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Izzo: players staying, tough schedule, injuries
As summer approaches, many questions swirl about the MSU men's basketball team's next season.
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Highs and lows mark year's end at 26 wins
High: MSU opens the season with an offensive explosion, scoring more than 100 points in its first three games against Florida A&M, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Nicholls State.
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Seniors pass on knowledge
When Chris Hill, Alan Anderson and Kelvin Torbert joined the Spartans as freshmen, the team lacked a solid senior class to show them the ropes. Now that the senior trio is leaving, Anderson said he made sure to leave behind their knowledge and experience. "We never had that," Anderson said.
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Writer shares 'rules of the road'
My parrot is better than your honor student. That's a weird bumper sticker to have on that beat-up 1980s Ford truck, I thought while driving down the center of Interstate 69 in Indiana. As I peered into the driver's seat, expecting a guy in Army gear and a NASCAR hat, I couldn't believe my eyes.
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Team, media names Anderson team MVP
The MSU men's basketball team announced its award winners at its Basketball Bust on Monday. Senior swingman Alan Anderson was named the team's Most Valuable Player by both the team and the media. Along with senior guard Kelvin Torbert, Anderson also was awarded the John E.
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Izzo: Team needs big games from Hill, Torbert
Following a close loss to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, MSU head coach Tom Izzo said Sunday was a much better day. With calls from former coach Jud Heathcote and Earvin "Magic" Johnson and individual meetings with players, he said he felt better. "I've tried to come to grips with what this team is all about," Izzo said.
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Tulsa nabs Wojcik as coach
MSU head coach Tom Izzo is sending another apprentice out into the head coaching world. MSU associate head coach Doug Wojcik was hired by Tulsa on Monday to replace interim head coach Alvin Williamson, who led the Golden Hurricane to a 9-20 season after John Phillips resigned in December. Wojcik is the sixth coach under Izzo to nab a head coaching job. Wojcik will stick with MSU for the NCAA Tournament including Friday's opening game against Old Dominion, but has a short timetable to assemble his staff. Izzo joked at his weekly Monday press conference that the bad news was former MSU coach Jud Heathcote called to say he's interested in the position. "But I think I'm going for 10 years younger, and we're going to hire Gene Keady," Izzo said with a laugh. Izzo said when Wojcik came to MSU, there was an understanding it would be a short stop before he snagged a head coaching job but his contribution would help the Spartans and give Wojcik the extra experience he needed. Hiring Wojcik puts Tulsa back on track with past practices of hiring up-and-coming coaches including Tubby Smith, Bill Self and Buzz Peterson. Wojcik has spent two seasons at MSU, specializing in recruiting and scouting.
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Missed free throws hurt Spartans in upset loss versus Iowa
Chicago - He came into the game shooting almost 90 percent from the free-throw line. He had missed just 10 free throws all year coming into the game. But in 40 minutes of playing time, MSU senior swingman Alan Anderson missed five free throws, including two crucial misses with 6.5 seconds left in the game that gave Iowa a 71-69 win in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal game Friday at the United Center. For the game, MSU shot 15-for-30 from the charity stripe. "Never would I have thought we would shoot 50 percent from the free-throw line," Anderson said.
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Spartans' opponent fighting for NIT spot
MSU head coach Tom Izzo picked Northwestern as his sleeper team this year in the Big Ten. Although the Wildcats (14-13 overall, 6-8 Big Ten) have struggled with injuries and chemistry, they still are fighting for an NIT spot. "We've been hit by injuries and a lot of other things," Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody said.
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Izzo pleased with Bograkos
Tim Bograkos always has been a favorite of MSU head coach Tom Izzo. But lately, the senior guard has been garnering even more praise from his coach for his hard work and determination. "He's probably the hardest working, toughest player that we've got the last three or four years," Izzo said.
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Indiana's nonconference play pays off
Bloomington, Ind. - MSU head coach Tom Izzo wouldn't suggest to anyone in the world to play the type of schedule his team did last year. After playing Kansas, Duke, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Syracuse and UCLA in the nonconference conference, the Spartans lost all six games heading into the Big Ten. But although the schedule stripped his team of a lot of confidence, Izzo suggested that the experience of tough, close games would help MSU. That's one reason that Izzo knew Sunday's game against Indiana, an NCAA Tournament bubble team, would be a nail-biter. "Indiana is a good enough team.
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Izzo, Spartans look to erase 6-game winless record against Ryan, Badgers
When junior center Paul Davis looks back on six straight losses to No. 20 Wisconsin, he said he remembers the big plays. Although nearly all of them have been made by the Badgers, Davis said the Spartans (19-4 overall, 10-2 Big Ten) need to knock off Wisconsin (17-6, 10-2) to give them the lift needed to make a run in March during tournament time. "They beat us down there with the three," Davis said of MSU's last loss at Madison, Wis.
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Wolverines on 10-game skid
It has been a long season for Michigan. The Wolverines (12-15 overall, 3-10 Big Ten) have lost 10 straight games, including a 70-63 setback to Indiana at home.
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Coach tuning out, not worrying about team's portrayal in media
The pregame hype is sure to be built up on campus this week as No. 20 Wisconsin visits at 7 p.m. Thursday.
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6th straight road opponent shoots under 43 percent
West Lafayette, Ind. - On paper it looks simple. The MSU men's basketball team beat a less talented Purdue team 68-57 at Mackey Arena. But it wasn't pretty.
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Team perfect with Neitzel as starter; Purdue's Landry struggles with injury
West Lafayette, Ind. - It was another in a long line of career days for Drew Neitzel. The freshman guard scored a career-high 10 points to lead the No.
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Minnesota, MSU tip off today
Minnesota is a team with its back against the wall. At least that's how MSU head coach Tom Izzo and the No.
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Defense key to shutting down Hagen, Grier
Defense will be the name of the game Wednesday for the No. 11 MSU men's basketball team as the Spartans look to shut down Minnesota's dynamic duo of center Jeff Hagen and guard Vincent Grier. Grier has been hurting teams with his penetration into the lane, which the Spartans were able to stop in the teams' Jan.
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Anderson's career day leads team over U-M
Ann Arbor - It was Alan Anderson's day. The senior swingman had 16 points, including his 1,000th career point, to lead the No.
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U-M unable to slow down MSU's game
Ann Arbor - A shorthanded Michigan basketball team felt the best way to beat No. 13 MSU was to slow down the pace, hold the ball and hope that the Spartans were thrown off their game. After all, the strategy worked against No.