According to NCAA rules, the men's basketball team had to take Monday off. But days after suffering a tough road loss to No.
By Tom Izzo's own admission, this is a transition team battling injuries. Key players have stepped into new leadership roles, and while the team has been competitive, losses have piled up. Going forward in the Big Ten season, the Spartans are still seeking a signature win.
In its fourth overtime game of the season, MSU finally found a way to end up on top, pulling away for an 84-77 victory. MSU opened the game with a nine point run, keeping Northwestern off the board until the 15:31 mark in the first half.
MSU has undoubtedly struggled at times this season and some have questioned the team's legitimacy, but after blowing by Iowa with a second half offensive explosion, MSU has shot its way right back into the conversation in the Big Ten. Although the conference season is just a few games in, MSU’s victory over the Hawkeyes was an enormous one.
A 27-10 Iowa run ended the first half on a sour note for the Spartans. However, the play of junior guard Denzel Valentine and senior guard Travis Trice transformed the men's basketball team's fortunes in the final 20 minutes. MSU (11-5 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) opened the second half on a 25-9 run to defeat Iowa on the road in a comeback win, 75-61.
The first start of Lourawls Nairn's career perhaps came sooner than expected, but his energy in the starting five helped an MSU team in need of a conference win.
After a less-than-ideal start to Big Ten season last week against Maryland, the men's basketball team looks as though it won't suffer the same fate against Indiana.
After 14 games, MSU has yet to play a complete game from start to finish against a noteworthy team. The Spartans have showed flashes of what they are capable of from time to time but consistency has been an issue all year.
The men's basketball team had plenty of chances to put the game away. But in yet another close game, missed opportunities cost MSU a signature win. The Spartans (9-5 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) fell to No. 12 Maryland (13-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) 68-66 in a double-overtime thriller at Breslin Center Tuesday.
After a road-heavy, up-and-down start to the season, the Spartans will see eight days off for the holiday break. And the Spartans have a list — not a Christmas list for Santa, but a list of areas that need to be improved before the team returns to action against Maryland next Tuesday.
With the game well in hand early in the second half, the biggest story of the night became whether or not senior forward Branden Dawson would score his 1000th career point at MSU.
Efficient shooting has been the story of the men's basketball team through ten games, and the nation’s top three-point shooting team did what it does best to storm past Oakland. As team, MSU (7-3) shot over 55 percent from the field and just under 59 percent from three-point range, making 10-of-17 threes in an 87-61 victory over the visiting Golden Grizzlies.
Bryn Forbes has been on fire for the men's basketball team over the last couple weeks, but head coach Tom Izzo isn't entirely satisfied with his overall performance on the court. A few days after scoring 18 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the floor Wednesday against Notre Dame, Forbes scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting on Saturday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
MSU raced out to an early lead against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and after 40 minutes of punishment for the visiting Golden Lions, the Spartans came away with an imposing 85-52 victory. Junior guard Bryn Forbes continued his hot shooting, making his first two three-pointers of the game.
MSU hosted Georgia Tech as part of the ACC/Big Ten challenge, and after falling behind early, the Spartans needed overtime to claw out a tough 79-73 victory. The Spartans (5-1) got off to a very slow start and appeared out of sync as Georgia Tech (5-4) jumped to a 20-11 lead at the 11:45 mark.
Clutch play by junior guard Denzel Valentine could save the Spartans (5-3 overall) from falling to Notre Dame (7-1 overall) 79-78 in overtime in the ACC/Big Ten challenge Wednesday night. The Fighting Irish were led by senior guard Jerian Grant, who had 27 points and six assists.
In a 17 point outburst on Sunday against Miami (OH), senior guard and former walk-on Anna Morrissey turned in the most impressive game of her Spartan career.
The Spartans will take on Notre Dame in the ACC/Big Ten challenge on Wednesday, and both players and coaches see the game as an opportunity to bounce back from a perhaps needless loss against No.
Sophomore guard Alvin Ellis III, who sprained his ankle in the opener against Navy, practiced on Monday and will likely see playing time in the ACC/Big Ten challenge on Wednesday, in which No. 19 MSU will take on Notre Dame.
No. 16 MSU welcomed the visiting Miami (OH) Red Hawks for a Sunday afternoon game, but the Spartans faced little opposition, cruising to a 85-39 victory. Miami (1-3) sat in a 2-3 zone to start, and the Spartans (4-1) made the Red Hawks pay with a couple early threes from senior guard Anna Morrissey and sophomore guard Tori Jankoska. Morrissey, a former walk-on, scored a career-high 11 points last game against Oakland, but she improved that number to 17 against Miami.