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.
You can probably remember a hundred times this season when junior guard Drew Neitzel water-bugged his way around the court to open himself up for a shot.
It couldn't have been scripted much better. MSU vs. Marquette. Tom Izzo vs. Tom Crean. Teacher vs.
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.
By most accounts, MSU already has secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans put a "signature win" on their résumé by beating then-No.
He's far too stubborn to admit it, but you could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice — Drew Neitzel was sick as a dog.
The group of clean-shaven Spartans is growing. Freshman center Tom Herzog showed up for Saturday's game with a completely shaved head, a la junior guard Drew Neitzel.
While the growing number of "bracketologists" attempting to predict the NCAA Tournament field are undoubtedly operating more from conjecture than fact — MSU men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo jokingly called them "proctologists" last week — their projections can be a fairly accurate gauge of a team's standing.
Drew Neitzel took the court on Saturday with a heavy heart and a hot hand. The junior guard lost a friend just two days before MSU's 81-49 win over Iowa at Breslin Center. Adam Visser, Neitzel's "good buddy from back home," died Thursday night.
The Big Ten Network will make a stop in East Lansing this weekend as part of its college basketball tour that is set to visit all 11 Big Ten schools throughout the 2007 season. The tour has been organized to promote the Big Ten Network's 24-hour coverage of sports that is set to debut on television in August. Fans in attendance at the MSU men's basketball game on Saturday will have the opportunity to win a trip for two to the 2007 or 2008 Big Ten men's basketball tournament when given a ticket while entering the game.
All-Star Weekend is just a week away, which means it's time for my yearly self-indulgent NBA column.
Before losing to Ohio State at home last week, Purdue was 12-0 at Mackey Arena this season. Before beating Penn State in State College, Pa., three days later, the Boilermakers hadn't won a road game in three years. So as the Spartans (17-7 overall, 4-5 Big Ten) travel to West Lafayette, Ind., tonight for an 8 p.m.
Tom Izzo is in the unique position of having coached against the two college basketball prospects who have pro scouts salivating the most. In addition to playing against Ohio State center Greg Oden the last two Saturdays, the Spartans also faced Kevin Durant — Texas' 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward — on Nov.
Mateen Cleaves walked to the middle of the court in front of a packed house at Breslin Center on Saturday, wiping tears from his eyes.
Freshman forward Raymar Morgan turned in one of his worst performances of the year on Saturday, finishing with two points on 1-of-8 shooting in 33 minutes of action.
Saturday's near-win at No. 5 Ohio State showed the MSU men's basketball team's tenacity, but tonight's game against Illinois might be a better indicator of the Spartans' resolve. Less than 72 hours removed from their extremely dramatic and taxing comeback against the Buckeyes, the Spartans (17-5 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) will need to find a way to rebound quickly against the struggling but dangerous Fighting Illini (15-8, 3-5), who are playing to resuscitate their fading postseason bid. "This is where you really make a statement, or you really grow up, or you really have a turning point," head coach Tom Izzo said Monday at his weekly press conference.
Columbus, Ohio — Trying to stop Greg Oden is like playing a game of Russian roulette — you pick your poison and hope you live to tell about it. After Saturday's game, MSU junior center Drew Naymick had no problem reciting the catalog of moves the all-world Ohio State freshman uses on the low post — the head fake, the drop step, the off-arm hook — "it's legal," Naymick said — all performed with textbook precision. "That's what makes him a great player," Naymick said. Oden's expansive repertoire — not to mention his brute force — has opened him up for dozens of uncontested highlight-reel dunks already this season.
Columbus, Ohio — They say close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. We really should consider expanding that saying to include the RPI. Because if MSU's oh-so-close 66-64 loss to No.
The MSU men's basketball team is about to enter the toughest part of its conference season. The Spartans face a brutal stretch that includes games against national title contenders in hostile environments. They'll face a Wooden Award front-runner (Wisconsin forward Alando Tucker), the likely No.
The Big Ten scheduling computer has not received a Christmas card from MSU men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo lately. The league plays a 16-game conference schedule, meaning each of its 11 schools plays six opposing teams twice and four teams once.