The Associated Press recently named MSU junior basketball guard Drew Neitzel as Honorable Mention All-America. Scoring 20 or more points in 17 games during the season, Neitzel averaged a team-best 18.1 points per game — good for fourth-highest in the Big Ten.
Now that the MSU basketball team's season has come to a close, it's time to hand out some awards. Most likely to say something that can't be printed in The State News without heavy editing — sophomore guard Travis Walton Walton is pretty tame when he's speaking at the podium during post-game press conferences, but if you're in earshot when the Spartans huddle up before taking the court, prepare for some fantastic sound bites.
The locker room is empty. The equipment is packed away. The players are on hiatus for two weeks — "13 1/2 more days than last year," head coach Tom Izzo said. The season is over for the MSU men's basketball team — a grueling campaign that saw the Spartans go from preseason doormat to a few minutes away from a Sweet 16 berth. "The biggest problem now is where do we go?" Izzo said Wednesday at his year-end press conference.
State News basketball reporter Tom Keller covered MSU's postseason run last week in Winston-Salem, N.C., and was reminded why this is his favorite — and most fattening — time of year. If you don't like the NCAA Tournament, I'm not sure we can be friends.
Winston-Salem, N.C. — Come this time next year, MSU could very well be hoisting a conference championship banner to the Breslin Center rafters and enjoying a No.
Winston-Salem, N.C. — It was supposed to be over by now, but there were eight minutes left to play and ninth-seeded MSU was leading top-seeded North Carolina by a point.
Winston-Salem, N.C. — We knew that for MSU to win in the NCAA Tournament, someone other than junior guard Drew Neitzel would have to step up. But if you were the one who guessed that someone would be walk-on junior forward Jake Hannon, put the paper down, go buy a lottery ticket, then come back and finish reading.
Winston-Salem, N.C. — The familiarity between Marquette and MSU led many to believe Thursday night's first-round matchup would be tightly contested.
Ever wish you could watch film of every 3-pointer Drew Neitzel has ever made off the dribble out of a timeout in a road game? Kevin Pauga can make it happen. Pauga, the video coordinator for the MSU men's basketball team, manages a film scouting system that puts Blockbuster to shame.
You can probably remember a hundred times this season when junior guard Drew Neitzel water-bugged his way around the court to open himself up for a shot.
You know about Tom Izzo and Tom Crean. They're best friends. They built MSU to be the program it is today.
So you know about MSU. What about the other 15 teams in the East Regional? Here's a quick rundown of the participants. March 15 and 17, Winston-Salem, N.C. No.
It couldn't have been scripted much better. MSU vs. Marquette. Tom Izzo vs. Tom Crean. Teacher vs.
Chicago — Since MSU's loss to Wisconsin in Friday's quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, Badgers star Alando Tucker has been lambasted in many MSU circles as a classless, heartless thug.
Let out a long sigh of relief: MSU is in the Big Dance. The ninth-seeded Spartans will face eighth-seeded Marquette (Wis.) on Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Ann Arbor — Earlier this week, the MSU men's basketball team admitted some concern that Michigan would have an added urgency for Tuesday's game because the stakes were higher for the Wolverines.
Ann Arbor — MSU hoped Drew Neitzel would be in better health against Michigan on Tuesday night than he was against Indiana on Sunday.
By most accounts, MSU already has secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans put a "signature win" on their résumé by beating then-No.
The group of clean-shaven Spartans is growing. Freshman center Tom Herzog showed up for Saturday's game with a completely shaved head, a la junior guard Drew Neitzel.
He's far too stubborn to admit it, but you could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice — Drew Neitzel was sick as a dog.