MSU Basketball has the longest active win streak vs. ranked teams on the road… by a lot

It has been quite a long time since Michigan State Basketball lost a game to a ranked team on the road. In fact, it’s been since Feb. 18, 2017, to be exact. The Spartans did it once again when they beat Duke in Cameron last night (which was also a big third win for Tom Izzo against Coach K) and the victory extended their winning streak against ranked teams on the road to nine games.

That’s good for the longest winning streak of that type in the country, and it’s not exactly close. Behind them is Creighton with three, then a lot of teams that have two.

Not only does Michigan State have the longest active win road streak against ranked teams on the road, in the words of BTN: “it’s not even close.” pic.twitter.com/kFLTRo08zG

— Kevin Knight (@SpartyOnHuskers) December 2, 2020

The last time Michigan State lost a game to a ranked team on the road was against Purdue in 2017. To give you some context, their leading scorer that night was Miles Bridges and Tum Tum Nairn led the team in assists. Yeah, it’s been a while.

The winning streak itself started later in 2019 (they didn’t face a ranked team on the road in the 2017-18 season) with a win over Ohio State. Nick Ward led the team in rebounds that night while Cassius Winston, of course, led the team in points and assists.

On the next page, we’ll layout every game of the winning streak.

Feb 17, 2019; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Thomas Kithier (15) grabs a rebound over Ohio State Buckeyes forward Kaleb Wesson (34) during the second half of a game at the Breslin Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Here are the nine teams the Spartans have beaten to earn their impressive streak:

1. No. 14 Ohio State (Jan. 5, 2019) – Leading scorer: Cassius Winston (25), Rebounds: Nick Ward (8), Assists: Cassius Winston (5)
2. No. 19 Iowa (Jan. 24, 2019) – Leading scorer: Cassius Winston (23), Rebounds: Nick Ward (10), Assists: Cassius Winston (7)
3. No. 20 Wisconsin (Feb. 12, 2019) – Leading scorer: Cassius Winston (23), Rebounds: Kenny Goins (9), Assists: Cassius Winston (6)
4. No. 7 Michigan (Feb. 24, 2019) – Leading scorer: Cassius Winston (27), Rebounds: Kenny Goins (11), Assists: Cassius Winston (8)
5. No. 12 Seton Hall (Nov. 14, 2019) – Leading scorer: Cassius Winston (21), Rebounds: Xavier Tillman Sr. (11), Assists: Cassius Winston (5)
6. No. 22 Illinois (Feb. 11, 2020) – Leading scorer: Rocket Watts (21), Rebounds: Xavier Tillman Sr. (11), Assists: Xavier Tillman Sr. (3)
7. No. 9 Maryland (Feb. 29, 2020) – Leading scorer: Xavier Tillman Sr. (18), Rebounds: Xavier Tillman Sr. (11), Assists: Cassius Winston (5)
8. No. 20 Penn State (Mar. 3, 2020) – Leading scorer: Xavier Tillman Sr. (23), Rebounds: Xavier Tillman Sr. (15), Assists: Cassius Winston (7)
9. No. 6 Duke (Dec. 1, 2020) – Leading scorer: Rocket Watts (20), Rebounds: Joey Hauser (10), Assists: Aaron Henry (5)