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Sports | Basketball Men's 1000

BASKETBALL

Growing expectations

Ethan Conley
October 31, 2005

There's no shortage of big bodies eager to mix it up in the paint on the MSU men's basketball team. Though the inexperienced White squad fell to the Green squad, 84-44, its frontcourt demonstrated the talent and resolve necessary to give MSU a solid bench throughout the upcoming season. Redshirt freshmen Idong Ibok and Goran Suton showed no hesitation in attacking the basket from the low block during Saturday's Green-White scrimmage, despite being matched up against more experienced players.

SPORTS

Cross country teams come in 5th and 7th

Esther Gim
October 31, 2005

The MSU women's cross country team finished fifth in the Big Ten Championship this past weekend in Minneapolis and the men came in seventh. Junior Katie Kelley had the best showing for the Spartans with a time of 21 minutes, 53 seconds.

SPORTS

Volleyball team drops weekend matches

Yvette Lanier
October 31, 2005

It was a weekend where the MSU women's volleyball team hoped to turn its season around. Instead, the Spartans found themselves back in familiar territory. On the road, the Spartans fell to Illinois and were swept by No.

FOOTBALL

Special teams runs away with game

Matt Bishop
October 31, 2005

For the first time all season, MSU's special teams units were just that — special. After being called out Friday night by special teams coach Jim McElwain, the Spartans special teams responded with their best performance of the season.

SPORTS

Men's golf finishes seventh in tourney

Esther Gim
October 31, 2005

The MSU men's golf team carded a 290 in the final round of The Landfall Tradition to finish seventh on Sunday in Wilmington, N.C., to close the fall season. The Spartans, who shot 891 overall, were just two shots away from a third-place tie. Texas A&M (870) captured the tournament —?10 shots over Coastal Carolina (880). Tulsa, Illinois, Minnesota and Virginia Commonwealth all tied for third place (889). Freshman Randy Hutchison came in fourth with a 1-over-par, shooting a 69 in the final round and 217 for the tournament.

SPORTS

Monday musings

Tom Keller
October 31, 2005

• French golfer Jean Van de Velde will attempt to enter next year's Women's British Open because he is upset women might qualify for the 2006 British Open. In a related story, the Pistons will attempt to get Darko Milicic a spot on the Detroit Shock this season because they're upset he averages infinity fouls per 48 minutes. • A judge sided with high school civics teacher and Tampa Bay Buccaneers season-ticket holder Gordon Johnston that security pat-downs at the team's stadium violated individual liberties. "I'd say it's humiliating," Johnston said.

SPORTS

Women picked second, Ohio State first in poll

Tom Keller
October 31, 2005

Chicago — MSU and Ohio State ended last season tied atop the Big Ten standings, but it's the Buckeyes who got the nod as the preseason favorite at the league's media day on Sunday. Ohio State, coming off a 30-win season and a trip to the NCAA regional semifinals, was picked to finish first in both the media and coaches' polls.

BASKETBALL

Media select men to finish first in Big Ten

Matt Bishop
October 31, 2005

Chicago — The expectations keep growing for the MSU men's basketball team. MSU is ranked near the top in most preseason publications, and now they have one more expectation to live up to: preseason Big Ten favorite. Head coach Tom Izzo's squad was selected as the favorite by the media attending Sunday's Big Ten basketball Media Day. "It's best to be picked high and try to meet those expectations than it is to be picked low and try to beat those expectations," Izzo said. Last year's national runner-up Illinois and Indiana follow the Spartans in the poll. "There's probably seven or eight teams in the conference that can be competitive," said Bruce Weber, Illinois' head coach and the reigning national Coach of the Year.

BASKETBALL

Offense, freshmen impressing

Matt Bishop
October 28, 2005

Fans will get their first glimpse of the MSU men's basketball team in the annual Green-White game at Breslin Center on Saturday. The game will tip 20 minutes after the conclusion of the MSU football game. Most of the players agree this year's team will be better than last season's Final Four participant, since it has four starters returning — sophomore guard Drew Neitzel, junior guard Shannon Brown, senior guard Maurice Ager and senior center Paul Davis. "We've got two of the best athletes in the country playing the wings," Davis said.

SPORTS

Pair of Ohio teams visit E.L.

Alex Abate
October 28, 2005

The MSU field hockey team will get a double dose of Ohio this weekend as they welcome Ohio University and Ohio State to the Field Hockey Complex on Saturday and Sunday. This is the first time in more than a month that the Spartans (10-7 overall, 1-4 Big Ten) will play two games in two days.

ICE HOCKEY

Icers play No. 2 Cornell

Yvette Lanier
October 28, 2005

The MSU hockey team received its Halloween treats early this year with an undefeated October. Now MSU (2-0-1 overall, 0-0-1 CCHA) is looking for an even bigger treat when the team plays No.

SPORTS

Men's golf hopes to defend title crown

Tom Keller
October 27, 2005

The MSU men's golf team will look to defend its title at the Landfall Tradition this weekend in its fifth and final fall tournament. The Spartans won the tournament last year by tying the tournament record with a three-round team total of 851.

SOCCER

Late surge propels MSU over Broncos

Despite a slow start, the MSU men's soccer team (6-4-5 overall, 2-2-1 Big Ten) defeated Western Michigan (6-8-2, 2-2-1 MAC) Wednesday, 2-0. "We were definitely sluggish in the first half," MSU head coach Joe Baum said.

FOOTBALL

Wildcats face resurgent U-M

Eric Fish
October 26, 2005

Many questions will be answered about the poise and talent of both Michigan and Northwestern when the two teams meet on Saturday in the Big Ten's most intriguing matchup of the week. Wildcat quarterback Brett Basanez, who has started in 35 consecutive games, is one of the hottest players in college football coming off a huge road win at MSU.