Two consecutive home losses for the first time since the 1996-97 season have led MSU head coach Tom Izzo to admit the shell of his team has been slightly shaken. In the last two games at Breslin Center, the Spartans have dealt with hot shooters and an array of shots that would have won numerous HORSE championships in their losses to both Northwestern (70-63 on Jan.
As if the agony over Sunday’s loss to Penn State wasn’t enough, MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo slapped himself with another punishment: He didn’t allow himself to watch the Super Bowl.
For some reason, the MSU men’s basketball team can’t win at home. Blame it on bad defense, young players’ belief in entitlement, or just a rash of bad luck and banked-in 3-pointers, but the No. 9 Spartans (17-4 overall, 7-2 Big Ten) now find themselves in the midst of what no MSU team has had to deal with in more than 10 years — a losing streak at Breslin Center.
After an up-and-down freshman campaign, MSU guard Chris Allen realized he had a lot to learn about college basketball. The game was faster, the strategies were more complex, and he had problems taking advantage of his greatest strength: shooting.
Fresh off road trips to Ohio State and Iowa, the No. 9 MSU men’s basketball team comes back to Breslin Center for the first time since its upset loss to Northwestern on Jan. 21. With their 28-game home winning streak over, the Spartans look to start a new streak at noon Saturday against the Nittany Lions.
People say Idong Ibok will be the president of Nigeria someday. Coaches who have seen him play basketball and grow through different stages of life echo each others’ thoughts — there’s more to the player than a presence in the post. But Ibok just laughs.
Already the best defensive team in the Big Ten, the MSU women’s basketball team finally is starting to find its way around the offensive side of the ball. The Spartans started off the season winning games, but not consistently scoring baskets the way they wanted to, with clean passes into the post for easy layups rather than risky outside shots.
On a five-game winning streak, the MSU women’s basketball team is the hottest team in the Big Ten. But Thursday, the Spartans won’t be the only team coming in on a roll.
Although Iowa sits in ninth place in the Big Ten with a record of 12-8 overall and 2-5 in the conference, MSU head coach Tom Izzo knows Thursday’s game against ?the Hawkeyes will be ?another tough Big Ten matchup.
Illinois men’s basketball head coach Bruce Weber admits it’s “unusual.” Tubby Smith, who holds the same position for Minnesota, said it’s “mind-boggling.”
If you haven’t heard or couldn’t tell, MSU forward Raymar Morgan has been reeling the past couple weeks. The junior has been hampered by a nagging case of the flu since the middle of the month, and it has severely affected his play in each of the past three games.
Throughout the season, players on the MSU men’s basketball team have said that on any given day, a different player can lead the Spartans to victory. As sophomore guard Kalin Lucas was held scoreless in the first half Sunday and junior forward Raymar Morgan continued to struggle with flu-like symptoms, the Spartans unleashed another dangerous scorer on their roster.
About 45 minutes after another grueling practice, sophomore Kalin Lucas stands with one of his assistant coaches near the far end of the court. Almost all of his teammates have vanished into the locker room, but Lucas stays on the balls of his feet. He wipes a few beads of sweat off his silky forehead as he listens to instructions from his coach.
On Wednesday night, the No. 7 MSU men’s basketball team committed 18 turnovers, shot 40 percent from the floor and let an opposing player to score more than 30 points for the first time since the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
It’s only been 18 days since the No. 7 MSU men’s basketball team defeated Northwestern 77-66 on Jan. 3 in Evanston, Ill. — but what a difference those 18 days have made for the Wildcats.
In a season mired with miscues and inconsistency on the offensive end of the court, the MSU women’s basketball team had one of its best performances of the season Sunday in its 70-59 victory over Penn State. The win completed a season sweep of the Lady Lions for the Spartans, the first time MSU has swept Penn State in school history, and continued the team’s three-game win streak.
The more you think about it, the more amazing it becomes. During the past 30 years, the MSU men’s basketball team has won six Big Ten titles, racked up 15 20-win seasons, gone to five Final Fours and celebrated two National Championships.
The MSU women’s basketball team completed the season sweep of Penn State on Sunday, knocking off the Lady Lions 70-59.
If the MSU men’s basketball team’s 63-57 win over Illinois on Saturday was a hockey game, head coach Tom Izzo said Marquise Gray wouldn’t only get one of the stars given out — he’d get all three. Gray, a senior forward from Flint, came up big on a memorable night, scoring 11 points and grabbing six rebounds on the same night former MSU great and fellow Flint native Morris Peterson had his No. 42 jersey retired.