Following the loss to the Wolverines, MSU hoped to rebound with a victory against Minnesota in Minneapolis. It didn’t. For a majority of the game, the Spartans played discombobulated, and this allowed the Golden Gophers to snatch a comfortable 16 point lead late in the second half. Like it did against Michigan, MSU battled late and made the game close, but the deficit was too much to overcome. For the second game in a row, MSU falls, this time to Minnesota by the score of 76-73.

Later this weekend, MSU faces off against Illinois in a top-10 matchup that will be monumental to the Spartans' hopes of a top-2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Saturday’s game will tip at 8:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox.

Hockey

The No. 2 Michigan State hockey team swept then-No. 5 Penn State last weekend, moving to a second-place spot in the Big Ten standings. Freshman winger Anthony Romani scored an empty-net goal in the opening game, sealing a 6-3 win as well as his first collegiate hat trick. 

The Spartans competed on an outdoor rink at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium the following day, earning a 5-4 overtime win. Senior center Charlie Stramel also recorded a hat trick, scoring the game-winning goal, as well as a crucial goal to tie the game before final intermission. 

MSU’s next competition is against No. 1 Michigan, who holds the top spot in the Big Ten. The rivals will clash in Ann Arbor on Friday before closing out the series on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena for their annual Duel in the D contest. 

Women’s Basketball

No. 12 MSU women’s basketball had an up and down week, after dominating Purdue on the road 86-65 they returned to East Lansing on Sunday for a rivalry showdown with then-No. 9 Michigan. In the first ever top-15 battle between rivals Michigan won 94-91 in an overtime thriller. 

Senior guard Jalyn Brown stepped up in her first ever taste of the rivalry, scoring 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Blair also shined, scoring 21 points and adding 10 rebounds for a double-double. 

The Spartans tried to bounce back Wednesday against No. 22 Maryland at Breslin Center, but turnovers stopped the team from getting back on track. MSU didn’t play as a team, a message head coach Robyn Fralick has preached all season, and ultimately led to 20 turnovers in a disappointing 86-70 loss. Next up the Spartans travel to University Park, Pennsylvania to play Penn State on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Gymnastics

No. 15 MSU women’s gymnastics had a week of ups and downs, finishing with a rivalry match in Ann Arbor against then-No. 10 Michigan. In the first top-15 dual between the programs, the Spartans achieved a narrow 197.525 to 197.425 victory over the Wolverines, scoring a season-high team total in an exciting meet.

Senior all-rounder MaKayla Tucker stepped up for her first experience of the rivalry, posting a strong score all-around and leading MSU’s efforts. Sophomore Nikki Smith also stood out with important event scores that helped the Spartans pull ahead late in the competition.

Next, the Spartans will host No. 22 Maryland at Jenison Field House before traveling to University Park, Pennsylvania, to face Penn State on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Wrestling

Michigan State wrestling returned home to Jenison Field House, taking down Northwestern to get their first Big Ten win of the season. They snapped a 5-game losing streak, four of which came from conference play, in front of their home crowd in dramatic fashion with a 22-20 win.

MSU took a demanding 22-9 lead into the final matches of the dual, where they would hold off a Northwestern attempt to come back despite losing the closing three matches, earning a narrow victory.

The Spartans return to action at Jenison Field House on Sunday, February 8th at 1pm as they take on the Iowa Hawkeyes looking to continue the momentum from their first conference win of the season.

Softball

MSU softball will begin its season with the NFCA Leadoff Classic as they travel to Clearwater, Florida to face five different opponents. First they face off against BYU Friday at 5 p.m. followed by Auburn at 8 p.m. Then on Saturday they play Longwood at 12 p.m. and Pittsburgh at 3 p.m., before ending with Clemson on Sunday at 10 a.m.

Women’s Tennis

MSU women’s tennis opened their season at home with a double header against Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan. The Spartans completed a sweep of both opponents and put an end to Eastern Michigan’s 6-game undefeated streak. MSU starts their season 2-0 and remains at home to take on Xavier and Gonzaga this weekend.

Men’s Tennis

MSU men’s tennis begins its spring season by welcoming Tennessee to the MSU Indoor Tennis Center on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Track & Field

MSU track and field split up over the weekend to the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational and the Meyo Invitational. At the Meyo Invitational sophomore Rylan Finstrom won the women’s shot put with a personal-best 16.55m throw while sophomore Dillon Morlock won the men’s shot put with a personal-best throw of 19.09m.

Meanwhile at the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational graduate student Logan Allen tied the school record in the 60m Hurdles with a time of 7.77 and finished second.

The team will now travel to Ann Arbor on Saturday for the Michigan Invitational.

Women’s Golf

Senior Taylor Kehoe tied for 15th place to lead MSU's women's golf team to an eighth-place finish among 18 teams at the Puerto Rico Classic, played at the Grande Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande. 

The three-day tournament included nine teams ranked among the top-50 in the country, and was originally slated for three days but was shortened to two due to inclement weather concerns. The Spartans posted scores of 283 and 284 to finish at 9-under par 567 through two rounds on Sunday and finished with a 294 on Monday to place eighth at 3-under par 861.

MSU now returns to East Lansing as they will not return to action until Feb. 15 for the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational in Sarasota, Florida.