Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Take a peek behind the curtain and test drive the NEW StateNews.com today!

Saving the Streak

Several squads have chance to halt MSUs Breslin dominance

Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak and Cal Ripken’s 2,632 consecutive games played are recognized as two of the most famous streaks in all of sports.

The MSU basketball team is working on a pretty impressive streak of its own.

And with five home games over break, including tough matchups with No. 7 Arizona and Seton Hall, the Spartans’ 48-game home winning streak - the nation’s longest active streak - could be in danger.

But the Spartans insist they don’t pay attention to it, sophomore forward Adam Wolfe said.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t even think we think about it,” Wolfe said. “I don’t think it has been mentioned, maybe at the beginning of the year it did a little bit, but I don’t think it gets mentioned that often.

“It’s just something you have in the back of your head.”

Junior forward Adam Ballinger is proof of that nonchalant attitude.

“What are we at, 64?” Ballinger asked.

But Wolfe did acknowledge that the pressure to maintain the streak will rise when MSU plays Arizona on Dec. 15 and when it begins its Big Ten schedule.

“I’m sure it will be quite a burden when we play teams like that, but I’d be happy with 48 to tell you the truth,” Wolfe said after MSU’s win over Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne on Nov. 30, which extended the streak to 47.

The stress also builds when the Spartans see themselves on TV, Ballinger said.

“The pressure mounts when you see it on ‘SportsCenter,’” Ballinger said. “That’s when you kind of think ‘Oh boy,’ every home game you’re kind of putting that on the line.

“But when it comes to the actual game there’s a lot of pressure anyway.”

The streak began in 1998 when MSU beat North East Louisiana 89-58. MSU’s student fan section, the Izzone, became popular around that same time. And junior forward Al Anagonye gives those students credit for keeping the streak alive.

“One thing about the home-winning streak is we have to give credit to our crowd,” Anagonye said. “That really tells you what kind of crowd you have and what kind of energy they bring to the team.”

The freshmen on the team couldn’t comprehend just how much the crowd really helps until they actually played in front of it, freshman guard Kelvin Torbert said.

“You never realized how it is until you get on the floor and you witness it,” Torbert said. “Basically we feel it’s protecting our territory.”

The streak is also important to keep the legacy of the former players who started it alive, Ballinger said.

“You can’t set any limits,” Ballinger said. “We’re going to keep it going as far as we can. A lot of guys before us worked hard to keep this streak alive, and we’re going to do the same.”

Discussion

Share and discuss “Saving the Streak” on social media.