In its fourth overtime game of the season, MSU finally found a way to end up on top, pulling away for an 84-77 victory. MSU opened the game with a nine point run, keeping Northwestern off the board until the 15:31 mark in the first half.
MSU has undoubtedly struggled at times this season and some have questioned the team's legitimacy, but after blowing by Iowa with a second half offensive explosion, MSU has shot its way right back into the conversation in the Big Ten. Although the conference season is just a few games in, MSU’s victory over the Hawkeyes was an enormous one.
A 27-10 Iowa run ended the first half on a sour note for the Spartans. However, the play of junior guard Denzel Valentine and senior guard Travis Trice transformed the men's basketball team's fortunes in the final 20 minutes. MSU (11-5 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) opened the second half on a 25-9 run to defeat Iowa on the road in a comeback win, 75-61.
The first start of Lourawls Nairn's career perhaps came sooner than expected, but his energy in the starting five helped an MSU team in need of a conference win.
MSU rebounded from a conference-opening loss with an imposing victory over Indiana, winning 70-50 at home. Freshman guard Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn started in place of senior guard Travis Trice and this decision seemed to give MSU(10-5 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) some energy early in the contest.
After a less-than-ideal start to Big Ten season last week against Maryland, the men's basketball team looks as though it won't suffer the same fate against Indiana.
After 14 games, MSU has yet to play a complete game from start to finish against a noteworthy team. The Spartans have showed flashes of what they are capable of from time to time but consistency has been an issue all year.
The men's basketball team had plenty of chances to put the game away. But in yet another close game, missed opportunities cost MSU a signature win. The Spartans (9-5 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) fell to No. 12 Maryland (13-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) 68-66 in a double-overtime thriller at Breslin Center Tuesday.
After a road-heavy, up-and-down start to the season, the Spartans will see eight days off for the holiday break. And the Spartans have a list — not a Christmas list for Santa, but a list of areas that need to be improved before the team returns to action against Maryland next Tuesday.
For the second straight game, MSU was without senior forward Branden Dawson, and after a first-half grinder, MSU used a 19-point second half run to blow by The Citadel, pulling away for an 82-56 victory. The Citadel gave the Spartans everything they could handle in the first half.
At halftime, the men's basketball team leads The Citadel, 32-26. Sophomore forward Gavin Schilling leads the Spartans with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting.
The men's basketball team couldn't convert from downtown.
With senior forward Branden Dawson sitting out because of a fractured wrist, it was obvious that Michigan State was missing something in a 71-64 loss to Texas Southern. Beyond the absence of a veteran starter and a consistent rebounding threat in Dawson, MSU couldn’t find the energy to take care of business against a Southwestern Athletic Conference team that entered the game at 1-8 overall.
For roughly 25 minutes, the men's basketball team had a fully healthy squad for the first time all season.
After knocking off Big Ten foe Michigan on Dec. 9, upset-minded Eastern Michigan came to Breslin with the hopes of defeating another in-state power conference team. MSU needed some time to adjust to the Eastern 2-3 zone but eventually found its groove, pulling away for a 66-46 victory. EMU (8-2) caused early problems for the Spartan offense.
It's been a long time coming for Javon Bess, but the freshman guard will make his debut on Wednesday against Eastern Michigan. Bess, a Yahoo! Sports three-star recruit who has been described as a "diamond in the rough" by head coach Tom Izzo, was a potential starter before undergoing surgery on his right foot in late October.
With the game well in hand early in the second half, the biggest story of the night became whether or not senior forward Branden Dawson would score his 1000th career point at MSU.
Efficient shooting has been the story of the men's basketball team through ten games, and the nation’s top three-point shooting team did what it does best to storm past Oakland. As team, MSU (7-3) shot over 55 percent from the field and just under 59 percent from three-point range, making 10-of-17 threes in an 87-61 victory over the visiting Golden Grizzlies.
Bryn Forbes has been on fire for the men's basketball team over the last couple weeks, but head coach Tom Izzo isn't entirely satisfied with his overall performance on the court. A few days after scoring 18 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the floor Wednesday against Notre Dame, Forbes scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting on Saturday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Clutch play by junior guard Denzel Valentine could save the Spartans (5-3 overall) from falling to Notre Dame (7-1 overall) 79-78 in overtime in the ACC/Big Ten challenge Wednesday night. The Fighting Irish were led by senior guard Jerian Grant, who had 27 points and six assists.