For someone who never in her career has had the pleasure of defeating Michigan before Jan. 30, nothing would be sweeter for senior forward Syreeta Bromfield than a season-sweep of the Wolverines during her last year as a Spartan. Bromfield and the rest of the MSU squad (13-8 overall, 6-4 Big Ten) will get that chance when the two teams match up at 2:15 p.m.
Ann Arbor - Imagine you are Northern Michigan goalie Craig Kowalski. You have done everything but stand on your head to keep your Wildcats within a goal of perennial CCHA powerhouse Michigan. But late in the third period, a rogue Michigan blast slips by you for a 3-1 Wolverine lead - and the game is now out of reach. Hanging your head in despair, you stare at the ice and realize where you are: the University of Michigan's Yost Ice Arena. For an opposing goalie, just call it hell frozen over. And the fans gleefully start their ritualistic torment.
Staggering into the Big Ten season with back-to-back losses has forced the Spartans to dance on the NCAA Tournament bubble much of the season. And in just over a month - on March 16, to be exact - the field of 65 will be released.
If Nenad Gajic scores against Michigan tonight, his parents, Lazo and Helen Gajic, are going to stick out like sore thumbs at Yost Ice Arena. After all, Nenad is an MSU hockey player, and the Spartans and their parents are considered enemies in Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor - Coming into Friday night's rivalry matchup with No. 8 Michigan, the MSU hockey team stressed the importance of playing well in the first 10 minutes of the game. Unfortunately for the Spartans, they couldn't even finish their first shift before they were trailing 1-0.
The conference's top defensive squads clash today at Breslin Center. No. 22 Ohio State (17-5 overall, 8-3 Big Ten) leads the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing 56.2 points per game, while MSU (13-8, 6-4) finishes a second, surrendering 59.
In MSU's 64-53 loss to Wisconsin on Tuesday, the Badger defense had an answer for every Spartan offensive option - except freshman forward Erazem Lorbek.
There is no shortage of intriguing matches as the Spartan hockey team readies for its last eight regular-season games of the year. Fourth-place MSU plays archrival Michigan four times in the next three weeks, starting with this weekend's home-and-home series. Sandwiched between those rivalry tussles is a series against Northern Michigan at Munn Ice Arena on Feb.
In the fall, Kevin Estrada could hardly bring himself to discuss his role with the MSU hockey team. The highly skilled sophomore's confidence had been free-falling since the beginning of his unconvincing rookie campaign and it finally bottomed out. New head coach Rick Comley's more open offensive style was supposed to be the boost Estrada needed to be a goal-scoring force in the CCHA this year, but the first two months of the season netted him no goals, one assist and four healthy scratches. Estrada, a left wing, was already miffed about not being able to score in college.
With the 2003 season on the horizon, the MSU softball team is hoping for a complete turnaround from its 2002 campaign.Last season the Spartans went 24-35 while winning just four of 19 Big Ten contests.
Madison, Wis. - A feisty Wisconsin team proved to be too much for the Spartans on Tuesday night. MSU fell to the Badgers 64-53, ending the Spartans' three-game winning streak at the Kohl Center in front of 17,142 fans - many arriving late because of a snowstorm. "We played good enough to bounce back but in critical times, we kind of ran out of gas," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said.
Track and FieldThe MSU men's and women's track teams went to South Bend, Ind., over the weekend to compete against Notre Dame and six other teams in the Meyo Invitational.Friday, redshirt freshman Julien Williams took second place in the long jump, while junior Steve Manz placed by taking sixth in the weight throw.
If it doesn't concern tonight's game at Wisconsin, the MSU men's basketball team is lending only a deaf ear and a blind eye.The Spartans (13-8 overall, 5-4 Big Ten) have won three straight games, putting them two games out of the conference lead and in a fifth-place tie with Minnesota.But MSU head coach Tom Izzo said forecasting later games is useless in light of the Spartans' lackluster Big Ten start."If we get this one, I guess we'd be somewhat back in the race," Izzo said.
The MSU men's basketball team had only one game since last week's polls came out, but the Spartans didn't get any respect after a 67-62 overtime victory against Indiana on Saturday. Voters in The Associated Press Top 25 poll obviously weren't impressed with the Spartans' (13-8 overall, 5-4 Big Ten) road win, nor their three-game winning streak as MSU actually lost 20 votes in the poll. The Spartans received only 11 votes, just one week after picking up 31.
Three members of the MSU wrestling team had impressive showings over the weekend at the Edinboro Open.Freshman Andy Simmons garnered the most success, recording five pins to take first place in the 141-pound division.
If 50 million Elvis fans can't be wrong, then 63 million soccer fans just might be onto something. That's right, nearly 63 million people watched the final of the World Cup this past summer.
Bloomington, Ind. - As usual, Alan Anderson wanted to be the Spartans' leader and help his team to victory. Saturday night, the sophomore forward did just that.
Bloomington, Ind. - If MSU's narrow victory over No. 16 Illinois last week moved the team off the respirator of Big Ten contention, Saturday's 67-62 dramatic overtime defeat of Indiana might have upgraded the team to stable condition. Saturday's win was the Spartans' (13-8 overall, 5-4 Big Ten) third consecutive conference victory and their first road win since beating Kentucky in mid-December.
Bowling Green, Ohio - MSU head coach Rick Comley had a feeling Bowling Green's power-play scheme would crumble under constant stress. So on Saturday, Comley threw everything in his penalty-killing arsenal at the Falcons. The Spartans forechecked aggressively, pressed the Falcons through the neutral zone and harassed the Bowling Green power-play unit around the offensive zone en route to a 6-3 win at BGSU Ice Arena. "We felt they were vulnerable to pressure," Comley said.
The MSU wrestling team continued its successful homestand with stunning upsets against Iowa and archrival Michigan.The 14th-ranked Spartans (7-5, 4-1 Big Ten) defeated the No.