EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) Yaxel Lendeborg had 26 points and 12 rebounds, Elliot Cadeau scored 17 and Morez Johnson added 12 points to lead No. 3 Michigan to an 83-71 victory over seventh-ranked Michigan State on Friday night.

The Wolverines (20-1, 10-1 Big Ten) moved into sole possession of first place in the conference, coming off a win over previously unbeaten and fifth-ranked Nebraska.

The Spartans (19-3, 9-2) missed 14 of their first 18 shots. They finished the half with more turnovers (11) than field goals (seven) and trailed by as much as 18 points.

Michigan State went on a 13-2 run early in the second half to pull within three and Jaxon Kohler made a tying 3-pointer with 7:57 left.

Jeremy Fears, who scored a career-high 31 points, had a steal and layup that put the Spartans ahead 57-55 with 7:27 to go for their first lead that didn't last long.

Michigan responded with clutch shooting, making 5 of 6 shots, while holding Michigan State scoreless for more than three minutes to seal its sixth straight victory.

Kohler had 12 points while Coen Carr and Jordan Scott scored 10 points apiece for the Spartans, whose seven-game winning streak was stopped.

Michigan had a big advantage in outside shooting, making 8 of 21 on 3-pointers while Michigan State missed 19 of 23 shots from beyond the arc.

The sold-out game at Breslin Center included Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell, sitting next to Michigan States bench, and two-time World Series champion Kirk Gibson, who played baseball and football for the Spartans.

Michigan will host Michigan State in the second game of the season series on March 8 to close the regular season.

Michigan: Hosts Penn State on Thursday night.

Michigan State: At Minnesota on Wednesday night.

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Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year, the conference announced on Tuesday.

This is Izzo's fourth time being named coach of the year and his first since 2012. He was also honored in 1998 and 2009.

Izzo led the Spartans to a 26-5 overall record and 17-3 in the conference, the best in the Big Ten. He also became the winningest coach in the Big Ten earlier this year.

Michigan State is the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will play their first game on March 14.

Tre Holloman scored a career-high 20 points, Jase Richardson had 18 points and No. 8 Michigan State beat No. 17 Michigan 79-62 on Sunday.

With 37.2 seconds left, the rivals pushed and shoved one another at center court, where the Wolverines players were standing near the spot where Spartans seniors have kissed the logo before walking off the court in their final home game at Breslin Center since 1995.

The Spartans (26-5, 17-3 Big Ten) closed the regular season with seven straight wins, including five against AP Top 25 teams.

Michigan State won the Big Ten's first basketball title with 18 teams by three games over the Wolverines and No. 13 Maryland.

Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo has won 11 Big Ten titles, tying the record Purdue's Ward Piggy Lambert set in 1990 and Indiana's Bob Knight matched in 1993.

The Wolverines (22-9, 14-6) have lost a season-high three consecutive games.

Michigan's Vladislav Goldin had 29 points and Danny Wolf didn't help offensively until it was too late, scoring 15 of his 18 points in the second half.

Michigan: Coach Dusty May's debut has been better than expected, but the Wolverines are playing their worst basketball of the season at the wrong time.

Michigan State: Izzo's 30th team was expected to be average in the Big Ten and has surpassed expectations.

Richardson made a 3-pointer with 8:56 left, ending Michigan's 14-0 run to put Michigan State up by 14.

The Spartans turned the game into a rout during the first half, converting Michigan's 11 turnovers into 18 points to lead 50-28.

Michigan State will be the top-seeded team at the Big Ten Tournament and Michigan will be among the four teams with two byes that will play Friday in Indianapolis.

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) All-American forward Hunter Dickinson, arguably the top player in the transfer portal after deciding to leave Michigan, said in a social media post Thursday that he was headed to Kansas for the upcoming season.

Dickinson chose the Jayhawks after visits to Villanova, Kentucky, Maryland and Georgetown.

The 7-foot-1 center led the Wolverines to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a trip to the Elite Eight as a freshman during the 2020-21 season. Dickinson averaged 18.6 points in helping them reach the Sweet 16 two years ago and 18.5 points and a career-best 9.0 rebounds last season, when he was voted an honorable mention All-American.

"The initial decision for me to enter the portal was the hardest decision I've ever had to make," Dickinson said in confirming Wednesday night that he would not return to Michigan, which had been a possibility. "The thought of potentially leaving the place I love and called home for three years was and is extraordinarily difficult to process. After conversations with my family and a lot of time in thought, I realized entering the portal was the best decision for myself and my future."

Dickinson had been quiet throughout his closely watched recruitment, though he did say on the "RoundBall" podcast this week that deciding where he would play next season had been weighing heavily on him.

"If I knew where I was going, I would have happily made the decision sooner," he said. "I really am struggling trying to pick a school. The good thing about all this is, all my options, I feel like if I went there, I would succeed. But it's just trying to figure out which one out of them is the best and the one I'm most comfortable at, stuff like that."

Turns out that answer was Kansas.

With him in the fold, the Jayhawks suddenly become one of the national title favorites heading into next season. They return starting point guard Dajuan Harris Jr., versatile forward KJ Adams and have added former five-star guard Arterio Morris from Texas and Towson sharp-shooter Nick Timberlake to go with one of the nation's best freshman classes.

Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell are 6-foot-3 guards capable of running the point or playing off the ball, Chris Johnson is a touted 6-6 wing and Markus Adams Jr. is a 6-8 inside-outside forward. Jackson and Johnson are both top-10 prospects.

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Stop me if you've heard this one before the Michigan State Spartans had a magical run in this year's NCAA tournament.

That's no surprise.

As a 7-seed, the team beat the USC Trojans and Marquette Golden Eagles to reach the Sweet 16 for the 21st time. Tom Izzo made history in the process, becoming the only head coach in NCAA history to have 25 straight tournament appearances.

There's a reason Izzo's nickname is Mr. March. Although, he might prefer something else.

"I like what the nickname means, but I think some people think that means I only work in March," Izzo joked. "They think I take November, December, January and February off. I'd rather be known as Mr. All Year. Mr. Consistency.

Whatever you want to call him, you can agree what he's been able to accomplish is nothing short of spectacular.

Sure, the Spartans have gone further than the Sweet 16 plenty of times. Actually, 10 times in program history, to be exact. Two of which turned into National Championships.

Still, this year's run was special but for a much different reason.

The Spartans' first-round game came just 32 days after the mass shooting on campus that killed three students and injured five others.

Tom Izzo thought back to the night of February 13.

Izzo continued, "Then the reality set that somebody's son and daughter they're not going to get to talk to. That was a hard, hard moment. The next day was a tough day, because no matter what you did, you said to yourself, 'Well, my kid's okay, but somebody else's kid'...So you wear your coach hat. Then you wear your dad hat. Sometimes the two hats don't meet.

Two days after the tragedy, MSU held a candlelight vigil on campus. Tom Izzo stepped up to the microphone to deliver a powerful message to the sea of emotional students and staff.

During his speech, Izzo wanted people to understand that, while it's so easy to only consider the bad in the world, we must also consider the good.

He elaborated on that Tuesday.

"My message there was more about, 'We've got to stick together.' Unfortunately, in life, you are always moving forward. Whether I die, or you die, or somebody that we really care about dies, the world doesn't stop rotating. We've got to find a way for this to quit happening on more of a regular basis. We've got to help each other through this.

Izzo said it's hard to truly know how much the mass shooting may have fueled the team's run in March, but he knows the power sports can have when trying to help heal a hurting community.

The Spartans' first basketball game after the shooting was against the University of Michigan, just five days later. Before that game, Izzo addressed his team in the locker room.

"'This year, we're playing for something a little bigger,'" he said.

"It didn't take away from the loss of the three individuals, but I know one of the guys in the hospital was a huge Spartans fan," Izzo told FOX 17. "I know it meant a lot to him. I just think it was part of the healing process.

For Izzo, the healing process began at his house. He invited all of his players over because they weren't allowed back on campus for a couple days after the shooting.

For several others in the Spartan community, the healing process began by putting messages on the Rock a boulder on campus that serves as a makeshift billboard.

A few different messages were painted onto the Rock after the shooting, like "How Many More?" and "#SpartanStrong."

Izzo was asked what message he would want to add.

He thought for a moment before giving his answer.

"Respect," he said. "Respect your fellow students, respect your fellow Michiganders, respect your fellow people in your country and respect the people in the world. No matter who you are, or what you are, I hope we get to the point where we're all human beings first.

Respect was also one of the motivating factors for Izzo and his family when creating the Izzo Legacy 5K Run/Walk/Roll. It's an event typically held on the morning of the Spartan Spring Football Game, as is the case this year.

The course runs through the city of East Lansing and the MSU campus.

Since its inception, the event has raised almost $400,000 for local charities.

"My wife and daughter and the volunteers did the job. I show up and it's game-time," Izzo said. "Unfortunately, I get too much credit. Although, during the year, I get too much blame sometimes. So, I guess it balances out."

The Izzo Legacy 5K is happening Saturday, April 15. This year, the event will support 13 charities in the local area. You can find all the details here.

Watch our full interview with Izzo below:

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There was a short list of believers in the potential of a rebuilt UConn roster before the season started.

It was made up mostly of the UConn players and coaches themselves.

The team that was among others receiving votes in the first AP poll of the season ended up cutting down nets after the last game as sure a sign as any that in the new college landscape reconstituted by the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals, anything is possible.

For anyone.

The Huskies not only won the title but won it in one of historys most dominating runs through the NCAA Tournament. They won their six games by an average of 20 points, closing it out Monday night with a 76-59 pasting of San Diego State.

We came into the season unranked, coach Dan Hurley said. So we had an edge to us to start the year to prove people wrong.

Nobody could really blame fans and pundits for overlooking UConn, just as it might have been hard to blame them for pumping up North Carolina, a national runner-up the year before that was bringing back the core of its roster.

UConn won the title. UNC didnt even make the tournament.

Its a testament to how quickly things can change in an era that looks more like NFL free agency than anything college sports has ever seen.

Hurley said he went back to work the day after the Huskies lost to New Mexico State in the first round last season and started looking at retooling his roster. The goal was to add more options from the perimeter. So, he got four new players, including Joey Calcaterra (two 3s for 6 points in the final), who had spent four years at University of San Diego, and Tristen Newton (19 points, 10 rebounds), who had spent three years at East Carolina.

Big East coaches still picked UConn to finish fourth in the conference. Even if the talent is there, its hard to gauge how it might all come together.

The UConn story played out in different ways at different places all across the sport this season, and had a lot to do with a Final Four that included three underdog programs, seeded fifth (SDSU), fifth (Miami) and ninth (Florida Atlantic), that had never made it to the final weekend.

The Aztecs had two new players this year joining two others who came to San Diego State the year before.

Elsewhere, Kansas State was picked last in the Big 12 and ended up three points shy of making the Final Four, with the help of Keyontae Johnson, a transfer from Florida who was named a third-team AP All-American.

Creighton made its own run to the Elite Eight with big help from a transfer from South Dakota State, Baylor Scheierman, who was also getting looks from Duke and other bluebloods.

Texas withstood the midseason firing of its coach and made the Elite Eight with two transfer-portal players: Tyrese Hunter from Iowa State and SirJabari Rice from New Mexico State.

Arkansas made its third straight Sweet 16 with a semi-rebuilt roster.

I promise I wouldnt be sitting here if it wasnt for the transfer portal, Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman said earlier in the tournament. Really interesting, because eight years ago, when somebody was transferring, the process was a lot different.

Instead of having to sit out a year, players can now go freely from one school to another. Some coaches find it too destabilizing, too transactional.

No longer, however, is it a matter of faith that veteran teams that stick together say, as recently as Villanovas 2018 team that crushed everyone on the way to the title have a better chance of winning.

And even though FanDuel Sportsbook is listing UConn (11-1) and Duke (13-1) as the early favorites to win it all next season, theres little reason to put much stock in any way too early looks at next years top teams.

We dont really know rosters, or how different players are going to fit in, said ESPN analyst Jay Bilas. Will they blossom, will they not? And preseason polls are done for fan interest and nothing else. You cant really predict anything based on those.

Certainly, nobody was picking Florida Atlantic, Miami or San Diego State to make the Final Four back in October.

And UConn with all those new players to win it all? Nobody saw that coming either.

Well, almost nobody.

We knew we were the best team in the tournament going in, Hurley said. We just had to play to our level.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) Michigan center Hunter Dickinson has entered the transfer portal.

Today is bittersweet, Wolverines coach Juwan Howard said Friday. While Hunter Dickinsons departure is unfortunate, there are so many reasons to be thankful for and celebrate. This young man has accomplished so much in his three seasons.

The 7-foot-1, 260-pound Dickinson led the Wolverines with 18.5 points and nine rebounds per game last season as a junior.

He entered the NBA draft and withdrew his name two years ago after being named the Big Ten freshman of the year and a second-team All-American in 2021. Dickinson earned spots on the first-team, All-Big Ten team twice and second-team, all-conference team one time. He is one of eight players in team history with 1,500-plus points and more than 750 rebounds.

Statistics aside, Hunter helped us to a Big Ten title, back-to-back Sweet 16s, as well as a memorable Elite Eight run, Howard said. These are memories that will last a lifetime. What I love most is he was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree, twice. That says so much about his character and maturity.

As much as I tried to instill in him, he was a guide and inspiration for me. We wish Hunter and his family all the best in the future.

HOUSTON (AP) It wasn't so much that social media was criticizing his son. That happens sometimes especially after a loss like THAT.

But when a post came up suggesting Terrance Williams II, a junior forward for Michigan, be left for dead in a ditch, his dad decided enough was enough. Terrance Williams Sr.'s profanity-laced response to all the haters was, in many ways, an expected byproduct of social media vitriol that bubbled up after the Wolverines blew an eight-point lead in a one-point loss to Vanderbilt earlier this month not in the NCAA Tournament but in the NIT.

"You actually root for them when they're good," Williams Sr. said of the Michigan fans in an interview with The Associated Press two days after the season-ending loss. "But then they make a mistake, and a game doesn't go your way and you turn to hate. That's unacceptable."

The episode was just one of countless examples of the toxic minefield that athletes, coaches, friends and family face all too often on social media, all of it amplified for college basketball players when the calendar flips to March and the madness begins.

College administrators and coaches alike have warned for several years that students and athletes are facing increasing mental-health challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. And never have there been more outside voices that not only scrutinize every move players make on the court, but impact their emotional well-being away from it.

"The feedback right now, it can be so harsh and it's so immediate, and I think that's the hardest part," said Melissa Streno, a Denver-based mental health consultant for high-level athletes. "It's the immediacy of the feedback from people they don't even know. And it can be so impactful on their identity and how they see themselves as a player on the court."

Turning off social media is one option, but it's not really practical, not with the way society interacts in the 21st century. And many athletes use social media to open the door to cash. It comes with a toll.

A survey conducted by the NCAA in the fall of 2021 found spikes among athletes who experienced mental exhaustion, anxiety and depression compared with a similar survey two years earlier before the pandemic, and also before name-image-likeness deals became an everyday reality of college sports. The survey also found that despite a growing recognition of mental health as something to be addressed, fewer than half the respondents felt comfortable seeking support from a counselor on campus.

Even so, those counselors have been busy; a growing number of questions they field from the players involve how to manage social media.

"For some of them, social media brings pressure to put out information, to create content, build their brand and that can cause anxiety," said Charron Sumler, a former college basketball player who is now an athletic counselor at Ohio State. "On the flip side, there's the input where they're receiving messages. And with phones in the locker room, sometimes they're receiving that negative feedback and content before they've even had a chance to debrief with their coaches or with themselves."

Just this month, Virginia's Kihei Clark started trending for the wrong reasons when his ill-advised pass at the end of a first-round March Madness game against Furman allowed the Paladins to make the game-winning 3-pointer that sent the Cavaliers home.

After the game, Clark sat in the locker room and patiently answered every question. Predictably, social media was destroying him before the final buzzer even sounded.

Among those who knew the feeling was Matthew Fisher-Davis. He was the Vanderbilt guard who, thinking the Commodores were trailing, fouled a Northwestern player in the waning seconds of a first-round game in 2017. In fact, Vanderbilt was ahead by one; Northwestern made both free throws after the foul and won by a point.

Before the next season, Fisher-Davis released a slickly produced video showing him working out, the main theme of which was: "Everybody's got something to say."

"It gets to the point where, the stuff coming from outside the locker room doesn't make anything easier," Fisher-Davis told the AP in an interview this month.

Stanford's Haley Jones was named most outstanding player at the women's Final Four after helping the Cardinal win the national title in 2021. Two weeks ago, when Stanford made an early exit from this year's March Madness, Jones' performance and her prospects for the upcoming WNBA draft were being dissected, sometimes cruelly, on social media.

"Right after every game. I know what I did well, and I know what I didn't do well," said Jones, who is part of a program called Game 4 Good that focuses on mental wellness for athletes. "I don't need to go and listen to thousands of people who don't know me tell me these same things, and probably say it in a lot meaner way."

On rare occasions, players get ripped for doing something good.

In an episode that illustrates the parallel explosive growth of both social media and online sports wagering, TCU's Damion Baugh was the object of scorn in the second round this month when he launched a shot at the buzzer from near the halfcourt logo in a game that had already been sealed by Gonzaga.

Baugh's 3 went in. It trimmed TCU's final deficit to three, which allowed the Horned Frogs to cover the 4.5-point spread. That shot did nothing to change the brackets, but it did flip millions of dollars across the country and Baugh was roundly ripped on Twitter.

Baugh barked back: "I don't get how y'all mad because I played until the last buzzer."

Former Ohio State guard E.J. Liddell also felt compelled to defend himself after he missed a late free throw that was key to an upset loss to Oral Roberts two years ago.

"Honestly, what did I do to deserve this? I'm human," he said in a post in which he posted screenshots of some of the insults directed at him, including a death threat.

Even one of social media's biggest stars, Oregon's Sedona Prince, who became famous after her video outlining the disparity between men's and women's weight rooms at the 2021 NCAA Tournaments went viral, had to take a brief break last year from TikTok.

"I'm not any different because I'm on TikTok. I'm still a person," Prince said in a tearful video since taken down, while acknowledging her mental health had been declining.

Streno, the mental health consultant, said social media can exacerbate depression and anxiety.

During a three-month stretch last spring, at least five college athletes died by suicide. Among the reasons given by friends and family were the constant pressure of performing at a high level, the pressure to maintain a certain weight or physique, the fear of being perceived as weak because of injuries and the limited social opportunities because of the demands of a sports schedule.

Given the amount of daily interaction athletes have with friends and family on social media apps, Streno said it's more realistic to coach players on how to deal with feedback than simply advising them to shut down everything.

"If it were as simple as 'don't look at your phone,' then this wouldn't be an issue," she said. "But there's such a quick, immediate, 'Oh, this must mean this about me. I'm not good enough, or I'm not living up to this level.' And then your mind can kind of start going down into this spiral."

Williams, the father of the Michigan forward, said his son does a good job of shutting out social media during the season. After the events of this month, the dad planned on going dark for a while, too.

"People said he didn't play well, and I get that," Williams said. "But when you say my son, who I've raised and who I love tremendously, that you wish him to be dead in a ditch, that's when I've got to turn the switch."

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) Dug McDaniel scored all seven of his points in the final three-and-a-half minutes to help Michigan pull out an 83-75 victory over Lipscomb on Saturday.

A.J. McGinnis hit back-to-back 3s to get Lipscomb within a point, 62-61, and Derrin Boyd and Quincy Clark each hit jumpers to put the Bisons in front 65-62. Terrance Williams II turned a three-point play for Michigan to tie the game, but Clark did the same to regain the lead, 68-65, and his layup with 4:27 left made it 73-69.

McDaniel hit a jumper for his first points of the game with 3:32 left to put Michigan in front 74-73 and his second jumper less than a minute later made it a three-point lead. Hunter Dickinson made it a five-point lead with 1:22 left and McDaniel hit 3 of 4 from the line in the final minute to help the Wolverines put the game away.

After logging 21,000 miles in the seasons first 32 days and coming off a nine-day break for finals, Michigan shot 50% from the field, hitting 31 of 62 shots.

Kobe Bufkin hit 8 of 9 from the field, 4 of 5 from beyond the arc, to lead Michigan (7-3) with 22 points. Jeff Howard had 19 points with four assists and Dickinson added 15 points and grabbed seven boards. Williams added 11 points and six boards.

Will Pruit led the Bisons (7-5) with 27 points, hitting 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. Clark and McGinnis scored 15 and 13 points, respectively, off the bench as Lipscomb got 38 of its points from reserves.

Michigan point guard Jaelin Llewellyn is out for the rest of the season with an injured left knee and is expected to have surgery next month.

"Although this is not how I imagined my season here at Michigan would end, the support and love from everyone in the program will help me get through the rehab process," Llewellyn said. "I'm looking forward to being my teammates' biggest supporter for the rest of the season. Go Blue!"

Wolverines coach Juwan Howard made the announcement Wednesday, three days after Llewellyn was hurt in a loss to Kentucky in London.

"We are devastated for Jaelin," Michigan coach Juwan Howard said. "He worked so hard after joining us this summer and was making that next step in leading this team. His maturity and work ethic has already made a mark on our program and culture. Knowing him, this setback will only serve as an opportunity to grow as a person and player, but more importantly, offer himself a chance to help this program in any way he can. I admire that."

Llewellyn transferred to Michigan from Princeton last spring and that seemed to lead to Frankie Collins transferring to Arizona State after a solid freshman season for the Wolverines.

Llewellyn averaged seven points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in eight games at Michigan. He was an All-Ivy League player last season and averaged nearly 16 points over three seasons at Princeton.

LONDON (AP) Cason Wallace scored 14 points and Oscar Tshiebwe had a double-double to lead No. 19 Kentucky to a 73-69 victory over Michigan at the O2 Arena in a London showcase of two marquee American college sports teams.

Wallace was 4 of 4 on 3-point shooting with his most important one giving the Wildcats a five-point lead with 1:11 to play.

Tshiebwe, last season's consensus national player of the year, scored 13 points and pulled down 14 rebounds amid foul trouble that kept him on the bench for extended spells.

Hunter Dickinson led Michigan with 23 points and nine rebounds. Kentucky is 6-2. Michigan is 5-3.

Michigan State Basketball and Football coaches Tom Izzo and Mel Tucker will serve as co-grand marshals for the NASCAR FireKeeprs Casino 400 race at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 7.

Both men will also be guests of Zeigler Auto Group, which is an anchor sponsor of Josh Bilickis Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevrolet, which will run a special Michigan State paint scheme at the race.

As part of their responsibilities, Izzo and Tucker will give the command to start engines for the race.

Were honored to host Tom Izzo and Mel Tucker as co-Grand Marshals for the FireKeepers Casino 400, said Michigan International Speedway President Joe Fowler. Their success and leadership at Michigan St has made them icons in our state and their participation in MIS pre-race activities will further elevate an already great event.

Im excited to serve as a co-Grand Marshal for the FireKeepers Casino 400 alongside my good friend and colleague Mel Tucker, Izzo said. Getting the chance to be a part of a NASCAR event was a thrill for me in 2010 and it was great to get the first-hand experience of seeing some of the best in their profession up close. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to represent Michigan State Athletics and our great University at a NASCAR event and in one of auto racings premier facilities at Michigan International Speedway. A special thank you goes to Aaron Zeigler for showing his Spartan Pride with the Michigan State University/Zeigler Automotive Chevrolet.

I want to thank the Michigan International Speedway for the opportunity to be the co-Grand Marshal of the FireKeepers Casino 400, along with Coach Izzo, Tucker said. I also want to thank Aaron Zeigler and his partnership with Michigan State Athletics. He has a relentless mindset, and this is an innovative way to represent MSU. Im looking forward to seeing the Michigan State University/Zeigler Automotive Chevrolet car in person and in front of thousands of fans at Michigan International Speedway.

Detroit Mercys Antoine Davis and Oaklands Jamal Cain were named Horizon League Co-Players of the Year on Monday.

The Horizon League awards are voted on by the conference's head coaches.

Davis is the fifth player in Detroit Mercy history to earn the conferences top honor, following Rashad Phillips, Jermaine Jackson, Willie Green and Ray McCallum.

Davis finished the regular season with a scoring average of 23.7 points per game, behind only Bryant's Peter Kiss (25.1 PPG) and Liberty's Darius McGhee (24.7 PPG.)

Cain is the seventh Oakland player to receive the honor, following Kendrick Nunn, Kay Felder, Keith Benson, Mike Helms, Eric Taylor, and Scott Bittinger.

Cain averaged a double-double during the regular season, with 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.

Franz Wagner scored 19 points, Hunter Dickinson added 14 and No. 2 Michigan wrapped up the Big Ten title with a 69-50 victory over rival Michigan State.

The Wolverines had a chance to clinch the championship based on winning percentage with a victory in any of their final three games.

They were blown out by No. 4 Illinois on Tuesday night. But they rebounded with a gritty effort two nights later. Michigan State will finish with a losing conference record for the first time since 1993. Aaron Henry led the Spartans with 14 points.

The Duke women's basketball team ended its season Friday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The team has been on pause since Dec. 16 because of two positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the program's travel party.

"The student-athletes on the Duke women's basketball team have made the difficult decision to conclude their current season due to safety concerns," said Michael Schoenfeld, Vice President for Public Affairs & Government Relations and Chief Communications Officer for Duke University in a statement. "We support their decision, as we have supported the choices made by all student-athletes at Duke during this unprecedented time. Duke will maintain our current schedule of competition in other sports and will continue to observe our rigorous health and safety protocols, which include daily testing for all student-athletes and are based on guidance from leading medical experts."

The Blue Devils postponed games against Miami, N.C. State and UNC Wilmington.

The team's next scheduled game was against Louisville on Thursday.

Before ending their season, the Lady Blue Devils had played four games under first-year head coach Kara Lawson, who was hired back in July.

The men's basketball team planned to keep playing.

University of Michigan men's basketball junior forward Isaiah Livers announced that he will apply for early entry into the 2020 NBA Draft. Livers intends to sign with an agent, who will work with the U-M coaching staff to assist through the evaluation and pre-draft processes.

"Following the cancellation of the season, my family and our coaching staff have had several discussions on my future as a basketball player," Livers said. "After much reflection and prayer, I have decided to enter my name into the 2020 NBA Draft and start the full evaluation process. The University of Michigan has done so much for me and helped me get to a position where I might be able to reach my goal of playing professional basketball. While this is only the start of the evaluation, I have appreciated your encouragement and will continue to need it as this process moves on."

Under NCAA rules, college basketball players are allowed to retain the services of an agent during the evaluation process. If they choose to return to school, they must end the relationship with the agent and they will not lose any eligibility. Additionally, players can return to school after going undrafted without losing eligibility, but only if they have participated in the NBA combine.

"We know Isaiah has had the desire to reach the next level of playing professional basketball, and going through the NBA Draft process will give him the information he is looking for to make the proper decision," said U-M's David and Meredith Kaplan Men's Basketball Head Coach Juwan Howard. "Even with everything going on with COVID-19, myself, and our staff, will continue to work closely with Isaiah and his family to gain as much information as possible in the weeks ahead before he reaches his final decision."

In his three seasons in Ann Arbor, Livers started 46 of his 96 career games and compiled an 82-27 record. He helped the Wolverines to their second straight Big Ten Tournament title in 2018 while being part of two straight Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2018, '19). In 2018, U-M also advanced to its second Final Four and national title game in six years.

Prior to the sudden cancellation of the 2019-20 season due to COVID-19, he was leading the Wolverines with 12.9 points per game after posting 14 double-figure scoring games -- three of which featured him scoring 20 points or more -- including a career-high 24 against Houston Baptist. In addition to his scoring, he averaged career bests in rebounds (4.0.), assists (1.1) and missed just two free throws the entire season, shooting 95.7 percent (44-for-46) from the charity stripe.

The 2017 Michigan Mr. Basketball, Livers has continued his work towards a general studies degree.

The University of Michigan is accepting applications for people who want to be ushers, ticket takers, or part of the event team.

"Members of the Michigan Event Team are responsible for ensuring Michigan Athletics guests feel welcome and that all policies and procedures are followed to make for a safe and enjoyable game day experience," the job listing reads.

They are looking for:

According to the university, you will be provided with clothing, a free shuttle to Michigan Stadium for football games, food and beverages, an annual golf tournament, a holiday event and more.

To learn more and apply, click here .

Cassius Winston scored 19 of his 20 points in the second half and Rocket Watts matched a career high with 21 points, helping No. 24 Michigan State rally to beat No. 18 Iowa 78-70.

The Spartans moved into sole possession of second place in the conference Tuesday night with their third win in four games.

The Hawkeyes slipped to sixth place in the Big Ten, possibly making an impact on their seeding for the conference tournament in two weeks.

Iowa's Luka Garza scored 20, Ryan Kriener had 18 points before fouling out and Connor McCaffery added 11 points.

The Michigan Wolverines got 22 points from Franz Wagner and 19 from Isaiah Livers to beat Purdue 71-63 for their fifth consecutive win.

It's Michigan's first win on the Boilermakers home court since 2014 and their fourth straight road win in Big Ten play.

Trevion Williams led Purdue with 18 points and had 10 rebounds after scoring 36 points and grabbing 20 rebounds in this season's first meeting between the schools.

The Boilermakers have lost four straight as their NCAA Tournament hopes took another hit.

Juwan Howard refers to Zavier Simpson as the Tom Brady of Michigan basketball, with the point guard leading and directing the Wolverines.

Simpson did just that, scoring 16 points and five assists and two steals, while Franz Wagner added 12 to hand Rutgers its first loss at the RAC this season, 60-52.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Kyle Young made two free throws with 33.3 seconds remaining to give Ohio State the lead after a crucial replay review, and the Buckeyes held on for a 61-58 victory over Michigan on Tuesday night.

The game turned after officials went to the monitor with just over a half-minute left. Ohio State was ahead 57-56 when Michigan's Zavier Simpson drove to the basket and drew a foul on Young. The Ohio State forward's jersey appeared to be ripped afterward, and a replay showed Simpson had gabbed the jersey while falling at the end of the play.

The foul on Young stood, but officials added a flagrant foul on Simpson as well. That meant each player shot two free throws -- they made all four -- and the Buckeyes ended up with a one-point lead and the ball.

Michigan (13-8 4-6 Big Ten) had to foul, and CJ Walker made two free throws to put Ohio State (15-7, 5-6) up by three. Eli Brooks missed a 3-point attempt at the other end.

Michigan started the game 3 of 17 from the field and shot 33% for the game.

BIG PICTURE

Ohio State: Kaleb Wesson had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Buckeyes and was the only player on either team scoring consistently for much of the game.

Michigan: The Wolverines were again without injured forward Isaiah Livers. They lost their third straight home game.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Both teams were in the top five earlier this season but have struggled in league play. Ohio State was close to the Top 25 in the last poll and has now won three straight games.

UP NEXT

Ohio State: The Buckeyes are on the road again at Wisconsin on Sunday.

Michigan: The Wolverines host No. 16 Michigan State on Saturday.

Lamar Stevens had 24 points and Myreon Jones made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 20 points, leading No. 22 Penn State to a 75-70 win over No. 16 Michigan State on Tuesday night.

The Nittany Lions (17-5, 7-5 Big Ten) have won five straight games, making them contenders in the conference during the second half of the regular season.

The Spartans (16-7, 8-4) dropped consecutive games for the first time this season. They also lost to a Big Ten team at home for the first time this year.

Michigan State's Cassius Winston scored 25 points but could not convert on chances to pull into a tie twice in the closing seconds. Winston didn't get much help offensively from his teammates, none of whom scored in double digits.

Stevens made two free throws to give Penn State a three-point lead with 16 seconds left. Winston had a chance to tie the game with a three-point play on the ensuing possession but missed the free throw.

Stevens then made two free throws to restore the three-point lead with 9.1 seconds left.

Winston missed a 3-pointer the next time down the court. The Spartans were forced to foul Curtis Jones, who made two free throws to seal Penn State's first victory at Michigan State since 2009 and just the second in 25 games.

Penn State was in control for much of the game, leading by as much as 11 in the first half and by six at halftime. The Nittany Lions played with composure in the second half when the Spartans tried to rally.

SICK DAY

Michigan State sophomore forward Thomas Kithier, who is averaging three-plus points and rebounds, missed the game with an illness.

BIG PICTURE

Penn State: The program has already matched its total of Big Ten victories last season and should surpass its school record of 10 Big Ten wins.

Michigan State: Coach Tom Izzo has sounded concerned after wins this season and his worries have only been validated by recent losses.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Nittany Lions have a chance to move into the top 20 with another win this week and the Spartans could plummet in or perhaps out of the poll with another setback this week.

UP NEXT

Penn State: Hosts Minnesota (11-10, 5-6).

Michigan State: Plays rival Michigan (13-9, 4-7) on the road Saturday.

Michigan Basketball guard Zavier Simpson has been suspended for violating team policies, head coach Juwan Howard announced on Monday.

s Juwan Howard has announced Zavier Simpson has been suspended for violation of team policies and will miss the Nebraska game Tuesday night. #GoBlue

It's not clear what rule Simpson broke, but he will miss Tuesday's game against Nebraska.

"While we are disappointed with what has transpired with Zavier, we know there are always lessons to learn and grow from. We take these matters and consequences very seriously," Howard said in a statement. "Moving forward, we will continue to handle this matter appropriately within our program and basketball family."

Simpson is a team captain and played in 19 games this season, averaging 12.8 points, 8.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Michigan has last four straight games in Big Ten play, including a 64-62 loss over the weekend to Illinois. They take on Nebraska on the road Tuesday night.

Baylor is No. 1 for a second straight week in an AP Top 25 poll that had no major changes at the top, a rare bit of stability in a wildly unpredictable season.

The Bears stayed well ahead of No. 2 Gonzaga in Monday's poll, part of an unchanged top seven for the first time this season. The only change in the top 10 came with Villanova moving up a spot to No. 8 to swap positions with No. 9 Duke. That comes in a season that has seen seven different teams reach No. 1 this season, matching a record set during the 1982-83 season.

Baylor (17-1) hopped over Gonzaga last week to reach No. 1 for the second time in program history, though the Bears lasted only a week on top in its previous stint in January 2017. This time, they earned 44 of 64 first-place votes to keep a firm hold on the top spot after beating Oklahoma and Florida last week.

I think our staffs done a better job this time with (avoiding) all the distractions and more focus on we want to be No. 1 at the end of the year," coach Scott Drew said after the win against the Sooners.

So far this season, Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke, Louisville, Kansas and Gonzaga have seen time at No. 1 before Baylor made its jump to the top. The Zags stayed on top for four consecutive weeks, but none of the other top-ranked teams lasted more than two weeks at No. 1.

THE TOP TIER

Gonzaga (21-1) earned 19 first-place votes to remain either No. 1 or No. 2 in the poll since the middle of December. Mark Few's Zags have won 13 straight games since suffering their only loss to MIchigan in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game in the Bahamas.

Kansas was third, followed by San Diego State the last unbeaten team in Division I and Florida State. Louisville, Dayton, Villanova, Duke and Seton Hall rounded out the top 10.

RISING

Houston made the biggest jump in a week that featured only modest climbs or slides, rising four spots to No. 21. No. 20 Colorado moved up three spots, while No. 12 West Virginia, No. 13 Kentucky, No. 15 Maryland and No. 19 Illinois each rose two spots.

In all, nine teams moved up in this week's poll.

SLIDING

Michigan State and Butler had the biggest slides of the week.

The Spartans who started the year at No. 1 fell three spots to No. 14 after losing at Indiana. The Bulldogs also fell three spots to No. 16 after losing to Villanova, the final loss in a three-game skid that had dropped Butler from No. 5 two weeks ago.

The other falls were Duke, No. 17 Auburn and No. 25 Rutgers inching down one spot.

The entire top 25 is below.

Michigan State is at No. 15 and Michigan is at No. 19 in this week's AP Top 25 poll, after both teams suffered losses this weekend.

Good luck finding any team in the country that notches a better pair of road wins in the same week than Baylor, which followed up a victory at Texas Tech by invading Allen Fieldhouse and thumping Kansas on its home floor.

As a result? The Bears leapfrogged the Jayhawks and Duke into the second spot in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll on Monday. They finished with 1,567 points in voting by 65 media members who regularly cover the game, just seven back of top-ranked Gonzaga even though Baylor had 31 first-place votes and the Bulldogs had 30.

I think to have a special team you first need to have that work ethic, you need to have that character, but most of all you have to have guys that buy into roles and celebrate each other's success, Bears coach Scott Drew explained. As the year has gone on we've done better and better at that. We call it playing with joy. If you do that, good things happen.

Great things, as a matter of fact. Baylor (13-1, 3-0 Big 12) hasn't lost since playing Washington in Alaska in its second game of the season. Along the way, the boys from Waco, Texas, have notched nonconference wins over ranked teams Villanova, Arizona and Butler along with league wins over the Red Raiders, the Jayhawks and Texas.

The win over Kansas was the first for Baylor in 18 tries at Allen Fieldhouse and the first over a top-five team on the road.

We came with the expectation to win, the expectation to do great things in the Big 12, Baylor guard Jerad Butler said, and it shows when you expect to win versus just trying to survive.

The Blue Devils fell to third in the AP poll, followed by unbeaten Auburn and Butler. The Jayhawks were next with another unbeaten, San Diego State, staying at No. 7. Oregon, Florida State and Kentucky rounded out the top 10.

The Wildcats climbed four spots by squeezing out tougher-than-expected wins over Georgia and Alabama.

I'm telling you, I believe in every one of these kids. I wouldn't have recruited them here. But I'll tell you, it's really hard here," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. Every game we play is someone's Super Bowl.

The biggest climb came from Wichita State, which jumped seven spots to No. 16 after soundly beating No. 22 Memphis and turning back Connecticut in double overtime. The Shockers' only loss came against No. 12 West Virginia in the championship game of the Cancun Classic in late November.

We are at 15 wins now and I don't even know when we got that last year, so the jump has been crazy," said Shockers guard Erik Stevenson, who leads the team in scoring. "National recognition is cool and all, but we feel like we've been slept on for a while now. We feel like we could beat anybody in the country.

The biggest drop by a team that remains in the poll came from Ohio State, which lost two more games to Maryland and Indiana to make it four consecutive losses. The Buckeyes were once in the top five but are now No. 21.

We have to find a way to figure some things out here quickly, Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. "You know, I think it's a work in progress right now. I think we definitely have some offensive issues that we have to work out.

Here are some other takeaways from the latest edition of the college basketball poll:

RISING

West Virginia climbed five spots to No. 12 by following a tough road loss to Kansas with wins over Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. Colorado also jumped five spots to No. 20 after the Buffaloes throttled Utah 91-52 in its only game of the week.

FALLING

Ohio State wasn't the only Big Ten team to take a tumble. Michigan State dropped seven spots to No. 15 after the Spartans were pounded 71-42 at Purdue, and Penn State fell from No. 20 all the way out of the poll after the Nittany Lions lost consecutive games to unranked teams in Wisconsin and Rutgers.

IN/OUT

Seton Hall returned to the poll at No. 18 thanks to back-to-back wins over Xavier and Marquette that ran the Pirates' record to 4-0 in the Big East. A pair of newcomers in Illinois and Creighton rounded out the Top 25, and Virginia and Arizona joined the Nittany Lions in falling out. The Cavaliers lost to Boston College and the Wildcats fell to Oregon State last week.

Both Michigan State and Michigan have fallen in this week's AP Top 25 poll. The Wolverines are down to No. 5 while the Spartans are down to No. 16.

Louisville and Kansas finally provided some consistency to what has been a volatile Top 25 poll this season, while perennial bluebloods Michigan State and North Carolina continued to tumble after another wave of defeats.

The Cardinals solidified their place at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 released Monday by routing then-No. 4 Michigan in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and breezing past Pittsburgh over the past week. The Jayhawks stayed at No. 2 after returning from their Maui Invitaitonal title to thump former Big 12 member Colorado.

I think it's two games in a row, where we got stops," Louisville coach Chris Mack said. We didn't allow second shots. We ran the clock on offense. We got great looks. We got layups, and that's a killer.

Ohio State jumped from sixth to third following its 74-49 rout of then-No. 7 North Carolina and a Big Ten blowout of Penn State. Maryland dropped one spot to fourth despite continuing to pile up wins, while Michigan slid one spot to round out the top five after Juwan Howard's bunch ran into the Louisville buzzsaw for their first loss of the season.

The Spartans continued their fall from preseason No. 1 after losing to Duke, this time dropping from 11th to No. 16. The Tar Heels tumbled 10 spots to No. 17 after getting crushed by Ohio State and losing to No. 9 Virginia.

San Diego State joined the rankings at No. 25.

Louisville is the latest No. 1 following an unexpected loss by Duke. Michigan has matched a record by debuting at No. 4.

A season of parity is taking a toll in the AP Top 25.

Louisville became the fourth team in five weeks to claim the top spot, receiving 48 of 65 first-place votes from a media panel in The Associated Press mens basketball poll released Monday.

No. 2 Kansas, coming off the Maui Invitational title, had three first-place votes and No. 5 Virginia received five. Maryland rose to No. 3 in a week when every spot in the poll changed from last week.

Michigan (7-0) knocked off Iowa State, No. 7 North Carolina and No. 9 Gonzaga to win the Battle 4 Atlantis title in the Bahamas. The Wolverines were rewarded with nine first-place votes and matched Kansas in 1989 for the biggest jump from being unranked in the history of the poll that dates to 1949.

Not a bad first season under former Michigan star Juwan Howard.

I'm sure we're on the map now, Howard said. A lot of teams are looking and seeing Michigan as a name that's out there. When you beat teams like Creighton and Iowa State as well as North Carolina and Gonzaga, you're no longer under the radar.

Louisville wasnt exactly under the radar after opening the preseason poll at No. 5. The Cardinals (7-0) made a steady climb to No. 2 and moved to the top spot when previous No. 1 Duke lost at home to Stephen F. Austin. Duke dropped to No. 10 after its 150-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents ended in Durham.

Louisville has its first No. 1 ranking in six years after beating Akron and Western Kentucky last week.

Theres no team thats arrived. No teams arrived, Cardinals coach Chris Mack said. A lot of people are saying that we havent played anybody. A lot of people are saying were not there. Maybe we arent deserving. I dont care.

The record for most teams at No. 1 is seven, set in 1983, so this season is already more than halfway there. Another jumble could come next Monday because of a slate of huge games this week, including Michigan at Louisville on Tuesday.

JAYHAWKS RISE

Kansas was No. 3 in the preseason poll and dropped to fifth after a season-opening loss to Duke. The Jayhawks (6-1) have been on a roll since them, culminating last week with their third Maui Invitational title.

Kansas used its size up front to beat up on Chaminade, Brigham Young and Dayton to add to the Maui titles it won in 1996 and 2015.

Im not sure the win will have a ton to do with what we do going forward, Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. Its still November and I would like to think that that automatically puts us in a very good or favorable position, but if you dont play well against Colorado, a top-20 team, next Saturday then this probably didnt mean as much.

RISING

Michigan had the biggest jump after receiving 12 overall votes last week. No. 6 Ohio State and No. 14 Auburn were next, each moving up four spots.

FALLING

No. 25 Utah State had the biggest drop, falling 10 places after losing to Saint Marys on Friday.

No. 11 Michigan State tumbled eight spots after going 2-1 in the Maui Invitational.

No. 21 Tennessee dropped four places after losing to Florida State and beating Virginia Commonwealth at the Emerald Coast Classic.

MOVING IN

No. 17 Florida State is ranked for the first time this season after beating Tennessee and Purdue to win the Emerald Coast Classic.

No. 19 Dayton moved into the Top 25 for the first time since 2015-16 following a strong performance at the Maui Invitational. The Flyers (5-1) knocked off Georgia and Virginia Tech before taking Kansas to overtime in the title game.

No. 24 Butler moved into the AP poll for the first time since hitting as high as No. 11 in 2016-17 after winning the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City. The Bulldogs (7-0) beat Missouri, then took down Stanford 68-67 on Kamar Baldwins 18-foot jumper.

MOVING OUT

Florida dropped out from No. 24 despite beating Saint Josephs, Miami and Xavier to win the Charleston Classic.

Xavier was out from No. 25 following the loss to the Gators in the title game.

Texas Tech took a massive fall after losing to Iowa and Creighton at the Las Vegas Invitational, dropping out of the poll from No. 12.

Juwan Howard breaks out the Cabbage Patch dance only for special occasions.

He did it when he finally became an NBA champion player with the Miami Heat in 2012. He did it again the next year, when the Heat won another title and he was transitioning to a coaching life. Heat players like Dwyane Wade were known for doing it at times in tribute to him.

And he did the dance fists clenched, arms out in front of him, swinging in a circular motion, just as he did in 1992 when Michigan beat Ohio State to get to the Final Four again last week when Michigan won the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Isnt that just awesome? Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, smiling broadly.

Howard has the Wolverines off to a 7-0 start in his first season as coach at the school where he played. Theyre set to crack the AP Top 25 when the new poll is released Monday. And what has already been a big week is about to get even bigger: the Wolverines are following up their title run in the Bahamas with a visit Tuesday to second-ranked Louisville; the Cardinals could be sitting at No. 1 by tipoff.

So happy for this dude, Wade tweeted after Michigan won the Bahamas title.

Theres a whole slew of new Michigan fans inside the building the Heat call home. Theyve been watching the Wolverines whenever they can, and seeing Howard celebrate was cause for Spoelstra to celebrate as well.

I know hes dynamic as a human being and its his calling to be a mentor, Spoelstra said. So to me, it seemed like a perfect fit. He has a passion that just screams out of him for Michigan basketball. Its real. Its genuine. Hes following a legend. Its not easy to do. But hes a legend on campus and its super-unique.

So far, Howard and a new staff that includes former longtime St. Josephs head coach Phil Martelli have made just about every right call in his return to the program where he was part of the celebrated Fab Five recruiting class that led Michigan to two straight national-title games a quarter-century ago.

Howard took over when John Beilein left for the NBA a season after guiding the Wolverines to the national-title game. He inherited a team that lost top scorers Charles Matthews, Jordan Poole and Ignas Brazdeikis, but hasnt missed a beat.

Ive never been a guy thats always been about me-me-me, I-I-I, Howard said. But Ive also instilled that in our players, that we have to make each other better.

The early results have been impressive.

In the Bahamas Michigan shared the ball and had dominating offensive stretches in wins against No. 6 North Carolina and No. 8 Gonzaga on consecutive days. The Wolverines are playing at a faster tempo, going from averaging 69.6 points last year to 82.4 this year while ranking third nationally in shooting percentage (.529).

Senior point guard Zavier Simpson is leading the country at 9.7 assists per game. Big man Jon Teske was Atlantis most valuable player with his scoring, rebounding and interior defense. The versatile Isaiah Livers has blossomed from a complementary role to averaging a team-best 17 points along with growth from Eli Brooks (12.9) and David DeJulius (9.0).

Both Livers and Teske praised Howards approach. The 7-foot-1 Teske crediting Howards tips for preparing him to play well against strong front lines for UNC and Gonzaga.

Hes kind of more of a players coach where he understands the game, Livers said. You cant play the game if youre being controlled the whole time. Just go out there and get out and run, little stuff weve worked on since the first week of July: hit open shots and run and get the ball to that big fella down there.

Howard, 46, interviewed for multiple NBA jobs during his tenure as a Heat assistant. It was in a late-night interview strategy session last spring with Spoelstra who had spent years professing that Howard was ready to become a head coach when the Heat coach asked him about returning to the Wolverines.

We were preparing for like his fourth NBA interview, and it just happened in conversation, Spoelstra said. I said, What about the Michigan job? Isnt that open? Would you have an interest in that? And his whole face just lit up.

Spoelstra advised Howard to start calling college coaches that he knew and trusted, the Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin types.

And he did, Spoelstra said. He closed up shop and went to work.

Howard wound up getting his dream job. The Wolverines havent lost since. And Howard is dancing again.

The Cabbage Patch dance, though, thats full circle, Spoelstra said. That was epic.

___

AP Basketball Writer Aaron Beard in Paradise Island, Bahamas, contributed to this report.

Tom Izzo's 25th team at Michigan State might be one of his best.

All-America guard Cassius Winston is one of four returning starters from last season's team that won the Big Ten title and advanced to the Final Four.

Izzo has another quartet of players with some experience along with a freshman class that includes highly touted guard Mark Watts.

It all adds up to giving the Hall of Fame coach one of the nation's top teams. The Spartans might be ranked No. 1 when The Asociated Press college basketball poll is released next week.

"There's a chance we could be ranked No. 1 for the first time in the history of our school to start out the season, which means unfortunately nothing," Izzo said Tuesday at the team's media day. "The only team I know that went end to end in the last 20 years was (North) Carolina, and they beat us by 20-some at the beginning of the year and beat us by 18 at the end of the year."

The 2009 Tar Heels beat Michigan State 98-63 early in the season and won the rematch 89-72 for the national title, winning both games at Ford Field in Detroit.

Izzo reached the Final Four for the eighth time last season before falling short of winning it all for a second time, extending his national title drought to 19 years.

He seems to have another shot to contend for an NCAA championship with a talented, experienced and deep roster.

"I'm still proud of where we are, happy with where we're rated, wherever that is, excited about having a chance to live up to expectations," Izzo said. "But the reality of things is there's been a lot more loss than we're looking at, and that's what I'm trying to stay humble about."

Michigan State will be without the low-post scoring presence and rebounding of Nick Ward, who skipped his senior year to play professionally, and the outside shooting, defense and leadership provided by Matt McQuaid and Kenny Goins last season as seniors.

Izzo acknowledges there's a lot he likes about this team, but he isn't sure how well Joshua Langford and Kyle Ahrens will bounce back from injury-shortened seasons.

He also doesn't know who will start at forward next to Xavier Tillman and Aaron Henry.

The decision will be easier if the NCAA allows former Marquette forward Joey Hauser to play this season. Izzo expects to know if the 6-foot-9 Hauser, who averaged nearly 10 points last season, will be cleared to play this week.

Hauser is hoping for the best, but is prepared to sit out for the season.

"On the court in practice, I'm preparing like I'm going to play," he said. "And if I do get the waiver, it will be an awesome surprise."

If Hauser isn't eligible to play, sophomores Thomas Kithier, Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham are candidates to start.

Langford is expected to be among the first five on the floor after averaging 15 points in 13 games last season.

After needing season-ending surgery last winter, the senior shooting guard started playing basketball again last summer. He insisted there are no limitations placed on him during practice.

"I'm very comfortable out there doing anything and everything," Langford said. "There's not one thing I'm holding back on."

Michigan State is once again in the upper tier of men's college basketball, and head coach Tom Izzo always has his family close to the program, but this year is different.

Izzo's son, Steven, is on the roster. It's a goal Izzo set for his son.

"As always, when you do something like that, in this wonderful world of Twitter, people attack it. That's not his fault, blame me. It's my fault," Izzo said.

I've given up 18 years of my life, and he's given up 18 years of his life. I don't plan on starting him against Kentucky. I don't plan on playing him against Kentucky. But having him around, learning how to be a good teammate, learning how to be a little more disciplined, learning the inner side of what his father went through for 18 years, is absolutely priceless.

If somebody had kids, they'd have a better understanding. And by the way, I pay for his scholarship. He's on the Izzo scholarship, not on the MSU scholarship."