For the last three weeks, nothing about the MSU men’s basketball team jumped out at you and said, “Now that is Spartan basketball.” Quite the opposite, fans were leaving games or turning off the TV wondering what happened to a program that has developed a reputation for running teams to death while also physically beating the living daylights out of them just for good measure.
A triple-double from junior forward Draymond Green led the MSU men’s basketball team to a 75-57 defeat of Penn State on Thursday night at Breslin Center.
After holding No. 23 Penn State without a basket for nearly 8 minutes, the No. 11 MSU women’s basketball team cruised to a victory and in the process, took sole control of first place in the Big Ten. The Spartans(21-3 overall, 9-2 Big Ten) defeated the Lady Lions(20-6, 9-3), 60-49, not allowing Penn State to even approach the 80-point mark they have been averaging this season and proving again great defense trumps great offense. With 6:20 remaining in the first half, the score was 19-18 with MSU holding the one-point advantage.
Led by junior forward Draymond Green’s triple-double, the MSU men’s basketball came home to Breslin Center on Thursday night and dismantled Penn State, 75-57.
Draymond Green — a junior forward for the MSU men’s basketball team — has had a tough time going to class recently. Unlike most college students, Green’s disdain for class has nothing to do with walking through the cold or being forced to wake up earlier than desired.
At the beginning of the season, no one would have pegged tonight’s matchup between the No. 11 MSU women’s basketball team and No. 23 Penn State to be a battle for first place in the Big Ten.
The MSU men’s basketball team was supposed to be the No. 2 team in the country and favorites to cut down the nets in April.
Tom Izzo’s version of the MSU men’s basketball program was built on defense. After back-to-back 20-point losses and five losses in six games, the defense is the biggest culprit.
The No. 11 MSU women’s basketball team is excelling in almost all aspects of the game this season. It hold the highest national ranking in the Big Ten, id second place in the conference standings and among the top five in the league in most of the statistical categories.
The titles “leading scorer” and “record breaker” usually aren’t connected to senior guard Brittney Thomas.
It was same story, different venue for the MSU men’s basketball team. Following a 20-point loss at Iowa on Wednesday, the Spartans lost, 82-56, at Wisconsin on Sunday. For the sixth-straight game, a Spartan opponent made at least 49 percent of its shots.
The No. 11 MSU women’s basketball team faced off against Purdue in a battle of the Big Ten’s best defenses and came away with a 76-57 victory.
One day after the MSU’s 72-52 loss to Iowa — a loss head coach Tom Izzo called “embarrassing” — the Spartans had the day off from practice. Instead, with a game at Wisconsin looking on Sunday, they gathered at the Alfred Berkowitz Basketball Complex for three hours of meetings. “We just met and talked about what we wanted to do,” junior forward Delvon Roe said.
Recently-dismissed junior guard Korie Lucious is in Ames, Iowa visiting Iowa State.
The scene was set for a night to remember for Badger fans, defeating one of the best teams in the country, remaining in a tie for first place in the Big Ten and allowing head coach Lisa Stone to celebrate her 500th career victory.
About two and a half months ago, the MSU men’s basketball team had a team evaluation meeting. Players were told areas they needed to work on. Sophomore center Derrick Nix decided to write down the needed improvements and hang them above his locker so he remembered.
After the MSU men’s basketball team lost to Michigan for the first time in three years last Thursday, I wrote that it couldn’t get any worse for the 2010-11 Spartans. A little less than one week later, it’s pretty obvious I jumped the gun with that conclusion.
The Hawkeyes (9-13 overall, 2-8 Big Ten) pounded MSU (13-9, 5-5), 72-52, in Iowa City, Iowa on Wednesday night.
The No. 11 MSU women’s basketball team is fully rested after a full week off and ready to return to the court when it travels to Wisconsin on Thursday. The Spartans (18-3 overall, 6-2 Big Ten) travel to Kohl Center where the Badgers (12-9, 7-2) haven’t lost a game since Dec.
Despite a major snow storm across the Midwest, the MSU men’s basketball team’s game against Iowa will be played as scheduled, with an 8:30 p.m.