merit.

Would the rest of the country take notice of Izzo's clan, throwing its name in the national championship's "contender hat" if they knocked off the Badgers at the Kohl Center?

Many pundits quickly wrote off the Spartans as overrated after December losses. They've rebounded and look like a force that could halt any of the one-loss teams' tournament dreams.

Kalin Lucas and Kansas' Sherron Collins are two of the elite point-men in the nation. Sparty beat the Jayhawks in the tourney last season (67-62), and the two units match up quite nicely.

The only thing that the Jayhawks have that Michigan State lacks is a bona fide big man. Kansas center Cole Aldrich is 6'11" and 245 pounds, a tough task for the undersized Spartan "big men."

Goran Suton and Marquise Gray teamed up to defend Aldrich in '09, but they're no longer an option. The Jazz picked Suton in last year's NBA Draft and Gray (Quise) is in Turkey preparing to give the NBA a try.

Draymond Green would have his hands full with Aldrich by himself, but he was able to hold Texas' Dexter Pittman to just four points on Dec. 22. Granted, Pittman played just 12 minutes, but State's frontcourt was effective against him, nonetheless. 

At 6'10", 290 pounds, Pittman gave Green (and Delvon Roe) a workout. Green's preparation against conference towers like Mike Tisdale (Illinois) and JaJuan Johnson (Purdue) may come in handy in four weeks, he'll face both within a week of each other (Feb. 2-9).

Fourth-ranked Syracuse dodged losing game No. 2 of the year when it narrowly edged DePaul on Saturday. 'Cuse fans held their breath while the Orange squeaked away with a 59-57 victory.

Wes Johnson is one of the country's premier scoring threats. He's averaging 17 points per game and is the oil to the Orange's basketball engine. Not only is he the lubricant that makes Syracuse's moving parts operate smoothly, he's also the glue that holds its offense together. Oil, glue, and Wes Johnson could land the Spartans into a sticky situation come March.

Villanova sits on top of the best conference that college basketball has to offer, the Big East. There's no debating the quality of the league. It boasts five top-25 teams, four of which are in the top 10: 2 (Villanova), 4 (Syracuse), 6 (West Virginia), 8 (Georgetown), who do we appreciate?! The Big East, the Big East.

Scottie Reynolds could possibly be the best guard in the country.

Scratch that, Reynolds could be one of the land's best players.

The Spartans have a tough time with elite guards. Manny Harris almost notched one for "Big Brother" Michigan just over a week ago. Harris (16 points) couldn't do himself, but he sure impressed Lucas and company.

W.W.R.D?

What would Reynolds do (against MSU)?

Reynolds has the game-breaker mentality that is ever so sought after by coaches. Luckily for 'Nova, Jay Wright knows how to utilize Reynolds' 18 points per game to his advantage.

Villanova lost to North Carolina (83-69) in the 2009 National Championship semifinals, something that it surely remembers. The Wildcats are going to do some damage in March, count on that.

And then there is SEC Player of the Year candidate John Wall.

The young (Kentucky) Wildcat has made quite a name for himself in the basketball world in the last 10 weeks.

Freshman Wall is a specimen all his own. He has the NBA's best player (arguably) LeBron James endorsing him—that's warning enough.

With Kentucky's ability to put up 80-plus per night, the Spartans could be in for a rude awakening.

Michigan State is comfortable with a 65-70 point game, but have been known to kick it up a notch when needed. In order for Sparty to dethrone Sir Wall's Wildcats, State will have to score 90 points (at least, if matched up in the tourney).

As a young team, Kentucky still has some work to do. In the past, freshmen have proved that they can't be relied upon to win a title. Ask Steve Fisher, the former Michigan Wolverine coach who had the best frosh-group of all time—the Fab Five.

Wall is on another level than Jalen Rose was, but his youth and inexperience could prove to be Kentucky's Achille's heel.

Beating Wisconsin and moving to 10-0 in the Big Ten would make it loud and clear that Michigan State should be considered just as viable of a championship contender as the four teams in front of Sparty in the poll.