Though the Spartans walked away with the victory, problems of efficiency and consistency were seen on the court, leaving MSU head coach Tom Izzo to be dissatisfied with the team's performance. 

In a tale of two halves, the Spartans were plagued from the free throw line, shooting only 68% on 25 attempts. They were also plagued in their three-point shooting, going 6-for-25. These two problems have been harped on by Izzo not just this season, but in past seasons as well. 

If it wants to be what it needs to be, MSU basketball must sink free throws, just as it must sink three-point shots.

After traveling to New York for the Champions Classic against No. 12 Kentucky, MSU will return home to host Detroit Mercy on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Breslin Center.

Hockey

No. 1 MSU hockey faced its first Big Ten road test of the season against Notre Dame on Friday and Saturday, earning a 4-1 victory in Game 1 and a 3-1 win in Game 2. With the sweep, the Spartans remain undefeated in conference play and will host No. 7 Wisconsin on Friday, Nov. 21, at 8:30 p.m. EST and Saturday, Nov. 22, at 7:00 p.m. EST.

MSU got to its game quickly in Game 1, with freshman forward Porter Martone scoring the first goal of the night and adding another in the second period. The Spartans remained poised to earn a 4-1 victory, despite surrendering one power-play goal. Junior netminder Trey Augustine recorded 24 saves, and senior goaltender Dolan Gilbert made his first appearance as a Spartan in the final minute.

In Game 2, the Spartans scored within the first 90 seconds, off the stick of freshman forward Ryker Lee. However, the team struggled to break the puck out in the first period. MSU’s offense improved as the game progressed, although the Irish still converted on a power play. Augustine tallied 28 saves to earn the 3-1 victory and series sweep. 

Football

MSU football continues to struggle, dropping its seventh straight game after falling to Penn State 28-10 in a matchup between teams still seeking their first Big Ten win.

The defense did its part, holding the Nittany Lions to just 14 points through three quarters and keeping it a 14-10 game heading into the fourth. The issue was the Spartans’ offense.

Aside from a 57-yard touchdown run on MSU’s first offensive snap, the unit sputtered, crossing midfield only twice in the second half.

Redshirt senior running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver was the lone bright spot. On top of his opening score, he totaled 152 all-purpose yards and led the team in both rushing and receiving.

MSU now sits at 3-7 and at the bottom of the Big Ten standings, still searching for success. Its next opportunity comes Saturday in Iowa City against No. 21 Iowa as head coach Jonathan Smith continues to preach patience.

"We've got to get better. We got to grow. We got to develop," Smith said after Saturday’s game. "We need another year of development of the current roster and a recruiting class to keep this thing getting into a better direction. I'm still confident in our approach."

Women’s Soccer

No. 9 Michigan State women’s soccer advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 4-1 win over Milwaukee on Friday. The Spartans will play Wake Forest at DeMartin Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 6:00 p.m., hosting their first ever second-round game.

Junior forward Kennedy Bell kicked off the scoring with a neat finish on a giveaway before going down with a shoulder injury. Head coach Jeff Hosler said post-match that Bell was left on the bench for the rest of the game as a precaution and that she will be available as they continue on in their post-season.

Senior defender Sofia Beerworth and junior midfielder Kayla Briggs combined for MSU’s second goal of the match, Beerworth putting Briggs through to fire on goal. Redshirt junior midfielder Emerson Sargeant added a third a few minutes later, continuing her impressive run this season.

Redshirt sophomore forward Adelle Francis put the game to bed when she added a fourth before Milwaukee pulled one back, taking advantage of the heavy rotation of substitutes. 

The game marked a successful start to the NCAA tournament where the Spartans will look to make a deep run. 

Women’s Basketball

The No. 22 MSU women’s basketball team has continued to tire out, frustrate and ultimately overwhelm its opponents, improving to a perfect 4-0 start.

Defense has been the centerpiece so far, with the Spartans averaging 18.2 steals per game and forcing 30.5 turnovers — pressure that has helped fuel an offense that has scored at least 90 points in every game.

The biggest performance of the week came in Sunday’s 98-44 win over Western Michigan, when redshirt senior forward Isaline Alexander scored a career-high 20 points on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting from the field.

"After the game in the locker room I specifically pointed out Isa [Alexander], because it’s really hard to be out for two whole seasons and just all the pieces that go with that," MSU women’s basketball head coach Robyn Fralick said after Sunday’s game. "The mental pieces, the emotional pieces, and then keeping your physical body ready for when you do return."

MSU will close its six-game homestand this week, hosting Eastern Illinois on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. before welcoming Oakland to Breslin Center on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Volleyball

MSU Volleyball closed out the week with two tough losses against Big Ten rivals.

On Friday at the Breslin Center, the Spartans fell to No. 11 Wisconsin, 0–3, as a result of unforced errors and defensive hesitation.

Then on Sunday in Ann Arbor, MSU dropped another 0–3 match to rival Michigan, falling 19–25, 19–25, and 18–25.

Head coach Kristen Kelsay reflected on the week, saying, "The frustrating part was that we’d get the situation we wanted, but then we weren’t able to capitalize on it."

With both of these disappointing results, Michigan State moves to 18-8 overall and falls to No. 42 in the overall rankings. The Spartans continue their road swing, turning their attention to their next match against Penn State on Friday, Nov. 21.

Cross Country

The MSU men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the Great Lakes Regional Championships on Friday in Evansville, Indiana, with both squads finishing fourth in their respective races.

Sophomore Rachel Forsyth led the way for the women, placing third in the 6K with a season-best time of 19:45.2 to earn All-Region honors. She was joined on the All-Region list by juniors Paige Marchant and Taylor Pangburn, who finished 21st and 25th.

The men also came away with three All-Region honorees. Senior Riley Hough placed 10th, redshirt freshman Thomas Westphal finished 12th and graduate student Jack Pennewell took 22nd.

Though neither team placed high enough to automatically qualify for the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships, the men earned an at-large bid based on their performance. They will race Saturday in Columbia, Missouri, alongside Forsyth, who received an automatic individual bid as a top four finisher. The women’s 6K begins at 10:20 a.m., followed by the men’s 10K at 11:10 a.m.

Wrestling

MSU wrestling opened its season this past week with two road duals.

The Spartans began in Brookville, New York, on Friday, dominating Long Island in a 34-0 shutout. On Sunday, they traveled to Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where they fell 24-16 to Rider, evening their record at 1-1 in the early season.

Next up is the Keystone Classic on Sunday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Men’s Tennis

MSU men’s tennis is sending two athletes to the NCAA Individual Championships, with senior Ozan Baris and sophomore Matthew Forbes both qualifying for the event.

It marks a historic moment for the program, as this is the first time in the modern era that the Spartans have multiple seeded players in the NCAA singles draw.

Baris enters ranked No. 7 nationally and holds the No. 8 seed for the tournament, while Forbes is slotted as the No. 4 seed.

The tournament will run Tuesday through Sunday, Nov. 18–23, at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.