So far 2003 has been an awful year for the MSU men's basketball team.
But luckily for the Spartans (9-6 overall, 1-2 Big Ten), it is only 17 days into the new year and there is plenty of time to turn things around.
Since the beginning of the year, MSU is 1-3. And 2002 ended with a stunning 81-76 loss to Toledo on Dec. 30 at Breslin Center, making the Spartans 1-4 in their last five games.
A little shell-shocked by the seemingly endless bad luck on the court, MSU is looking to get its second win as soon as possible. That chance comes Saturday, when the Spartans travel to Minneapolis to take on the Golden Gophers (8-5, 0-2) at 2 p.m. in Williams Arena.
"Right now, I'm just thinking about this loss," freshman guard Maurice Ager said after MSU's 72-60 loss at Purdue on Tuesday night. "But we're going to bounce back and turn things around. It all starts with Minnesota."
The biggest problem for the Spartans this year has been playing on the road, and that is just what they'll have to do against the Golden Gophers. After Tuesday's loss, MSU dropped to 2-5 away from Breslin Center.
And if the past is any indication, MSU won't have an easy time in Williams Arena. In their first Big Ten game last year, the Spartans nearly stole one from the Golden Gophers, despite playing without then-junior forward Adam Ballinger and former guard Marcus Taylor.
But the fact remains, MSU lost 70-67, sending the Spartans into a tailspin to start the conference season.
"Williams is a tough place to play and it will be a challenge," senior forward Aloysius Anagonye said. "It's a shooters' gym and the floor is raised so it is like a stage.
"We just have to bring our games to get a win."
Minnesota hasn't started the Big Ten season the way head coach Dan Monson said it would, however the slow start can't be attributed to sophomore forward Rick Rickert. The 6-foot-11 big man has had anything but a sophomore slump, after taking home the honor for Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season.
Rickert is averaging a solid 14.2 points per game, despite coming off the bench against Nebraska where he didn't record a point. He also is Minnesota's leading rebounder (6.2 per game), which makes stopping Rickert a key to defeating the Gophers.
"He's very agile for how big he is," Ballinger said. "On some guys, you can back off and just concentrate on their post moves but he's one of those guys you can't back off of because he can pretty much do it all."
Helping out Rickert is guard Maurice Hargrow. The 6-foot-4 sophomore has quietly added 13.7 points and 4.9 boards per game.
The Gophers enter the game on a two-game skid. Minnesota fell 66-50 to Wisconsin on Wednesday night. That was preceded by a 76-70 loss at home to Illinois on Jan. 7.
But Anagonye said neither he nor his teammates are worried about the Gophers' recent cold streak. They are just concerned with righting their own ship. And after Saturday's game, Anagonye said MSU's ship will be sailing much smoother.
"We're going to get back," Anagonye said. "We're definitely going to get back."
