Perhaps unlike any other team in the Big Ten, opponents are never sure which Michigan basketball team will show up on a given night. The Wolverines can look like a potential NCAA Tournament team one night, drilling 3-pointers to beat UCLA and Duke as they did earlier this season.
If games were played on paper, the MSU men’s basketball team would have had Saturday’s game against Indiana wrapped up before the singing of the national anthem. MSU entered the game with the best record in the Big Ten; Indiana had the worst.
All Draymond Green did Saturday was take advantage of an opportunity. With the MSU men’s basketball team in a closer-than-expected Big Ten battle with last-place Indiana and senior center Goran Suton struggling early, the freshman forward brought energy and tenacity to the floor, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to lead the Spartans to a 75-47 victory over the Hoosiers at Breslin Center.
In the second half of a game between the MSU men’s basketball team and Illinois earlier this year, an MSU jumper clanked off the rim. MSU freshman forward Draymond Green and Illinois forward Dominique Keller each jumped for the rebound, both coming down together with the ball. Quickly and swiftly, Green lifted the ball up — and with it the 6-foot-7, 230 pound Keller. Green body-slammed Keller to the ground.
It’s once again that time to guess the outcome of this weekend’s games with the State News prognosticators.
As you might expect from a team that had to replace 98.7 percent of its scoring from last season, Indiana has experienced more than a few growing pains this season.
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.