Indianapolis – As she sat at her locker, thinking about the upcoming opportunity to face Purdue, freshman guard Kiana Johnson’s face couldn’t help but light up. The Spartans (20-10 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) will take on No.
One down, three to go. The MSU women’s basketball team (20-10 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) came into the Big Ten Tournament determined to make history as the first team to win four games in four days to win the title. If Thursday’s opening round game against Indiana (6-24 overall, 1-15) is any indication, it’s clear the Spartans mean business.
Indianapolis – With the benefit of a 97-68 rout against No. 11 seeded Indiana, MSU women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant had the opportunity to spread out some minutes Thursday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Indianapolis- When asked before the game what a win in her team’s opening game at the Big Ten Tournament would do for the MSU women’s basketball team’s chances to secure an NCAA Tournament bid, Suzy Merchant assured a victory would put her team over the top. Well at least for now, mission accomplished.
Physically, Austin Thornton has been here before. A fifth-year senior guard for the No. 5 MSU men’s basketball team, Thornton has been to two Final Fours, played in a National Championship game and he’s been a part of three Big Ten championship teams.
Indianapolis – It took a little while for the Spartans to get going, but an early run helped the MSU women’s basketball team (20-10 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) cruise to a 97-68 victory over Indiana (6-24, 1-15) in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
The No. 5 MSU basketball team could have an extra-special Senior Day on Sunday. With Tuesday’s 70-55 loss at No. 18 Indiana, the Spartans (24-6 overall, 13-4 Big Ten) host a default championship game at Breslin Center against No. 10 Ohio State (24-6, 12-5).
Since Brandon Wood first stepped on campus in 2007, he’s been looking forward to his impending Senior Day. Ignore the fact he was stepping onto the campus of Southern Illinois some 500 miles away. And forget that he went to three different schools before finally landing in East Lansing.
Hitting the road for the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, the MSU women’s basketball team (19-10 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) is out to do one thing: make magic. The Spartans will open the tournament against No. 12-seed Indiana (6-23, 1-15) on Thursday (approximately 8:25 p.m., Big Ten Network), and senior forward Lykendra Johnson said her team is confident after winning seven of the past eight games.
Bloomington, Ind. — Every last player on the No. 5 MSU men’s basketball team’s roster knew what to expect Tuesday night against No. 18 Indiana.
Bloomington, Ind. — On Dec. 28, 2011, the Indiana men’s basketball team came to Breslin Center and lost a back-and-forth game to MSU, 80-65.
When Suzy Merchant was asked last week if it was important to secure a bye in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, she paused. The question would have been laughable a month earlier when the MSU women’s basketball team (19-10 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) had lost four straight games for the first time in four years and was fighting itself more than its opponents.
Hoping to lock up an outright Big Ten Championship, the No. 6 MSU men’s basketball team trails No.
Although the No. 5 MSU men’s basketball team could celebrate its third Big Ten title in four years, it can clinch the championship outright Tuesday in Bloomington, Ind. The Spartans (24-5 overall, 13-3 Big Ten) were guaranteed at least a share of the Big Ten regular season championship after Purdue and No. 14 Wisconsin beat No. 13 Michigan and No. 10 Ohio State, respectively. But if they want to be the lone champions, they have work left to do, and it can accomplish that goal at No. 18 Indiana (22-7, 9-7).
As head coach Suzy Merchant walked to the podium for her weekly press conference on Monday, it was with a big smile that hasn’t always been there each week. The MSU women’s basketball team (19-10 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) finished the regular season with a 76-57 victory over Northwestern yesterday — the Spartans’ seventh win in the past eight games — and has overcome an earlier four-game losing streak to finish in a four-way tie for second-place in the Big Ten.
With two games to play and a possible outright Big Ten championship on the line, the No. 5 MSU men’s basketball team isn’t thinking about much past Tuesday’s matchup with No. 18 Indiana.
One month ago today, not many people could have seen this day coming. It was Jan. 26, and the MSU women’s basketball team (19-10 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) suffered a disheartening loss to Illinois — winless in conference play before the day — that extended MSU’s losing streak to four games and made dreams of finishing near the top of the conference seem like just that — dreams. Later that night, senior guard Porschè Poole and freshman guard Kiana Johnson called out their teammates for being selfish, and Poole made sure to meet with head coach Suzy Merchant to find answers. “I definitely think it was a turning point,” Merchant said.
When senior forward Draymond Green and the rest of the seniors on the MSU men’s basketball team take the floor at Breslin Center for the last time Sunday against No. 8 Ohio State, the crowd will be missing some of their most die-hard fans.
Less than 24 hours after MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo said a Big Ten championship this season would be the “most earned” of his career, the No. 6 Spartans clinched at least a share of the title without even playing a game.
The MSU women’s basketball team collected a solid 76-57 victory at Northwestern to improve their NCAA Tournament résumé. Heading into Sunday’s game, head coach Suzy Merchant warned her team that its six wins in the last seven games would be meaningless if MSU didn’t finish the regular season strong.