You’ll have to excuse MSU head coach Tom Izzo for not knowing much about the Idaho men’s basketball team. After all, the team features 12 new players, a new head coach and has played only one exhibition game.
After going 6-2 at home in the regular season, the MSU field hockey team will host at least one more game this season. The room full of players and coaches burst into shrieks of joy as it was announced the Spartans would host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, with the first challenge coming from defending national champions North Carolina. Iowa and Louisville also will play in East Lansing.
The No. 17 MSU hockey team was only able to record one goal this weekend at Ohio State. Ironically, the last time the Spartans tallied only one goal in a weekend came against Ohio State five years ago.
When MSU football head coach Mark Dantonio first laid eyes on the 2008 schedule, he didn’t like what he saw. At first, not having a bye week until the 11th week of the season bothered Dantonio, but three months and one banged-up team later, he’s changed his mind.
The MSU women’s soccer team has four days to purchase some dancin’ shoes, because its headed to the 64-team NCAA Tournament.
Senior defender David Hertel brings a valuable weapon to the men’s soccer team’s offensive arsenal: He can throw the ball a mile. Hertel’s ability to clear a great distance with his throw-ins comes from his mastery of the flip throw. He takes five or six big strides and does the flip by putting the ball on the ground and whipping his body around to create momentum that sends the ball flying out of his hands like a missile.
The MSU men’s soccer team had two main objectives coming into this season. First, they wanted to win the Big Ten regular season title — something that had never been done in the program’s history. The squad checked that one off the list Nov. 2 when they defeated Northwestern 1-0.
For the first time this season, members of the MSU football team really complained about respect Saturday. Junior defensive end Trevor Anderson pleaded that MSU was “not the same old Spartans team.” Senior quarterback Brian Hoyer asked when the name would die.
The MSU women’s basketball team capped off its exhibition season with a convincing 84-44 win against Grand Valley State on Sunday at Breslin Center — using their superior strength, quickness and depth to pull away from the Lakers despite turning the ball over 25 times.
And now they wait. The No. 10 MSU field hockey team dropped another overtime heartbreaker to Iowa, 3-2, in the Big Ten Tournament this weekend. Iowa defeated MSU earlier in the year 4-3 and has beat MSU three of the last five years in the Big Ten Tournament, all of the losses coming in overtime.
When MSU beat Purdue 21-7 Saturday at Spartan Stadium, the home team made its way over to the southeastern corner of the stadium to do the traditional singing of “MSU Shadows” with the student section. After the final word had been sung, nearly all the Spartans headed to the locker room to celebrate their ninth win of the season.
The deck was stacked against the MSU volleyball team in its 3-1 victory over Indiana on Saturday.
Columbus — For the first time in six years, the No. 11 MSU hockey team was swept at Ohio State. Saturday’s 3-1 loss and Friday’s 3-0 loss combined for the first two conference defeats the Spartans have received all season.
With momentum riding into the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, the MSU women’s soccer team failed to heat up in the freezing cold, wet, rainy and snowy conditions in Iowa City, Iowa.
Columbus — All four goals in Saturday night’s game between the MSU hockey team and Ohio State came in the third period.
With an ugly 21-7 win Saturday over Purdue, the Spartans are sitting pretty for a chance at a Big Ten championship. A stingy defense that held Purdue to 191 total yards and gave the Spartans offense superb field position on two touchdown drives propelled MSU to a win on Senior Day at Spartan Stadium.
There’s something to be said for effort when you’re playing the top team in the land.
Columbus — Coming into Friday’s game against Ohio State, the MSU hockey team’s opponents were averaging 29.4 shots a game.
After Thursday’s 97-32 drubbing at the hands of the MSU women’s basketball team, Saginaw Valley State’s athletic trainer had better have some extra ice packs prepared for the night’s ride home.
On a warm November evening last week, senior offensive linemen Jesse Miller and Roland Martin were enjoying one of their last off days as MSU football players. The two most experienced and decorated MSU offensive linemen were at Ralph Young Field, experimenting with their most recent purchase — remote control cars.