The bench continues to shrink for the No. 12 MSU men’s basketball team. After battling the injury bug earlier this season, freshman guard Gary Harris and sophomore guard Travis Trice both left Thursday’s 80-75 win against Illinois with a new set of ailments.
Weaving his way through the defense, Denzel Valentine spotted his teammate open in the corner on the opposite side of the court — yet, that wasn’t where he passed the ball.
The only thing pretty in the first half of tonight’s installment of the MSU – Michigan series was the special pink jerseys each team was sporting. It was a typical low-scoring, gritty rivalry game you would expect in a matchup of the No. 1 and 2 scoring defenses in the Big Ten.
Pink jerseys, Breslin Center, arch rivals. The last time those three factors for the MSU women’s basketball team came together was Feb. 13, 2011, and culminated in a 69-56 victory against Michigan in front of the first sellout crowd in program history.
From the moment he steps on the Breslin Center floor, Russell Byrd hears everything.
When the game is on the line, MSU head coach Tom Izzo has few question where the ball belongs. A slick pass here. A layup there. And not to mention, pure ice in the veins at the free throw line.
A lineup initially altered to address off the court issues now faces serious on the court concerns, as the Spartans wait to learn of the fate of guards Gary Harris and Travis Trice.
Keith Appling knew the implication of what had happened.
It wasn’t the dominating, confidence-boosting win the Spartans were hoping for, but they’ll take it. The MSU women’s basketball team (17-4 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) avoided a three-game skid by beating Northwestern 67-62 on the road tonight behind junior forward Annalise Pickrel’s career-high 21 points.
Keith Appling knew the implication of what had happened. Having been in foul trouble for much of the afternoon, the junior guard fouled out in the second half of Sunday’s game against Indiana, forcing the No.
After one half of play at Breslin Center, the No. 13 MSU men’s basketball team trails Illinois, 37-27.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.