Michigan basketball has looked like one of the best teams in the country, at one point holding the sport’s No. 1 ranking for weeks as college basketball’s most dominant team.
But there’s an important statistic where they lag behind their in-state rivals: television ratings, where Michigan State basketball reigns supreme.
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That’s according to the most updated Nielsen ratings released Monday, Jan. 26, which list the Spartans as the most-watched team in men’s college basketball. And despite the Wolverines spending much of the current season as the nation’s top-ranked team, they don’t even show up in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings, with the Duke Blue Devils, Arkansas Razorbacks, North Carolina Tar Heels and Kentucky Wildcats all following the Spartans at No. 1.
And while television ratings aren’t a perfect measure of popularity, this metric could show that Spartans basketball still reigns supreme in the state’s college basketball scene.
The Big Ten is well represented with four schools in the current top-10 list of Nielsen ratings, with UCLA (No. 7), Indiana (No. 8) and Wisconsin (No. 10) following Michigan State. No other conference has more schools in the top 10, with the SEC getting three schools (Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee), the ACC getting two schools (Duke and North Carolina) and the Big 12 getting 1 school (Kansas at No. 6).
Though Michigan at 18-1 has the better overall record than Michigan State at 18-2, the Spartans have had a resurgent year, currently tied with the Wolverines in the Big Ten standings and ranked No. 8 overall in the latest coaches poll.
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If Michigan hoops fans want a bragging right (beyond their overall records and rankings), they can look at the Nielsen ratings for women’s college basketball teams, where the Wolverines place No. 7 and ahead of the Spartans, who are not in the top-10. However, Michigan is behind three other Big Ten teams in the women’s basketball Nielsen ratings, with Iowa (No. 2), USC (No. 3) and Maryland (No. 6) all ahead.
The No. 8-ranked Michigan State and No. 2-ranked Michigan men’s teams will face off Friday in the first of two highly anticipated matchups between the teams.
The women’s teams will face off two days later, with the No. 13-ranked Spartans hosting the No. 9-ranked Wolverines on Sunday.
Most watched men’s college basketball teams 2026
Numbers via Nielsen National TV Toolbox as of Jan. 26.
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Most watched women’s college basketball teams 2026
Numbers via Nielsen National TV Toolbox as of Jan. 26.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State most-watched college basketball team
