EAST LANSING — Michigan State basketball enters the season as the No. 1 team in the country and forward Adreian Payne is a first-team All-American, according to the publication known as the "bible" of the game.

The Spartans, who return four of their five starters from last season's Sweet 16 team, are followed in the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook Preseason Top 25 by No. 2 Kentucky, No. 3 Louisville, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 Arizona.

Michigan came in at No. 9 on the Blue Ribbon list, with sophomore power forward Mitch McGary a second-team preseason All-American pick.

Michigan State will have an early opportunity to prove worthy of its lofty ranking, as it plays Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 12 at the United Center in Chicago in the Champions Classic.

The Spartans return 84.2 percent of their scoring from a season ago, 79.3 percent of their rebounding, 84 percent of their assists and 83.1 percent of the minutes played.

Other Big Ten teams ranked in the annual's magazine as Top 25 programs this season are Ohio State (11) and Iowa (24).

Chris Dortch, the editor and president of the Blue Ribbon Yearbook — BlueRibbonYearbookOnline.com — said he understands why other prognosticators have Kentucky No. 1, but he has his reasons for going with Coach Tom Izzo and the Spartans.

"It would be kind of easy to pick Kentucky No. 1 because of that gold mine of talent that they've got, and there's no question, a lot of the guys, you look at the Top 10 of the (NBA) draft, and half the guys could be theirs,'' Dortch said. "But I've covered this game long enough to know that experience can be the great equalizer against a team as loaded as Kentucky.

"I think Michigan State is experienced, I really like Keith Appling and Gary Harris. Adreian Payne is on our cover, one of our five All-Americans, his decision to stay was huge,'' said Dortch, who has Harris on his fourth-team preseason All-American team. "And Tom, he'll play anybody, anywhere, any time, in Germany or on a boat, he's got it dead on, those types of games get them ready for postseason.''

Dortch went on to say he'd be "shocked" if the Spartans aren't in the Final Four this season.

The Blue Ribbon preseason All-American teams are as follows:

FIRST TEAM

DOUG MCDERMOTT: 6-8 SR, Creighton

ANDREW WIGGINS: 6-8 FR, Kansas

ADREIAN PAYNE: 6-10, SR, Michigan State

MARCUS SMART: 6-4 SO, Oklahoma State

RUSS SMITH: 6-0 SR, Louisville

SECOND TEAM

JULIUS RANDLE: 6-9 FR, Kentucky

JABARI PARKER: 6-8 FR, Duke

MITCH MCGARY: 6-10 SO, Michigan

JOE HARRIS: 6-6 SR, Virginia

JAHII CARSON: 6-1 SO, Arizona State

THIRD TEAM

C.J. FAIR: 6-8 SR, Syracuse

CORY JEFFERSON: 6-9 SR, Baylor

DAVANTE GARDNER: 6-8 SR, Marquette

AARON CRAFT: 6-2 SR, Ohio State

SPENCER DINWIDDIE: 6-6 JR, Colorado

FOURTH TEAM

AARON GORDON: 6-8 FR, Arizona

JARNELL STOKES: 6-8, JR, Tennessee

RASHEED SULAIMON: 6-4 SO, Duke

SHABAZZ NAPIER: 6-1 SR, Connecticut

GARY HARRIS: 6-4 SO, Michigan State

BLUE RIBBON TOP 25

1. Michigan State

2. Kentucky

3. Louisville

4. Duke

5. Arizona

6. Kansas

7. Florida

8. Syracuse

9. Michigan

10. North Carolina

11. Ohio State

12. Oklahoma State

13. Wichita State

14. Gonzaga

15. Connecticut

16. Marquette

17. Memphis

18. VCU

19. Notre Dame

20. Tennessee

21. Creighton

22. Baylor

23. Colorado

24. Iowa

25. New Mexico

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