Monday, October 21, 2024

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Sports | Basketball

BASKETBALL

Louisville stands between MSU and the Final Four

Syracuse, N.Y. -- MSU head coach Tom Izzo will square off against a Pitino-led team for the second time this year, but with a Final Four berth at stake, this one will mean a bit more. The Spartans dropped a home game to Minnesota and head coach Richard Pitino in February, and on Sunday at 2:20 p.m., MSU will face Richard’s father and Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame member Rick Pitino. Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals (27-8 overall, 12-6 ACC) have surged in the tournament, despite the dismissal of guard Chris Jones in late February. The Cardinals escaped in their first tournament game with a two point win over UC Irvine.

BASKETBALL

Halftime: MSU trails Oklahoma 31-27

Syracuse, N.Y. Oklahoma never trailed over the first twenty minutes, and at halftime, the Sooners lead the Spartans, 31-27. Oklahoma junior guard and Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield leads all scorers with 11 points, and MSU senior guard Travis Trice follows with 10 points.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Sweet streak

The Spartans are reaffirming their role as the team that kicks into gear late in the season with versatile performances and unexpected victories. Now, MSU must defeat Oklahoma to advance to the Elite Eight

BASKETBALL

Column: Travis Trice of 2015 is beginning to look like Shabazz Napier of 2014

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.