Never has a 28-point win looked so ugly. Playing against Indiana, the worst team in the Big Ten, the No. 13 MSU men’s basketball team shot 42.4 percent from the field, 67.9 percent from the free-throw line and 28.6 percent from 3-point range — typical ingredients for disaster.
The MSU women’s basketball team has been cool down the stretch all season long, seemingly shrugging off pressure in the last five minutes as just another fan yelling in the stands.
In the second half of a game between the MSU men’s basketball team and Illinois earlier this year, an MSU jumper clanked off the rim. MSU freshman forward Draymond Green and Illinois forward Dominique Keller each jumped for the rebound, both coming down together with the ball. Quickly and swiftly, Green lifted the ball up — and with it the 6-foot-7, 230 pound Keller. Green body-slammed Keller to the ground.
As you might expect from a team that had to replace 98.7 percent of its scoring from last season, Indiana has experienced more than a few growing pains this season.
The only question following Wednesday night’s game between the MSU men’s basketball team and Minnesota was which Durrell Summers highlight play would find itself on the chopping room floor.
Two consecutive home losses for the first time since the 1996-97 season have led MSU head coach Tom Izzo to admit the shell of his team has been slightly shaken. In the last two games at Breslin Center, the Spartans have dealt with hot shooters and an array of shots that would have won numerous HORSE championships in their losses to both Northwestern (70-63 on Jan.
As if the agony over Sunday’s loss to Penn State wasn’t enough, MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo slapped himself with another punishment: He didn’t allow himself to watch the Super Bowl.
For some reason, the MSU men’s basketball team can’t win at home. Blame it on bad defense, young players’ belief in entitlement, or just a rash of bad luck and banked-in 3-pointers, but the No. 9 Spartans (17-4 overall, 7-2 Big Ten) now find themselves in the midst of what no MSU team has had to deal with in more than 10 years — a losing streak at Breslin Center.
All season long, Kalin Lucas has thrived under the pressure of late game situations. So with seven seconds left and his team trailing Penn State by two, he knew it was his shot to take.
After an up-and-down freshman campaign, MSU guard Chris Allen realized he had a lot to learn about college basketball. The game was faster, the strategies were more complex, and he had problems taking advantage of his greatest strength: shooting.
Fresh off road trips to Ohio State and Iowa, the No. 9 MSU men’s basketball team comes back to Breslin Center for the first time since its upset loss to Northwestern on Jan. 21. With their 28-game home winning streak over, the Spartans look to start a new streak at noon Saturday against the Nittany Lions.
People say Idong Ibok will be the president of Nigeria someday. Coaches who have seen him play basketball and grow through different stages of life echo each others’ thoughts — there’s more to the player than a presence in the post. But Ibok just laughs.
Already the best defensive team in the Big Ten, the MSU women’s basketball team finally is starting to find its way around the offensive side of the ball. The Spartans started off the season winning games, but not consistently scoring baskets the way they wanted to, with clean passes into the post for easy layups rather than risky outside shots.
On a five-game winning streak, the MSU women’s basketball team is the hottest team in the Big Ten. But Thursday, the Spartans won’t be the only team coming in on a roll.
Although Iowa sits in ninth place in the Big Ten with a record of 12-8 overall and 2-5 in the conference, MSU head coach Tom Izzo knows Thursday’s game against ?the Hawkeyes will be ?another tough Big Ten matchup.
Illinois men’s basketball head coach Bruce Weber admits it’s “unusual.” Tubby Smith, who holds the same position for Minnesota, said it’s “mind-boggling.”
Since entering the starting lineup five games ago, redshirt freshman forward Lykendra Johnson has proven extremely effective for the MSU women’s basketball team, using her size and athleticism to bother the other team defensively on the wing.
If you haven’t heard or couldn’t tell, MSU forward Raymar Morgan has been reeling the past couple weeks. The junior has been hampered by a nagging case of the flu since the middle of the month, and it has severely affected his play in each of the past three games.
On a day honoring the loss of North Carolina State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow and her bout with breast cancer, the MSU women’s basketball team’s 59-50 victory against Wisconsin couldn’t have been more of a fight.
Throughout the season, players on the MSU men’s basketball team have said that on any given day, a different player can lead the Spartans to victory. As sophomore guard Kalin Lucas was held scoreless in the first half Sunday and junior forward Raymar Morgan continued to struggle with flu-like symptoms, the Spartans unleashed another dangerous scorer on their roster.