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Sports | Basketball

BASKETBALL

Home-cooked

Jeremy Warnemuende
February 27, 2011

With a chance at an upset win over No. 8 Purdue, senior guard Kalin Lucas said he and the MSU men’s basketball team wanted to be the aggressor Sunday and take it to the visiting Boilermakers. Instead, Purdue took it to the Spartans (16-12 overall, 8-8 Big Ten) for the entire 40 minutes as the Boilermakers (24-5, 13-3) ran over MSU, 67-47, at Breslin Center. “Today, we definitely wanted to come and play aggressive, and we wanted to bring the punch to them,” Lucas said.

BASKETBALL

Despite Kalin Lucas, team still struggles

Chris Vannini
February 27, 2011

For the entire month of February, the MSU men’s basketball team has been The Kalin Lucas Show. But just like many shows that don’t adjust the plot, it’s not enough to succeed anymore. The senior guard scored 23 points in Sunday’s 67-47 loss to Purdue at Breslin Center, but for the third-consecutive game, Lucas was the only Spartan to score in double figures. Junior forward Draymond Green scored seven points on 3-for-12 shooting, tied for his highest output in the last three games. In fact, until a layup by Green with 4:04 to play, senior guard Mike Kebler was MSU’s second-leading scorer behind Lucas with six points. If the Spartans (16-12 overall, 8-8 Big Ten) are to finish the season strong and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament, more Spartans are going to need to improve their offense – and it can’t be Kebler leading the charge. “When I do penetrate to the hole and guys don’t hit shots, you’ve just got to keep their spirits up and just tell them to make the next one and to go to the hole, get fouled and get a rhythm that way,” Lucas said of his teammates. The guy who needs to help Lucas as much as anyone is his best friend, senior guard Durrell Summers, who continues to be nowhere to be seen.

BASKETBALL

Lost the battle... Won the war

Anthony Odoardi
February 24, 2011

The No. 10 MSU women’s basketball class of 2011 defines everything it means to be a Spartan. Behind seniors Brittney Thomas, Cetera Washington and Kalisha Keane the Spartans became the first MSU women’s basketball team to claim an outright conference title, despite a 54-53 loss to Ohio State on Thursday night. The three seniors are Spartans to the fullest extent, and although they will graduate with their last game at Breslin Center being a loss, they can find peace in knowing they represent everything you look for in a basketball player. They have toughness, heart, passion, energy, character and leadership.

BASKETBALL

Spartans fall to OSU, still swipe title

Jeremy Warnemuende
February 24, 2011

Heading into Thursday night, the No. 10 MSU women’s basketball team had one obstacle left between itself and the program’s first-ever outright Big Ten championship. Unfortunately for the Spartans (24-4 overall, 12-3 Big Ten), that obstacle was six-time defending champion Ohio State.

BASKETBALL

MSU hangs on vs. Gophers, wins 53-48

Jeremy Warnemuende
February 22, 2011

After a wretched first half, freshman guard Keith Appling knocked down two free throws to give the MSU men’s basketball team a 50-48 lead against Minnesota in its own building. Seventeen seconds later, senior guard Mike Kebler knocked down two more free throws to all but seal a 53-48 win for the Spartans (16-11 overall, 8-7 Big Ten) and improve their chances of making a 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament. “We had a lot of guys that kind of screwed up and then came back,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said told the Spartan Sports Network.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Back on top

Anthony Odoardi
February 20, 2011

After five consecutive years of watching Ohio State reign atop the Big Ten conference and raise banner after banner, the No. 11 MSU women’s basketball team — with a 69-56 victory at Illinois — have dethroned the former champions and will carry the trophy a few hours north to East Lansing.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

MSU women look to become MSU’s best ever

Anthony Odoardi
February 20, 2011

After freshman center — a.k.a former Spartan Alyssa DeHaan’s replacement — Madison Williams went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, would anyone have believed me if I said MSU women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant would be able to reshape her offense and turn the No.