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Basketball

BASKETBALL

Morgan scores 11 for men's U-19 squad

Raymar Morgan scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting as the U.S. Basketball Under-19 World Championship Team defeated Mali, 118-56, in the opening game of the tournament Thursday in Novi Sad, Serbia. Morgan, who has earned a spot in the starting lineup, scored seven of his 11 points in the first half as Team USA opened the game with a 21-0 run.

BASKETBALL

Morgan performs well in Global Games

MSU sophomore forward Raymar Morgan has helped the USA Basketball Under-19 World Championship Team jump out to a perfect 3-0 record in the Global Games. Morgan poured in 13 points and grabbed five rebounds as Team USA defeated Africa 102-51 in their opening contest.

BASKETBALL

Neitzel to participate in Pan-Am tryouts

MSU senior guard Drew Neitzel has accepted an invitation to try out for the 2007 USA Basketball Pan American Games on July 12-14 at Haverford College (Pa.). Neitzel will compete against 29 other top collegiate players in the country for the chance to make the final 12-player roster. Of the 30 players partaking in the trials, 14 will be seniors in 2007-08, 11 will be juniors and five will be sophomores.

BASKETBALL

Neitzel scores AP honorable mention

The Associated Press recently named MSU junior basketball guard Drew Neitzel as Honorable Mention All-America. Scoring 20 or more points in 17 games during the season, Neitzel averaged a team-best 18.1 points per game — good for fourth-highest in the Big Ten.

BASKETBALL

Forget conference awards, here's the superlatives you really need to know

Now that the MSU basketball team's season has come to a close, it's time to hand out some awards. Most likely to say something that can't be printed in The State News without heavy editing — sophomore guard Travis Walton Walton is pretty tame when he's speaking at the podium during post-game press conferences, but if you're in earshot when the Spartans huddle up before taking the court, prepare for some fantastic sound bites.

BASKETBALL

Spartans could be 13 deep next season, Joseph may transfer

The locker room is empty. The equipment is packed away. The players are on hiatus for two weeks — "13 1/2 more days than last year," head coach Tom Izzo said. The season is over for the MSU men's basketball team — a grueling campaign that saw the Spartans go from preseason doormat to a few minutes away from a Sweet 16 berth. "The biggest problem now is where do we go?" Izzo said Wednesday at his year-end press conference.

BASKETBALL

Tourney time a holiday for hoops reporter

State News basketball reporter Tom Keller covered MSU's postseason run last week in Winston-Salem, N.C., and was reminded why this is his favorite — and most fattening — time of year. If you don't like the NCAA Tournament, I'm not sure we can be friends.

BASKETBALL

Tales of the 1,300 tapes

Ever wish you could watch film of every 3-pointer Drew Neitzel has ever made off the dribble out of a timeout in a road game? Kevin Pauga can make it happen. Pauga, the video coordinator for the MSU men's basketball team, manages a film scouting system that puts Blockbuster to shame.

BASKETBALL

Spartans make early Big Ten exits

Chicago — Since MSU's loss to Wisconsin in Friday's quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, Badgers star Alando Tucker has been lambasted in many MSU circles as a classless, heartless thug.