Even ESPN is bewildered by the NCAA selection committee’s picks for the NCAA Tournament. Actually, I think everyone except those faithful to Florida State and Auburn believes the MSU women’s basketball team got pushed under the rug.
After CBS’ selection show, senior guard Drew Neitzel admitted he and the rest of the MSU men’s basketball team knew zilch about Temple’s offense, defense, roster and every other team characteristic.
What a difference a weekend makes. In other words, what a difference the men’s Big Ten Tournament made. Before this weekend, many basketball analysts penciled Indiana, Wisconsin, Purdue and MSU all as no lower than a six seed — and some as high as a three — in the NCAA Tournament.
Anger and disappointment. Those two words sum up the morale in the Berkowitz Basketball Complex after the MSU women’s basketball team found out it would not make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Unfortunately for the MSU men’s basketball team, the NCAA has made it illegal to defend a team shooting free throws. In a touchy, tightly officiated Big Ten Tournament semifinal game, the Spartans had to stand aside and watch Wisconsin shoot 37 free throws on 30 team fouls en route to a 65-63 win Saturday afternoon at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
At the end of it all — a heartbreaking 65-63 semifinal loss in Indianapolis for an early tournament exit and finished Big Ten career — Drew Neitzel untucked his jersey and slowly trudged off the floor into the tunnel.
The MSU softball team finished the weekend just the way they started it with a one-run loss to Elon on Sunday in the Stetson Tournament. MSU (12-12), which went 2-2 on the weekend, also fell to Elon 5-4 in nine innings on Friday.
With its season on the line, a different Northern Michigan team showed up at Munn Ice Arena on Saturday night.
Indianapolis — In a span of three minutes, the MSU men’s basketball team lost four players and a 10-point lead.
The MSU hockey team has struggled in third periods at times this season. But against Northern Michigan on Friday night, the Spartans turned a one-goal game into a four-goal blowout, scoring three times in the final stanza to knock-off the Wildcats, 5-1, at Munn Ice Arena.
Indianapolis — He didn’t take the leadership role and just run with it — he hopped on a horse and took off.
Indianapolis — Through an up-and-down season, there’s one thing the MSU men’s basketball team has been able to do with every chance it’s had.
From give-it-your-all plays to jerseys that make you dry heave, this season has had it all. We now present the best and worst of the 2007-08 men’s basketball regular season.
The MSU women’s basketball team got off to a (very) slow start, going 2-4 in its first six Big Ten games.
Deputy Sports Editor Matt Bishop discusses the hockey team’s CCHA Quarterfinal series against Northern Michigan and the team’s NCAA Tournament hopes.
Junior goaltender Jeff Lerg was named first-team CCHA All-Conference on Wednesday while junior forward Tim Kennedy was named to the second team.
It’ll be a barn burner — two passionate squads with everything to prove.
There’s no better time than the playoffs to exact revenge on a team. A sweep by Northern Michigan essentially knocked the MSU hockey team out of the CCHA regular-season championship race in early February.