Once again, a top-five Big Ten team has lost perhaps its best player leading up to a matchup with the top spot in the conference on the line. This time, it’s not MSU junior guard Kalin Lucas. It’s Purdue forward Robbie Hummel, who tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in the first half against Minnesota on Wednesday night and will miss the remainder of the season.
Two years ago, I watched from my seat on Mackey Arena’s press row one February evening as a green blur jetted the length of the floor, lofted an orange orb at one end, bouncing it off the glass and through the net in a repetitive fashion.
The No. 3 Boilermakers (24-3 overall, 12-3 Big Ten) came to East Lansing on Feb. 9 to hand the Spartans (21-7, 11-4) their first home loss of the season, part of three consecutive MSU losses that dropped it from standing alone in first place in the Big Ten. Now the Spartans will head to West Lafayette, Ind., for a game that could be decisive for both teams.
Every time sophomore forward Delvon Roe goes up for a rebound, those who know him must hold their collective breath.
Emotions and memories will flood the minds of those four — Lauren Aitch, Allyssa DeHaan, Aisha Jefferson and Mandy Piechowski — when they step on the Breslin Center court for the last time Sunday against Minnesota.
The MSU women’s basketball team’s season was on the brink of collapse courtesy of a three-game losing streak in mid-January. The Spartans were at a crossroads — 11-7 overall and 2-5 in the Big Ten. Everybody knew something needed to be done.
The MSU women’s basketball team is hitting its stride and looks primed to make a run in both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.
No more than a few hours after Kalin Lucas quickly and quietly ducked out of the MSU men’s basketball team’s locker room before talking to media Sunday, he called his head coach.
Columbus, Ohio — After seeing its 13-point lead turn into a three-point deficit, the MSU women’s basketball team was on the verge of a crushing defeat to No. 7 Ohio State. In front of a raucous crowd of 11,827 at Value City Arena, the Spartans turned to junior guard Brittney Thomas.
Columbus, Ohio — This time last year, junior guard Brittney Thomas was on the sidelines after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament.While she was injured, Mia Johnson stepped in and assumed the point guard duties, bringing an aggressive mentality to the position.
Throughout the season, MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo has talked about the distractions facing his team and how the players had yet to put them behind. Twenty-eight games into the season, Izzo still is talking about distractions.
Although not a crucial Big Ten game because of MSU’s early conference struggles and Ohio State’s dominance, Sunday’s 3 p.m. game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio isn’t completely devoid of meaning.
Nearly two weeks ago, Breslin Center played host to arguably the most pivotal game of the MSU men’s basketball team’s season.
Ohio State’s loss to Purdue on Wednesday night didn’t change anything for the MSU men’s basketball team. The only thing it determined was who would be tied with the No. 11 Spartans in the Big Ten standings heading into this weekend. MSU (21-6 overall, 11-3 Big Ten) technically is in first place, but the Spartans and Purdue are tied in the loss column.
Coming into the season, the MSU women’s basketball team’s depth was said to be one of its biggest strengths. With only a handful of games left in the regular season, its depth has been as good as advertised. The Spartans’ depth — and more so the team’s bench play — has been a big key to its success.
MSU women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant was not happy with her team’s post defense in Sunday’s 68-55 win against Northwestern.
The MSU women’s basketball team hasn’t won six of its last seven games by luck. The Spartans are playing with a defensive swagger, allowing only 54.8 points per game during that stretch.
Members of the MSU men’s basketball team and head coach Tom Izzo will be the first to note that tonight’s game at Indiana has a lot more to it than meets the eye.
During his team’s three-game losing streak, Tom Izzo was looking for some resiliency and a rallying cry from his players. The MSU men’s basketball head coach thinks he found it during Saturday’s 65-54 win against Penn State, and a key reason was junior guard Mike Kebler’s defensive performance on Penn State guard Talor Battle.
As quickly as Northwestern center Amy Jaeschke warmed up in the second half Sunday against the MSU women’s basketball team, she cooled down. Jaeschke reeled off Northwestern’s first 10 points of the second half, giving her 20 for the game, as Northwestern cut a 17-point deficit to seven.