Friday, April 26, 2024

Sports | Basketball

BASKETBALL

Spartans hold off Hawkeyes from late rally, win 75-64

Iowa City, Iowa - MSU had been in this situation before, letting a lead slip away in the second half on the road. But this time, senior guard Tim Bograkos stepped to the free-throw line with a three-point lead over Iowa with more than a minute left. With 15,500 Iowa fans screaming and Iowa on a 13-4 scoring run to control the momentum, Bograkos didn't worry about the pressure.

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Falling short

An unruly Izzone student section and several late runs by MSU weren't enough to stop No. 1 Illinois and its talented trio of guards. Fighting Illini guards Luther Head, Deron Williams and Dee Brown combined for 54 points, each finding ways to dash any hopes of an MSU comeback.

BASKETBALL

Final tuneup

In a warm-up match before Tuesday's tilt with No. 1 Illinois, the No. 15 MSU men's basketball team cruised to a 92-75 win over Oakland on Saturday night at Breslin Center. It was the calm before the storm. "On a one-day prep, we tried to pick a couple things we wanted to accomplish," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said.

BASKETBALL

Spartans seniors see 4th win against U-M

Senior guard Chris Hill held his hands high in the air a little past midcourt - the same spot he threw a lob pass that sailed over several Michigan defenders and into junior guard Maurice Ager's hands for a high flying dunk with more than six minutes left. It was another moment on the highlight reel for MSU's senior class, winning 64-53 against the Wolverines.

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2nd-half surge

Down 7-0 within the first few minutes of the game, the No. 15 MSU men's basketball team quickly fought back and never let Michigan regain the lead in a sloppy 64-53 win Thursday night at a packed and boisterous Breslin Center. The Spartans committed 17 turnovers in the game, a figure that had head coach Tom Izzo scratching his head. "We're getting down to crunch time here," Izzo said.

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Team to utilize Ibok's wingspan

Redshirt freshman center Idong Ibok will get his chance to contribute this week. MSU head coach Tom Izzo is calling on the 6-foot-10 Lagos, Nigeria native to use his 7-foot-5 wingspan and 9-foot-3 reach to challenge every shot in practice. "We're giving him a chance to swat everything he can swat this week," Izzo said of Ibok, who hurt his hand before the season and has redshirted, but still practices with the team.

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Sigh of relief

For the first 19:56 of the game, MSU junior guard Maurice Ager looked to be repeating his performance from Sunday's game in which he finished 1-of-8.

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Keady makes final trip to Breslin Center as coach

It will be the end of an era tonight at Breslin Center. The No. 19 MSU men's basketball team will say farewell to Gene Keady, when the legendary Purdue head coach makes his final appearance in East Lansing as his 25-year career as coach winds down. Keady owns a 25-21 all-time record against the Spartans. "I'm looking forward to playing Purdue," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said.

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Wis. takes 6th win against MSU

Madison, Wis. - A day after the No. 15 Spartans watched an eight-point lead slip away in the final three minutes of a 62-59 loss to Wisconsin, head coach Tom Izzo defended his players. His senior group - guards Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert and forward Alan Anderson - has often been criticized for its inability to win close games.

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Break 'nothing good' for team

Tom Izzo has always wanted to be a football coach. He loves the sport. But now that the head coach has eight days off until his team faces Wisconsin - similar to the time between football games - he's wishing he could face the Big Ten rival sooner. "There's nothing like having a situation like this and having eight days (off)," Izzo said.

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7th Heaven

Riding on a six-game winning streak, the No. 20 MSU men's basketball team made very few mistakes, committing a season-low of eight turnovers while forcing 19 in a 87-58 win over Northwestern on Saturday at Breslin Center. MSU (10-2 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) snapped the Wildcats' four-game winning streak while extending its own to seven games for the first time since the 2000-01 season, when MSU opened the season with 12 straight wins.

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Spartans win consolation game, 66-60

Washington, D.C. - The MSU basketball team continued to struggle in the second day of the BB&T Classic, but escaped with a 66-60 win over George Mason on Sunday in the consolation game at the MCI Center. "We just didn't do the things we needed to," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said, while talking about his team's inability to widen its lead over the Patriots (3-3). "We got sloppy in the second half; we turned the ball over and so many of them were unforced, and that's just a lack of focus," he said. Izzo made some lineup changes after the No.