Maybe it was the familiarity of the location that gave former MSU linebacker, Taiwan Jones, the much needed edge to improve his results from February's NFL draft combine. Or maybe it was the low top gold plated cleats.
Travis Trice might be this year’s Shabazz Napier. It’s a premature comparison at the moment but if the senior MSU guard continues to play the way he has, his legacy will mirror that of the Connecticut Huskie who torched the Spartans in the Elite Eight. Tell me that this doesn’t sound familiar: A skinny, six-foot guard dominates NCAA tournament games for stretches of time and knocks down NBA-range threes to lead his No.
As a head coach, Mark Dantonio isn't afraid to give praise to players or teams when credit is due.
On Sunday against Virginia, head coach Tom Izzo had to game plan for Virginia's slow, methodical offense eats up much of the shot clock. On Friday against Oklahoma, Izzo expects the exact opposite. "Run, run, run, run, run, man," Izzo said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday. "I think we could have a test run for the 20?second shot clock in this game.
On a sunny but brisk day in McLane Baseball Stadium the men's baseball team cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Central Michigan Chippewas in the team's home-opener. MSU wasted no time getting the offense going early, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first.
Travis Trice's big day started well before the opening tip. It started with a message from former MSU forward Draymond Green, who texted Trice the morning of the game reminding him of the goal at stake. "Draymond Green actually this morning said don't let this be your last game and I texted him back and said, I won't," Trice said.
When you think of some of the biggest named players to come out of Michigan State as of late you think of running back Le'Veon Bell, quarterback Kirk Cousins, cornerback Darqueze Dennard and cornerback Trae Waynes. These guys have more in common than their former team, they all happen to be lower-end mostly two-star recruits. Bell was a two-star according to Rivals, Dennard was a two-star, Waynes was a two-star and Cousins was a three-star according to Rivals but he was considered a two-star on some platforms during his process. Bell, a second round pick in 2013, is coming off of a monster season in Pittsburgh in which he ran for 1,361 yards and eight touchdowns all while making 83 receptions for 854 yards and another three touchdowns.
When Mateen Cleaves and Tom Izzo were cutting down the nets after MSU basketball's last national championship in 2000 they were doing it in Reebok apparel. Times have changed for MSU athletics, as they now wear the Nike swoosh on their uniforms.
Michigan State Spartans posted a video to their Facebook page of the men's basketball team and head coach Tom Izzo celebrating after their upset win over Virginia.
It's been an exciting year for the MSU Synchronized Skating Team, despite being a bumpy one.
When a quality college resume still wasn't enough to receive an invite to February's NFL combine in Indianapolis, that gave former MSU standout, Marcus Rush, a much needed edge during this past Wednesday's pro day. When he was forced to sit at home while his teammates strived to improved their draft stock inside Lucas Oil Stadium, that gave Rush a reason for NFL personnel to rethink their decision of leaving out the defensive end. Backing up why he started a program-record 53 games in his four years at East Lansing, Rush finished with a 4.68 40-yard dash, 24 bench reps and a 34-inch vertical leap. "It just gave me a chip on my shoulder," Rush said at the Duffy Daughtery Facility.
While MSU hockey (17-16-2, 11-7-2 Big Ten) didn’t accomplish all of its goals this season, it was still a step in the right direction.
MSU wrestler John Rizqallah concluded his career over the weekend while competing at the NCAA Championships. Senior, team captain 184-pounder Rizqallah lost in his first match to third-seeded Arizona State's Blake Stauffer 4-1.
On to Syracuse. It wasn't sexy.
It was the Travis Trice show to begin the first half. The senior guard was absolutely electric to start the game, scoring 13 consecutive points on an array of fast break layups and 3-point bombs early in the half to help give MSU the advantage at halftime, 23-18.
MSU (24-11 overall) doesn’t have to look far to see similarities between Wisconsin and Virginia (30-3 overall), their opponent tomorrow in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
When head coach Tom Izzo first realized MSU would potentially play No. 2 seed Virginia in the second round, he first thought to himself, "why?" The Spartans barely prevailed against the top-seeded Cavaliers in last year's Sweet 16 round, and will now have to crack one of the top defenses in the nation for a second year in a row.
Follow along with our team in Charlotte, North Carolina for the first and second rounds of the NCAA tourney!
By Troy Jefferson Tjefferson@statenews.com Branden Dawson and Gavin Schilling’s early foul trouble could’ve signaled doom for MSU but thanks to the bench, it wasn’t the case.