BASKETBALL
Men's basketball trails Illinois by 10 points at half
After one half of play at Breslin Center, the No. 13 MSU men’s basketball team trails Illinois, 37-27.
BASKETBALL
Women's basketball looks to avoid 3 straight losses, hits the road to take on Northwestern
Staring at their first losing streak of the season, it’s gut-check time for the MSU women’s basketball team (16-4 overall, 4-3 Big Ten), as the Spartans look to stay in contention for the Big Ten title Thursday (8 p.m.) in Evanston, Ill.
BASKETBALL
Bell of the Ball
Sitting in the bleachers of East Lansing High School’s gym, Robert Smith recounted fond memories of one of the most accomplished players in his 11-year tenure — MSU junior guard Klarissa Bell. “We were in a team meeting one time and we had to pass the ball to each other,” Smith recalled.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
MSU looks to bounce back against Illini
As the Spartans prepare to welcome Illinois (15-6, 2-5) to Breslin Center Tonight (7 p.m., ESPN), sophomore guard Travis Trice said it’s imperative the team doesn’t let one loss snowball into anything more, as was the case a season ago.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Guards answer coach’s call to step up
Before to the game at Illinois on Jan. 13, MSU women’s basketball coach Suzy Merchant held a meeting with her three primary guards: senior Jasmine Thomas, junior Klarissa Bell and sophomore Kiana Johnson to break down extra game film.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Izzo: Dawson is key to greatness
Not only is the No. 13 MSU men’s basketball team’s (17-4 overall, 6-2 Big Ten) rotation small, it’s also potentially frail, with each of the seven players burdened in one way or another.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Izzo praises team in loss to Indiana
After taking one of the nation’s top teams down to the wire before falling short of the victory Sunday, there was little different about the way Tom Izzo spent his postgame press conference.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Merchant looks for leadership after losses
Looking back on a week marked by a pair of tough five-point losses, MSU women’s basketball coach Suzy Merchant is looking for a little more fire from her team.
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Lessons learned in road loss to No. 7 Indiana
Growing up a little more than an hour away from Assembly Hall, it was a pipe dream of many that Gary Harris would be a Hoosier.
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Crimson, Cream, Casualty
All year no matter how ugly the game would get, the Spartans knew they would find a way to grind out victories in the final minutes behind the poise of their dependable closer.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
In overtime, women's basketball falls to Purdue
One week after entering the Associated Press top-25 for the first time since 2011, the No. 25 MSU women’s basketball team might have played itself out of the rankings by dropping consecutive games for the first time this season.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Women's basketball drops back-to-back games with loss to Purdue
The No. 25 MSU women’s basketball team has lost two consecutive contests for the first time this season after being downed by Purdue in overtime today, 67-62.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Women's basketball leads Pudue, 30-28, at half
After being absent from the starting lineup for the first time this season, Becca Mills and Annalise Pickrel made their presence felt off the bench for the Spartans against No. 15 Purdue on Sunday.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Despite solid performances by Payne, Harris, men's basketball falls to Indiana, 75-70
The No. 13 MSU men’s basketball team (17-4 overall, 6-2 Big Ten) was unable to pull off the upset in Bloomington, Ind. Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 7 Indiana (18-2, 6-1), 75-70, before a capacity crowd at Assembly Hall.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Men's basketball trails Indiana at half
The boos echoed throughout Assembly Hall every time he touched the ball. The chants rained down as he stood at the free throw line for the first time, less than two minutes into the game.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Spartans drop first game as a top-25 team to Nebraska
Kiana Johnson did her best to carry the No. 25 MSU women’s basketball team to a win in its first-ever trip to Nebraska tonight. In their first game as a ranked team since the end of 2011, the Spartans fell to Nebraska 59-54.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Frontcourt battles key to Indiana-MSU men’s basketball game Sunday
With first place in the conference on the line, the Spartans’ trip to Assembly Hall could be the team’s biggest challenge of the young conference season.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Spartans face-off against No. 7 Indiana in a pivotal Big Ten matchup Sunday
There are several times each season when a team can signal a distinct turning point of the year, often coming through a signature win against a marquee opponent. The No. 13 MSU basketball team is staring at a huge opportunity for one this weekend at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.
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Leaps & Bounds
It took longer than he initially expected, but Branden Dawson is starting to figure things out. After spending months searching for his game following a torn anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in his left knee in last year’s regular season finale, the sophomore guard/forward said he began feeling more comfortable the past two weeks, and the results have shown on the court.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Big off the bench
As the No. 25 MSU women’s basketball program travels to play Nebraska tonight, it can only hope the second-ever meeting with the Cornhuskers goes as well as the first.