Michigan State basketball. WAY overrated

The Spartans may well be ranked in the top 5 teams in the country, but a look at their schedule suggests that they are either 1) overrated, or 2) cowardly.

Yes, I know. The hype has always been that Tom Izzo teams are "tough".

Yet consider that same schedule.

After opening the season against North Florida -- ever hear of it? -- they went up against Duke, and....

Promptly got trashed at a neutral site. And the Blue Devils were without the service of their best player, who left the game early with an injury.

Then a regular Hall of Shame that MSU had scheduled.

Stony Brook.

DePaul.

UConn -- not the women -- who likely would have defeated them -- but the pitiful men.

Rutgers.

Southern Utah.

Oakland.

Houston Baptist.

Long Beach State.

Cleveland State.

Savannah State.

What? No Campfire Girls, Urkels Anonymous, or a squad of paraplegic Syrian refugees to beat up on?

Thank God for small favors, but don't put such a thing past Izzo's Spartans.

Then they went to Ohio State, at least a Big Ten --or fourteen, but's who's counting? -- team.

And were promptly hammered.

A couple days later, back in the so-called safe confines of their own arena, MSU was taken to overtime by Rutgers, before barely squeaking out a win.  RUTGERS! In their own building!

Does that sound like a top team to you?

Not me. I see them getting beat several more times before the regular season is over.

Sure, they'll qualify for the NCAA tourney in a couple months. With a watered down field of 66 teams getting invites, MSU will no doubt get one of them, on reputation alone.

But it remains shameful the teams they schedule before they start conference play. And after getting blasted by the unranked Buckeyes and holding on for dear life against lowly Rutgers, it is truly difficult to imagine these guys are ALL THAT.

Do I really think Geno Auriemma and his Lady Huskies of UConn could have knocked off the boys from East Lansing?

Maybe not. But they would have given them a heck of a better game than the likes of Stony Brook, Houston Baptist, Oakland, Southern Utah, or North Florida.

It's just shameful the levels they stoop to to pad their record.