Izzo accepts blame for early season woes
MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo has repeatedly said he will play any team anywhere at anytime.
MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo has repeatedly said he will play any team anywhere at anytime.
The No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team dropped its second game of the season Wednesday, losing 70-57 at Georgia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Spartans started the game fast, jumping out to an early 8-0 lead with a three-pointer by senior guard Mia Johnson.
When the MSU men’s basketball team faces No. 1 North Carolina at 9:15 p.m. tonight at Ford Field in Detroit, it won’t just be facing the best team in the country. The Spartans could be facing one of the best teams in college basketball history. “Is this one bigger because it’s at Ford Field and that’s where the Final Four is?” MSU head coach Tom Izzo asked rhetorically. “No, it’s bigger because … there’s been talk about, ‘Is this one of the best teams ever?’”
After facing two tough pressing teams last week, the No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team will have to face another fast defense Wednesday at Georgia Tech.
As a freshman last season, MSU men’s basketball guard Kalin Lucas had the game of his life on the biggest stage of his life. Playing No. 7 Texas at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Orchard Lake St. Mary’s product poured in a career-high 18 points, six rebounds and six assists to help the Spartans upend the Longhorns, 78-72.
A raging storm and flurry of 3-point baskets threatened to shock the No. 5 MSU men’s basketball team Sunday afternoon. But once the weather passed and rain was cleared off the floor of the Milk House, the Spartans left Wichita State reeling in a cloud of dust.
Raymar Morgan scored a season-high 29 points off the bench and three other Spartans scored in double figures, as the No. 5 MSU men’s basketball team defeated Oklahoma State 94-79 Friday at the Old Spice Classic at the Milk House in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
First came the turkey. Then came the stuffing. The Maryland men’s basketball team feasted on MSU like a three-course Thanksgiving meal Thursday, upsetting the No. 5 Spartans 80-62 at The Milk House in Orlando, Fla.
In its first big test of the season, the No. 24 MSU women’s basketball team looked impressive in its 74-48 victory over No. 23 Old Dominion.
The men’s basketball team isn’t the only hoops squad that has to endure a tough stretch of games the next week. The No. 24 women’s basketball team, fresh off winning the TD Banknorth Classic championship, now has to face No. 23 Old Dominion and No. 14 Notre Dame this week, something head coach Suzy Merchant said she is looking forward to.
With arguably the toughest four-game stretch in program history on the horizon, MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo is preparing for a stressful holiday season. “This might be toughest four-game stretch because … none of (the games) are at home,” Izzo said. “It just gives me something else to worry about over Thanksgiving.”
Not even two big handfuls of mistakes could knock the MSU women’s basketball team off its path. Despite 24 turnovers and 49 missed shots from the floor and free-throw line, the Spartans still rolled over Detroit Mercy 85-48 on Wednesday at Breslin Center — remaining unbeaten this season.
For Travis Walton, basketball is nothing without consistency. A team can slam the ball through the hoop 100 times, make 16 3-pointers or even destroy an opponent by 50 points in a single game.
After weeks of wondering who would play where and in what capacity, MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo unveiled the first official edition of the MSU starting lineup Sunday night. In the Spartans’ 100-62 season-opening win against Idaho at Breslin Center, Izzo started sophomore guards Kalin Lucas and Chris Allen in the backcourt, senior guard Travis Walton at the three and junior forward Raymar Morgan and senior center Goran Suton in the frontcourt.
The final score of Sunday’s 73-42 victory over Stony Brook meant very little to women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant. The Spartans were tired, passive and careless in MSU’s second game of the season, Merchant said, even though the scoreboard displayed a 31-point MSU win.
Aisha Jefferson is making up for lost time with a vengeance. The junior forward, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, scored in double figures for the second time in as many games Sunday for the Spartans, who soared past Stony Brook, 73-42, at Breslin Center.
One game into the MSU women’s basketball season, the record books already need to be re-written.
You’ll have to excuse MSU head coach Tom Izzo for not knowing much about the Idaho men’s basketball team. After all, the team features 12 new players, a new head coach and has played only one exhibition game.
The MSU men’s basketball program prepared for the loss of three senior post players from this year’s team with the signing of two centers for its 2009 recruiting class Wednesday.
The MSU men’s basketball team ran its fast break like there was nobody else on the court — slashing through its lanes, leaping toward the basket and finishing around the hoop with ease.