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.
After a week in which it defeated the nation's No. 1 team and hosted ESPN's College GameDay with a record crowd, the MSU men's basketball team added a punctuation mark Saturday night, using a 28-7 second-half run to stifle Indiana, 66-58, at Breslin Center. "That had to be one of the great weeks in Michigan State basketball and maybe athletics, period," head coach Tom Izzo said.
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.
You could feel it building all night, but it wasn't until a dead-ball situation in the closing minutes that it became readily apparent: MSU just wanted it more. The Spartans battled tooth-and-nail with No.
While the growing number of "bracketologists" attempting to predict the NCAA Tournament field are undoubtedly operating more from conjecture than fact — MSU men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo jokingly called them "proctologists" last week — their projections can be a fairly accurate gauge of a team's standing.
If you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best. And right now, that title goes to Wisconsin, which on Monday claimed a No.
On Wednesday, the snow wouldn't stop falling in Illinois, and Iowa's game at Northwestern had to be moved back a day. On Saturday, MSU's shots wouldn't stop falling at Breslin Center, and the Hawkeyes had to be carried out on a stretcher after the Spartans rode an early 18-0 run to an 81-49 massacre. "We just couldn't stop the bleeding," Iowa head coach Steve Alford said. With less than 48 hours to prepare for MSU (19-8 overall, 6-6 Big Ten), the Hawkeyes (15-12, 7-6) were undeniably sluggish.
Drew Neitzel took the court on Saturday with a heavy heart and a hot hand. The junior guard lost a friend just two days before MSU's 81-49 win over Iowa at Breslin Center. Adam Visser, Neitzel's "good buddy from back home," died Thursday night.
The Big Ten Network will make a stop in East Lansing this weekend as part of its college basketball tour that is set to visit all 11 Big Ten schools throughout the 2007 season. The tour has been organized to promote the Big Ten Network's 24-hour coverage of sports that is set to debut on television in August. Fans in attendance at the MSU men's basketball game on Saturday will have the opportunity to win a trip for two to the 2007 or 2008 Big Ten men's basketball tournament when given a ticket while entering the game.
Only two MSU players were able to find their range Tuesday night, but that's all the Spartans needed to top intrastate rival Michigan. Junior guard Drew Neitzel must've felt the urgency of the conditions surrounding the matchup with U-M because he wasted no time in lighting up the scoreboard. Neitzel, known for his second-half scoring outbursts, poured in 14 points and three assists in the opening 20 minutes.
All-Star Weekend is just a week away, which means it's time for my yearly self-indulgent NBA column.
West Lafayette, Ind. — Murphy's law states, "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong." That sentiment couldn't have been any more true for MSU when the team faced Purdue on Wednesday. The Spartans, struggling to get their head above water in the Big Ten, would have been wise to take advantage of a mid-tier conference foe in a half-empty stadium with the score tied at halftime, 26-26. But MSU fell apart in nearly every facet in the final 20 minutes, blowing the opportunity to secure its first true quality road win of the season.
West Lafayette, Ind. — For one half, it was even. And then, in an instant, the game — and maybe the season — got away from the MSU men's basketball team. Looking helpless as Purdue opened the second half on a 33-6 run, the Spartans suffered a crushing 62-38 defeat Wednesday at Mackey Arena, dropping them to 4-6 in the Big Ten and opening the floor for serious discussion about their postseason hopes. It was MSU's lowest scoring output since a 50-36 loss to Michigan on Jan.