More than 400 multi-colored tents speckled Munn field Saturday night as devoted students sporting hats, coats and gloves waited to receive their coveted basketball tickets in the windy, bitter cold. "I'm wearing a fleece, a hoodie, my winter jacket, a long-sleeve T-shirt and a short-sleeve T-shirt," said finance junior Michelle Lee as she shivered.
The MSU men's and women's basketball teams are opening their arms to fans and students at its annual Midnight Mania event to kick off the 2004-05 season. Fans and students will have the chance to get autographs from coaches and players at 10:30 p.m.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo can resurrect his dignity after last season's playoff defeat against Nevada head coach Trent Johnson with this season's Spartan Clash at 4 p.m.
Detroit - History junior Sean McDaniel squinted as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight Thursday morning at Detroit's Hart Plaza. "Boy, having a reason to wake up early - besides school - was great," he said. McDaniel and a group of his friends were among the one million people who crowded into downtown Detroit on Thursday for an afternoon of celebration. The reason?
In front of a Breslin Center crowd that was buzzing with anticipation Saturday, Drew Neitzel, MSU's point guard of the future and recently-crowned Mr. Basketball of Michigan, scored 36 points and showed why he could be the missing ingredient for the Spartans next season. It was the biggest game of Neitzel's high school career, and it was on the biggest stage.
A beaming smile graced Earvin "Magic" Johnson's face as the scissors in his hand snipped the final piece of the net in Salt Lake City. The Spartans were champions. It was 25 years ago today the Spartans were national champions for the first time, captivating the nation and changing college hoops in East Lansing. "The first thing in memory is that it did revolutionize college basketball," said Billy Packer, a current analyst for CBS and broadcaster for the '79 championship game.
It was just like a real basketball game. Except, Breslin Center wasn't filled. There were no crazy hats, no face paint, no Izzone.
Seattle - For their NCAA Tournament first round game against Nevada, the Spartans goal was to stop all but one Wolf Pack player.
Masters student Matthew Wood completed his undergraduate studies at Nevada and never saw the Wolf Pack make it to the NCAA Basketball Tournament - until now. He sat anxiously watching the CBS Selection Sunday breakdown, happily knowing that both of his universities would be in the Big Dance. "I finally had two teams I could root for," Wood said.
Seattle - Heading into the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans know they could win the whole thing. They also know they could be knocked out in the first round against Nevada on Thursday night. In MSU's seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the No.
Rebound or else. That is the motto MSU head coach Tom Izzo tells his team heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Assuming MSU head coach Tom Izzo went home and dreamed about his team's NCAA Tournament chances after the Spartans found out they were a No.
The Spartans fell short on two of their goals for the 2003-04 season - winning the Big Ten regular season title and the Big Ten Tournament Championship - but there still is the chance of reaching one goal: a Final Four. And as unlikely as it might seem, the Spartans are serious. MSU received a No.
Indianapolis - The Spartans can't help their coach beat Bo Ryan. MSU had another opportunity to defeat Wisconsin on Saturday evening in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, but the Spartans' chance clanked off the back of the rim. Down by two points with 4.8 seconds on the clock, Spartans sophomore guard Maurice Ager grabbed a rebound and sprinted up the floor, but a last-ditch 18-foot jumper hit off the back of the rim, leaving the Badgers with a 68-66 triumph. "I don't think I could have gotten a better look," Ager said after the game.
State College, Pa. - Sharpen the scissors and get the ladders out of storage, because MSU is playing for a Big Ten Championship - and a chance to cut down the nets - Tuesday against Wisconsin at Breslin Center. The Spartans (17-9 overall, 12-3 Big Ten) beat Penn State, 67-42, on Saturday night, guaranteeing them at least a share of the Big Ten Championship if they win their regular season finale against the Badgers. "Everything now is one and done," head coach Tom Izzo said.
State College, Pa. - The Spartans are honoring a creed handed down from generation to generation: sharing. Against Penn State, nearly every Spartans shot was prefaced with pass.
The Big Ten is portrayed in the national media as the black sheep of the major conferences, and Tom Izzo doesn't like it. With the Big Ten's best record, MSU (16-9 overall, 11-3 Big Ten) is nearly a lock for the NCAA Tournament.
What a difference a game makes. Michigan's improbable win against Wisconsin on Sunday suddenly thrust the Wolverines into the batch of Big Ten NCAA Tournament hopefuls.
Like an aging boxer short on money, the MSU basketball team refused to give up. And as the Big Ten season winds down to its final rounds, the Spartans are proving the beatings they took only made them stronger. After MSU's first Big Ten game, a loss to Wisconsin, the team was two games under 500 - its worst start since the 1987-88 season - and had lost each of its marquee nonconference matchups.
As the freshman center bolted onto the court with just more than a minute left in MSU's Feb.