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Basketball fans crowd into Breslin Center
It was just like a real basketball game. Except, Breslin Center wasn't filled. There were no crazy hats, no face paint, no Izzone.
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Student, former coach torn during NCAA tournament time
Masters student Matthew Wood completed his undergraduate studies at Nevada and never saw the Wolf Pack make it to the NCAA Basketball Tournament - until now. He sat anxiously watching the CBS Selection Sunday breakdown, happily knowing that both of his universities would be in the Big Dance. "I finally had two teams I could root for," Wood said.
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Tough love
It's Monday afternoon, and Tom Izzo is late. His weekly press conference was supposed to begin 15 minutes ago.
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Izzo: Spartans capable of run
Seattle - Heading into the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans know they could win the whole thing. They also know they could be knocked out in the first round against Nevada on Thursday night. In MSU's seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the No.
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Rebounding a must
Rebound or else. That is the motto MSU head coach Tom Izzo tells his team heading into the NCAA Tournament.
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Nevada keeps Izzo, staff up all night
Assuming MSU head coach Tom Izzo went home and dreamed about his team's NCAA Tournament chances after the Spartans found out they were a No.
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Ups & downs
Indianapolis - The Spartans can't help their coach beat Bo Ryan. MSU had another opportunity to defeat Wisconsin on Saturday evening in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, but the Spartans' chance clanked off the back of the rim. Down by two points with 4.8 seconds on the clock, Spartans sophomore guard Maurice Ager grabbed a rebound and sprinted up the floor, but a last-ditch 18-foot jumper hit off the back of the rim, leaving the Badgers with a 68-66 triumph. "I don't think I could have gotten a better look," Ager said after the game.
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Spartans draw Wolfpack
The Spartans fell short on two of their goals for the 2003-04 season - winning the Big Ten regular season title and the Big Ten Tournament Championship - but there still is the chance of reaching one goal: a Final Four. And as unlikely as it might seem, the Spartans are serious. MSU received a No.
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Flight deck may double as court
The MSU men's basketball team might get a chance next year to take its game to a whole new level - aboard an aircraft carrier. University officials are engaged in talks about the plan, which would pit MSU against the Navy while the Air Force would take on North Carolina in a season-opening doubleheader.
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Badgered
MSU's chance at a Big Ten championship will have to wait - whether for a couple of days or another season is the question. The Spartans had a chance to recapture the conference crown and raise another banner at Breslin Center after a two-year hiatus, but MSU lost a 68-64 thrilling overtime game to No.
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Badgers last roadblock in championship race
State College, Pa. - Sharpen the scissors and get the ladders out of storage, because MSU is playing for a Big Ten Championship - and a chance to cut down the nets - Tuesday against Wisconsin at Breslin Center. The Spartans (17-9 overall, 12-3 Big Ten) beat Penn State, 67-42, on Saturday night, guaranteeing them at least a share of the Big Ten Championship if they win their regular season finale against the Badgers. "Everything now is one and done," head coach Tom Izzo said.
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Passing makes perfect: assists prove essential to unselfish 'U' squad
State College, Pa. - The Spartans are honoring a creed handed down from generation to generation: sharing. Against Penn State, nearly every Spartans shot was prefaced with pass.
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Izzo: Big Ten deserves credit
The Big Ten is portrayed in the national media as the black sheep of the major conferences, and Tom Izzo doesn't like it. With the Big Ten's best record, MSU (16-9 overall, 11-3 Big Ten) is nearly a lock for the NCAA Tournament.
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Turnovers key to win
What a difference a game makes. Michigan's improbable win against Wisconsin on Sunday suddenly thrust the Wolverines into the batch of Big Ten NCAA Tournament hopefuls.
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Spartans control Big Ten destiny
Like an aging boxer short on money, the MSU basketball team refused to give up. And as the Big Ten season winds down to its final rounds, the Spartans are proving the beatings they took only made them stronger. After MSU's first Big Ten game, a loss to Wisconsin, the team was two games under 500 - its worst start since the 1987-88 season - and had lost each of its marquee nonconference matchups.
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Anderson leads team to victory over Wildcats
The Spartans were glad to have a productive Alan Anderson back. "I was really happy for Alan Anderson, coming back off his worst game as a Spartan to maybe one of his best, if you look at his total line," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. Coming off a zero-point, four-foul, two-turnover, one-assist performance in 10 minutes against Purdue, the junior swingman scored 12 points, dished out six assists and had two steals, leading the Spartans to a 66-56 victory over Northwestern on Saturday. The win keeps MSU (15-9 overall, 10-3 Big Ten) in sole possession of first place in the conference, a half-game ahead of Illinois (18-5, 9-3). After shooting 40.9 percent against Purdue, the Spartans regained their stroke, shooting 54 percent (27 for 50) against Northwestern.
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Ockerman works hard on court, diamond
As the freshman center bolted onto the court with just more than a minute left in MSU's Feb.
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Senior shares tale of rings
At nearly 7 feet tall, it's doubtful anyone would confuse senior center Jason Andreas with a Hobbit.
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Izzo lashes out against 'U' student fan section
Tom Izzo loves the Izzone - 90 percent of the time. It's the other 10 percent that makes him question having the Spartans' cheering section. Late in the second half of MSU's 69-58 win over Minnesota on Saturday, the Izzone started chanting "UN-EM-PLOY-MENT" to Golden Gophers head coach Dan Monson, the main reason being Minnesota's 1-10 record in the conference. Izzo said he didn't hear it in the waning minutes of the game, but he was "ticked off" when he caught word of the chant. "If I would have heard that, it would have been worth a technical to walk over and smack somebody," Izzo said.
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Win keeps 'U' second in Big Ten
The Spartans' win against Minnesota wasn't exactly fit for ESPN Classic, but at this point in the Big Ten season, they'll take it. "We are in this mode where we have to keep winning," head coach Tom Izzo said.