After losing back-to-back games for the first time in two years, the MSU women’s basketball team (12-7 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) looks to get back on track Monday (7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network) as it takes on No. 13 Purdue (16-3, 6-0).
For every basketball team, there typically is one key stat or trend that indicates whether a game is going to end in a win or loss. It can be 3-point shooting, rebounding or the play of a star player.
First noted in a report from MLive.com, the Purdue men’s basketball team experienced travel troubles prior to the 83-58 loss to MSU at Breslin Center.
During the MSU men’s basketball team’s rout of Purdue, Matt Painter was seen yelling at people on and off the court.
Brandan Kearney was one of few players to come out of Tuesday’s 60-59 loss at Michigan. The freshman guard hit two key 3-pointers and made several hustle plays and kept a solid head on his shoulders.
For the second time this season, the No. 9 MSU men’s basketball team finds itself in the midst of a two-game losing streak. Two months after the Spartans (15-4 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) began the season with losses to then-No.
Psychology freshman Kiana Johnson still carries a map with her around campus, even though she’s pretty sure where she’s going. The guard is one of three freshmen — along with forward Becca Mills and center Jasmine Hines — who were tasked with replacing senior captains Kalisha Keane, Cetera Washington and Brittney Thomas from last season’s Big Ten Championship team.
With two minutes left in the game and a five-point lead, Austin Thornton was 100 percent sure the No. 9 MSU men’s basketball team had put away No. 20 Michigan in Ann Arbor.
At the MSU men’s basketball press conference on Monday prior to Tuesday’s game against No. 20 Michigan, Draymond Green indicated the player who came out on top in the Keith Appling Burke matchup would likely win the game. And the Burke-led Wolverines walked away with the 60-59 victory on the shoulders of the freshman’s 20-point performance. Appling scored 10 points and dished out five assists but struggled to contain Burke and finished with four fouls.
In almost any basketball game, one can find individual matchups that could be the difference in winning and losing. Tuesday’s rivalry battle between the No. 9 MSU men’s basketball team and No. 20 Michigan likely will be no different.
Even with the No. 6 MSU men’s basketball team riding a 15-game winning streak and climbing in the polls, head coach Tom Izzo said his team isn’t as good as people outside the program are starting to think.
MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo has a problem many coaches wish they had. Instead of taking players out of his rotation because they aren’t performing, Izzo has spent this season looking for playing time for guys who have earned it in practice.
MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo meant no hard feelings by Izzone criticisms. He just knows how important the group is to his team.
With the most recent poll putting the men’s basketball team at No. 6, Iowa gets a shot to end the 14-game Spartan winning streak 7 p.m. tonight at Breslin Center.
With each and every game, the MSU men’s basketball 2011-12 season looks less and less like its predecessor.
After capturing the first outright Big Ten title in program history a year ago, it wasn’t the MSU women’s basketball team, but Penn State, that was selected by the coaches and media to win this season’s conference title. But when the two team’s met for the first time on Saturday, the Spartans showed they’re still contenders to repeat as Big Ten champs. On Saturday, MSU (11-5, 3-0) went on the road and defeated No.
After struggling to hit shots in the first half, MSU (10-5, 2-0) used a 9-0 run midway through the second half to knock off Michigan (12-3, 1-1) 60-55 and extend the Spartans’ win streak over their rivals to 10 games and 18 of their last 19.
But, in a game played much like you would expect from the Spartans and Badgers, No. 10 MSU outlasted Wisconsin 63-60 in overtime after a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Ryan Evans was ruled to be after the buzzer.
The No. 16 MSU men’s basketball team won its 13th consecutive, second straight Big Ten game and first game in Lincoln, Neb., against Nebraska, 68-55. The Spartans (13-2 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) trailed at halftime 30-29 to the Huskers (8-5, 0-2), but rallied for the 15-point win. Senior forward Draymond Green scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and sophomore guard Keith Appling scored 14 in the win. MSU made 19-of-21 at the free throw line, and the team out-rebounded Nebraska, 33-21. The 13-game win streak is the programs longest since 1998-99.
Derrick Nix quite possibly is the greatest indicator that this season’s MSU men’s basketball team is different from last year.