“No rest for the weary — that’s for sure.” That’s how MSU women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant led off her weekly press conference this week as the Spartans (11-5 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) try to stay undefeated in conference with back-to-back home games to finish out the week.
MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo has a problem many coaches wish they had. Instead of taking players out of his rotation because they aren’t performing, Izzo has spent this season looking for playing time for guys who have earned it in practice.
MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo meant no hard feelings by Izzone criticisms. He just knows how important the group is to his team.
With a week off between last Tuesday’s win at Wisconsin and Tuesday night’s game against Iowa, Tom Izzo didn’t know what to expect from his team.
Brandon Wood left a lasting impression on the MSU men’s basketball team two years before he ever put on his No. 30 Spartan jersey. Then a sophomore at Valparaiso, the 6-foot-2 combo guard played against MSU on Nov. 22, 2009 at Breslin Center. Despite the Crusaders walking away on the wrong end of a 90-60 final score, Wood stood out with his 24 points and 9-for-ten free throw shooting.
A reduction in the total number of scholarships available for NCAA Division I football bowl subdivision, or FBS, and women’s basketball programs could change if a proposal passes this week.
Although the MSU women’s basketball team (11-5, 3-0) entered this season with a conference title to defend, many didn’t consider this year’s team to be a contender.
With the most recent poll putting the men’s basketball team at No. 6, Iowa gets a shot to end the 14-game Spartan winning streak 7 p.m. tonight at Breslin Center.
With each and every game, the MSU men’s basketball 2011-12 season looks less and less like its predecessor.
After capturing the first outright Big Ten title in program history a year ago, it wasn’t the MSU women’s basketball team, but Penn State, that was selected by the coaches and media to win this season’s conference title. But when the two team’s met for the first time on Saturday, the Spartans showed they’re still contenders to repeat as Big Ten champs. On Saturday, MSU (11-5, 3-0) went on the road and defeated No.
After struggling to hit shots in the first half, MSU (10-5, 2-0) used a 9-0 run midway through the second half to knock off Michigan (12-3, 1-1) 60-55 and extend the Spartans’ win streak over their rivals to 10 games and 18 of their last 19.
But, in a game played much like you would expect from the Spartans and Badgers, No. 10 MSU outlasted Wisconsin 63-60 in overtime after a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Ryan Evans was ruled to be after the buzzer.
The No. 16 MSU men’s basketball team won its 13th consecutive, second straight Big Ten game and first game in Lincoln, Neb., against Nebraska, 68-55. The Spartans (13-2 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) trailed at halftime 30-29 to the Huskers (8-5, 0-2), but rallied for the 15-point win. Senior forward Draymond Green scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and sophomore guard Keith Appling scored 14 in the win. MSU made 19-of-21 at the free throw line, and the team out-rebounded Nebraska, 33-21. The 13-game win streak is the programs longest since 1998-99.
Despite a rough shooting night, the MSU women’s basketball team (9-5 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) grinded out a hard fought road win against Indiana (5-9, 0-1) on Friday, defeating the Hoosiers, 63-49, to open the conference season.
Derrick Nix quite possibly is the greatest indicator that this season’s MSU men’s basketball team is different from last year.
In a game that saw MSU build an 18-point lead before facing a nine-point deficit, the Spartans (12-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) eventually used a 20-0 run to come out on top, 80-65, in a see-saw Big Ten battle.
The No. 16 MSU men’s basketball team played No. 13 Indiana in a game of ups and downs, but came out on top, 80-65, Wednesday at Breslin Center.
With the Big Ten opener against No. 17 Indiana looming, Thursday’s matchup with Lehigh gave Tom Izzo and the No.
Matching its longest win streak since the 2008-2009 season, the No. 19 MSU men’s basketball team eked out a 90-81 win against Lehigh for its eleventh straight. However, as the Spartans (11-2) closed out their nonconference season against the little team from Bethlehem, Penn., they still have much to improve on before taking on No.
The MSU Women’s Basketball team has gotten away from the cold weather in East Lansing to spend their winter break in Cancun, Mexico as the team participates in the Caribbean Classic tournament this week. The trip got off to a good start on Tuesday when the Spartans (8-4) knocked off Colorado State (3-8) in a dominant 72-45 victory.