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Senior shares tale of rings
At nearly 7 feet tall, it's doubtful anyone would confuse senior center Jason Andreas with a Hobbit.
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Izzo lashes out against 'U' student fan section
Tom Izzo loves the Izzone - 90 percent of the time. It's the other 10 percent that makes him question having the Spartans' cheering section. Late in the second half of MSU's 69-58 win over Minnesota on Saturday, the Izzone started chanting "UN-EM-PLOY-MENT" to Golden Gophers head coach Dan Monson, the main reason being Minnesota's 1-10 record in the conference. Izzo said he didn't hear it in the waning minutes of the game, but he was "ticked off" when he caught word of the chant. "If I would have heard that, it would have been worth a technical to walk over and smack somebody," Izzo said.
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Timely Turnaround
There must be something about head coach Tom Izzo's halftime speeches. In a scene repeated time after time this season, the Spartans sputtered from the opening tip until the first-half buzzer.
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Spartans take road, seek revenge against Illinois
The past is in the past, or so the saying goes. But the Spartans say last year's game against Illinois in Champaign isn't erased from their memories. It's a game that MSU would like to forget, but for the sake of revenge, the team has scrapped through a year's load of memories to bring the 70-40 shellacking to the forefront of its brain. At one point, the Spartans trailed 69-28 with less than three minutes to play in the game before ending the contest on a 12-1 run. "Oh, we remember," senior center Jason Andreas said.
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Spartans have reason to worry about Worley, Iowa
Outside East Lansing, Glen Worley is just another college basketball player. Iowa's 6-foot-7 senior forward isn't recognized as a star or a prime-time player, and his numbers aren't gaudy.
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Milestone has Izzo considering future
When it comes to the expectations placed on college basketball coaches these days, perhaps Janet Jackson said it best with the title of her 1986 hit, "What Have You Done for Me Lately?" Coach Tom Izzo will have a chance to notch his 200th win as MSU's head coach against Iowa on Wednesday.
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Despite record, Izzo happy with Hill, Spartans' performance
This isn't where MSU head coach Tom Izzo saw his team 16 games into the season. The Spartans (8-8 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) are out of the rankings and have been since mid-December.
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Rowley's return could bolster needed inside presence
The Spartans could be adding another big body to their rotation, just in time for the meat of the Big Ten schedule. Redshirt freshman forward Delco Rowley practiced for the first time Monday since spraining his left knee Dec.
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Davis shines in win
Paul Davis had the look of a beaten warrior. Blood seeped through a small bandage covering his right eyebrow.
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Duke, 'U' collide for first time since '99
On Sunday afternoon, MSU senior center Jason Andreas and his fellow captains, junior guard Chris Hill and junior swingman Alan Anderson, lifted the Coca-Cola Spartan Classic trophy. Minutes after the game, the Duke lineup appeared on the dry-erase board in the Spartans' locker room. "We're going to enjoy this championship for a couple hours," Andreas said after MSU's 89-81 win over DePaul.
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Naymick still adjusting in Spartans' system
"Drew, Drew!" While coming off a screen last week and waving his hand toward the point, freshman walk-on guard Tyrone Deacon tried to direct his teammate Drew Naymick to where he was supposed to be, while the Spartans went over a new offensive set.
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Exorcising the Demons
If a breakout season is what those outside East Lansing are expecting from junior guard Kelvin Torbert, they'll have to be satisfied with a breakout tournament instead. Torbert and No.
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Grueling schedule begins tonight against Kansas
And so it begins. After being discussed, criticized and examined to near exhaustion, the murderous nonconference schedule facing the No.
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Izzo calls team 'soft' after game, demands toughness
Tom Izzo slammed his right fist into the palm of his left hand. The veins were clearly visible in his forehead and neck as he screamed across the court to any Spartan who would listen. It was a reoccurring scene Friday night in the Spartans' sloppy, 64-52 victory over Bucknell at Breslin Center. Rebounding, a staple in MSU's program during Izzo's tenure, evaporated against the Bison (0-1). The Spartans (1-0) weren't crashing the boards, and when the final buzzer sounded, MSU was slimly the victor in the rebounding category, 42-39. The poor display and representation of Spartan basketball caused Izzo to call this squad the softest team he's had in his nine-year reign as head coach. "This team needs a toughness transfusion," Izzo said.
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Point guard position poses questions for Izzo's squad
It'll be the question of the season for the Spartans.Well, maybe second to "Can they win a national championship?"Will the point-guard-by-committee approach suffice for the men's basketball team's postseason powerhouse dreams?Juniors Alan Anderson and Chris Hill, senior Rashi Johnson and freshman Brandon Cotton are members of the quarterback committee."We really have three or four guys that can run the point," sophomore center Paul Davis said.
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Ankle injury will limit Ager's playing time vs. Nike Elite
Following an improved performance in the NCAA Tournament last season and a solid offseason, sophomore guard Maurice Ager was expected to factor heavily into the Spartans' rotation of players this season. Now, they'd be happy if he could walk. Since scoring 34 points in MSU's Green and White game on Oct.
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Spartans impress 'Magic'
When Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird met at center court Saturday, it was a meeting of the minds, 25 years after the two played in the 1979 national championship game.But this time, the two met as elder statesmen of the game, discussing everything from LeBron James to MSU's potential NBA prospects and the state of the NBA.While Bird didn't play in the game, he served as the Globetrotters honorary coach, watching the game from the end of the bench next to Johnson."We came in and changed the league," Johnson said.
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Horford orally commits to Florida, not ready to sign letter of intent
On the recruitment radar for MSU basketball, Grand Ledge senior power forward Al Horford has gone from potential target to foregone conclusion then back again - maybe.Horford, who gave an oral commitment to U-M on Sept.
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Stars, stripes sting 'U'
While Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird smiled from the start to finish of the Harlem Globetrotters 97-83 win over MSU, Tom Izzo wasn't amused. The Globetrotters, featuring Johnson along with Bird as the honorary head coach, didn't goof around with the Spartans.
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'Magic' statue erected at Breslin
The "Magic" is back in East Lansing - this time, forever. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, former MSU standout and 1979 national champion, unveiled a 12-foot, bronze-cast statue of his likeness Saturday morning in front of hundreds of fans gathered outside the Breslin Center. His trademark smile flashed for cameras outside, but a ceremony preceding the unveiling revealed the life-long Spartan shaking with emotion. "My whole life I wanted to be a Spartan," Johnson said.