Take it to the bank: Suzy Merchant will succeed as MSU women’s basketball coach. Although some have criticized MSU’s first-year head coach for her team’s tough season, a lot of what’s contributed to the rough start thus far has been out of her control.
Women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant is having an interesting first year at MSU. Untimely injuries, combined with early departures and inconsistency, has left the Spartans floundering at the middle-to-bottom of the Big Ten.
Like a broken record, the MSU women’s basketball team’s rebounding problems are happening again and again. MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said rebounding will be one of the big keys to beat Indiana tonight — especially after being outrebounded by 12 the first time the two teams met on Jan. 20. The Spartans dropped the game, 70-56.
Anyone watching the MSU men’s basketball game Tuesday night at Purdue witnessed a real coming of age. Kalin Lucas took the last step in his maturation process from a Spartan boy to a man. The freshman guard has emerged this season as a prolific scorer, but on Tuesday he became the Spartans’ go-to guy.
A Boilermaker couldn’t have been a more fitting mascot to cheer for Purdue’s team Tuesday night. The No. 1 team in the Big Ten never came to a screeching halt — or showed signs of slowing down. They chugged along and steamrolled the MSU men’s basketball team, 60-54, at Mackey Arena, giving the Spartans their third conference and road loss of the season.
Loss. Win. Say those words four more times each and you have the results, in order, of the last 10 MSU women’s basketball games. The Spartans (14-11 overall, 6-7 Big Ten) have been exchanging wins and losses for more than a month now, most recently getting crushed by Iowa on Feb.
Senior guard Courtney Davidson saved the day – from the bench. The MSU women’s basketball team (14-11 overall, 6-7 Big Ten) clinched a 56-54 win against Purdue (13-11, 9-4) on Monday night at Breslin Center thanks to Davidson’s scoring five of the last seven Spartans points in the closing moments.
The MSU women’s basketball team shut down the Boilermakers Monday night at Breslin Center. Now 6-7 in the Big Ten, the Spartans clinched the 56-54 victory in the closing seconds of the game thanks to senior guard Courtney Davidson who scored five of the last seven Spartan points.
When the MSU men’s basketball team travels to West Lafayette, Ind., today it will face a walking statistical anomaly. Purdue, sitting atop the Big Ten with a 10-1 conference record, ranks third or better in only three categories — free-throw percentage, steals and turnover margin.
The State News tracked down freshman guard Durrell Summers to find out what life is like as a newcomer to MSU basketball head coach Tom Izzo’s team. Summers touched on everything from mashed potatoes to away games as he gave a little insight into his day-to-day activities.
Do … not … make … stupid … FOULS. Senior center Drew Naymick hammered it into his head time after time before Saturday’s game against Northwestern.
After connecting on four straight MSU shots late in the first half, Drew Neitzel decided to press his luck. The senior guard pulled up, dribbled in front of his Northwestern defender, shot a deep 3-pointer, and the ball grazed nothing but the bottom of the net. Heat-check diagnosis: hot.
Next up on the MSU women’s basketball team’s seesaw schedule is Purdue. The Boilermakers (13-10 overall, 9-3 Big Ten) will make the trip tonight to Breslin Center riding a four-game win streak, while the Spartans (13-11, 5-7) are coming off an 82-64 loss to Iowa.
Senior guard Drew Neitzel led the MSU men’s basketball team to a 70-55 victory over Northwestern on Saturday night at Breslin Center.
And so the pattern continues. The MSU women’s basketball team failed to break its win-loss trend in an 82-64 loss to Iowa Thursday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
After losing two tough games to Clemson and Missouri early in the season, the Purdue men’s basketball team knew it wasn’t playing up to its standards.
Wherever they go, they take a little bit of Tom Izzo with them. Many former Spartans basketball players and assistant coaches said they might have moved on physically from the Izzo regime in East Lansing — but mentally? Forget it.
When the MSU men’s basketball team traveled to Northwestern on Jan. 24, the Spartans gave the Wildcats a dose of their own medicine by shooting 61.1 percent from beyond the 3-point line en route to a 78-62 trouncing.
Sophomore guard Mandy Piechowski has been stepping back into the role she held in high school — that of an all-around threat and knock-down shooter.
In November, the MSU men’s basketball team was ranked No. 8 in the country before even setting foot on the hardwood for an exhibition game.