The Lady Spartans surge to a program-best start, conquering ranked opponents and forging a dominant winning streak.
If you haven’t been paying attention to the Lady Spartans, it’s about time you open your eyes.
Michigan State just knocked off No. 24 Nebraska in a tight 73–71 victory. The win marked the Spartans’ ninth straight and their 17th in 18 games, setting a new program record for the best start in school history.
The season began with eight straight wins before Michigan State suffered its first—and still only—loss of the year at the hands of Wisconsin. That defeat came just two weeks after Wisconsin also took down the then–No. 1 Michigan State men’s hockey team, as the Badgers briefly had the green and white’s number.
But the Spartans didn’t crumble. Instead, they responded exactly how elite teams do—by starting another winning streak. That streak now sits at nine games and includes marquee wins over No. 15 Ole Miss, No. 23 Washington, and now No. 24 Nebraska.
Michigan State currently sits 15th in the AP Poll and 14th in the Coaches Poll. Within the Big Ten, the Spartans are viewed as the league’s fifth- or sixth-best team depending on the poll. Ohio State sits one spot ahead of MSU in the AP Poll and one spot behind them in the Coaches Poll.
With the win over Nebraska, the Spartans remain undefeated in conference play at 3–0. They are one of just four unbeaten teams in the Big Ten, alongside Iowa, UCLA, and Michigan.
What makes this start even more impressive is the consistency Michigan State has shown on both ends of the floor. The Spartans have proven they can win close games, grind out defensive battles, and respond when momentum swings against them. That balance has become a calling card of Robyn Fralick’s teams during her time in East Lansing, and it’s on full display again this season as Michigan State continues to check off milestones that once felt out of reach.
The Spartans are led by head coach Robyn Fralick, who took over in East Lansing in 2023. Prior to Michigan State, Fralick spent time as the head coach at Ashland—where she won the Division II NCAA Championship in 2017—and then Bowling Green, where she coached for six seasons before making the jump to the Big Ten.
Fralick has been encouraging not just Spartan fans, but the entire community to come out and support the women’s basketball program. As she put it, “Bring a friend, bring a cousin, bring an aunt.”
And it’s advice worth following. This team is brewing something special.
Leading the way is Grace VanSlooten, who paces the Spartans with 15.0 points per game—ranking 16th in the Big Ten. She’s been about as consistent as peanut butter and jelly in your lunch bag, hitting over 52% of her shots on the season, which ranks ninth in the conference.
Kennedy Blair leads the team on the glass, averaging 7.1 rebounds per game—11th in the Big Ten—while VanSlooten follows closely at 6.1 rebounds per contest, tied for 18th in the league.
Emma Shumate leads Michigan State in three-pointers made per game at 2.2, tying her for 11th in the Big Ten. Rashunda Jones sets the tone defensively, averaging 2.6 steals per game—second in the Big Ten and tied for 47th nationally.
The Spartans face their biggest test of the season this Sunday, January 18, when they travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes at 8 p.m. Iowa enters the matchup ranked 11th in the AP Poll and 13th in the Coaches Poll.
Be sure to tune into the Big Ten Network on Sunday night as this special season continues to unfold.