After Thursday’s 97-32 drubbing at the hands of the MSU women’s basketball team, Saginaw Valley State’s athletic trainer had better have some extra ice packs prepared for the night’s ride home.
All of the questions facing the MSU men’s basketball team were answered resoundingly Wednesday night with a 118-57 drubbing of Northern Michigan.
Breslin Center’s roof might need to pop a couple ibuprofen and rest a while with the headache it’s suffering from. Because the structure appeared as if it may blow off the arena’s walls Wednesday evening from all the booming noise and violent shaking that came pounding from all angles.
The No. 7 MSU men’s basketball team has been practicing and scrimmaging each other so much lately that freshman forward Delvon Roe admitted he can’t even remember what five-on-five hoops looks like between two different teams.
Joe Dumars has done it again. With the trade of Denver Nuggets All-Star Allen Iverson for Detroit Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups, center Cheikh Samb and five minutes with Antonio McDyess’ bought-out contract, the Pistons general manager has pulled off another risky swap that not only keeps Detroit in the NBA title hunt, but also positions the team for success in the future.
The women’s basketball team looked strong Sunday as it battled the scout team in the annual Green and White Game.
When there’s no other squad available, just divvy ‘em up, grab a couple referees and hit the hardwood.
With less than two weeks of practice under its belt, the MSU women’s basketball team still has a lot of work to do before the start of the 2008-09 season.
The MSU men’s basketball team will split up into two groups in preparation for Saturday’s Green and White Game — battling for squad supremacy.
You don’t have to do much to upset MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo. That’s nothing new. But as a team, the Spartans won’t have much time to apologize to the coaching staff for being too soft and lackadaisical in their second week of practice — as the 14th-year head coach plans to swamp his squad with two-a-days, one practice immediately followed by another after a short break.
It wasn’t anything personal, but in all honesty, Porschè Poole didn’t like Courtney Schiffauer in high school. That’s how it went in Ohio’s Federal League Conference when Poole, a 5-foot-8 guard at McKinley High School, constantly battled Boardman High School and Schiffauer, Boardman’s standout 6-foot-1 forward throughout their high school years.
Ever since that fateful day when the MSU women’s basketball team found out it wasn’t headed to the Big Dance, it’s wanted to prove to the nation that a mistake was made. The Spartans, who finished 23-14 overall, felt they deserved to be in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
So early on, truly anything flies. That’s been MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo’s mindset throughout the team’s first four official practices, playing every single one of his players in various positions to get them comfortable with moving around and responding to adversity when the team needs it most.
Disco music and short basketball shorts were all the rage Friday as the men’s and women’s basketball teams kicked off the season with Midnight Madness. A crowd that filled most of Breslin Center watched the “Friday Night Flashback,” which paid tribute to the 1979 men’s basketball national championship team. Greg Kelser, who was a key part of that ’79 team, hosted the night. It was the first time he had attended Midnight Madness, and he wore a jersey that resembled those worn by the 1979 team.
It’s no surprise that MSU students get certain price-saving deals because of their enrollment at the university. But the numbers for student members of the Izzone are colossal when hammered out and put into black and white — seeing how much MSU’s administration could be banking compared to what they charge their loyal fans between the ages of 18-23.
MSU’s annual Midnight Madness event will take place at 10:30 p.m. tonight at Breslin Center, with doors opening at 9:30 p.m. for autographs on the concourse. There also will be promotional giveaways and performances by the Spartan Marching Band, MSU cheerleaders, MSU Dance Team and Sparty throughout the night
For the first time since the spring, the MSU men’s basketball team — with the addition of three new faces — was fully dressed for Media Day at Breslin Center. Answering questions about the past, present and future, the Spartans were amped and ready to kick off the 2008-09 schedule Nov. 5 against Northern Michigan, head coach Tom Izzo’s alma mater.
My inquiries on how MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo works his magic to mold such quality athletes while keeping them so well-behaved have been wiped clean. I understand it now because my niche changed from reporter to athlete, even if it was short-lived.
The Spartan Athletic Ticket Office is accepting requests-with-payment for student men’s basketball admission through Wednesday.
The MSU men’s basketball team released its schedule for the 2008-09 basketball season, with several nonconference matchups drawing interest.