The No. 20 women's basketball team has the week off and will be preparing not only for its final three games, but the Big Ten Tournament as well.
"We had an interesting week last week," MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie said.
"It was a tale of two halves against Michigan, then a very unique game against Ohio State in which we did not play well, but that's just the way it goes sometimes."
The way it has been going this season for the Spartans (19-5 overall, 9-4 Big Ten) is not good of late.
Except for beating the two teams at the bottom of the conference, Wisconsin and Northwestern, at home by 25 and 24 points, MSU has not had an easy go of it for the last eight games.
The Spartans are 6-2 in those games, but have lived on the edge of defeat in six of the eight contests.
The road has given the Spartans the most success during the stretch, as they are 4-0 with a 10-point overtime win at Northwestern, a three-point victory at then-No. 9 Minnesota, a two-point win at Illinois and a five-point comeback win at U-M.
At home during the eight-game stretch, MSU lost to Iowa and Ohio State, both unranked teams trying to make a case to get into the NCAA tournament.
With 19 wins and a Top 25 ranking for most of the season, the Spartans are a near-lock for the NCAA Tournament.
There still are three games and the always-important Big Ten tournament left.
Games at No. 5 Purdue and No. 7 Penn State give MSU a very large opportunity to get momentum back in its favor.
Win or lose in those games, McCallie said she just wants her team to play so it has something to build from as it heads into the conference and NCAA tournaments.
"Outcomes aren't as important as how we play and how we fight at this point," McCallie said.
"I think it's a good opportunity for us."
The Spartans finish off the season on the road at Indiana.
Still holding
The Spartans still are in the Top 20, despite the loss to Ohio State.
MSU fell from No. 17 to No. 20 in The Associated Press poll. The Spartans now have been in the Top 20 since the Jan. 19 poll, which makes this the fifth straight week.
The string of rankings is a record for MSU, breaking the three-week mark held by the 1996-97 Spartans. That season, from Feb. 10 to March 2, MSU was ranked in the Top 20 as well.
Attendance rises
MSU's attendance is on the rise, and with one game left on the home schedule, it is close to breaking the season attendance record.
The Spartans are No. 17 in the nation in attendance, averaging 5,178 fans per game. Last season, the average attendance was 5,211 people per game. If 5,642 or more people attend the season finale against No. 7 Penn State, the Spartans will set a new record for average attendance in a season.
During the Spartans' previous seven conference games, MSU has drawn an average of 5,882 people per game.
