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Intriguing story lines highlight NBA's year
All-Star Weekend is just a week away, which means it's time for my yearly self-indulgent NBA column.
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An 'uphill battle' to finish with winning record
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.
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'A complete meltdown'
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.
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MSU faces tough road test at Purdue
Before losing to Ohio State at home last week, Purdue was 12-0 at Mackey Arena this season. Before beating Penn State in State College, Pa., three days later, the Boilermakers hadn't won a road game in three years. So as the Spartans (17-7 overall, 4-5 Big Ten) travel to West Lafayette, Ind., tonight for an 8 p.m.
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Izzo weighs in on Oden, Durant
Tom Izzo is in the unique position of having coached against the two college basketball prospects who have pro scouts salivating the most. In addition to playing against Ohio State center Greg Oden the last two Saturdays, the Spartans also faced Kevin Durant — Texas' 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward — on Nov.
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Morgan struggles against Buckeyes
Freshman forward Raymar Morgan turned in one of his worst performances of the year on Saturday, finishing with two points on 1-of-8 shooting in 33 minutes of action.
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No. 12: Raised to the rafters
Mateen Cleaves walked to the middle of the court in front of a packed house at Breslin Center on Saturday, wiping tears from his eyes.
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Men's team lets game get away
You wouldn't think a rebound with 13 minutes left to play would ever be the deciding factor in a basketball game, but it's the one that probably rendered MSU head coach Tom Izzo an insomniac most of Saturday night. Here's what happened: MSU, despite playing the first half with the harmony of a drunk orchestra, had trimmed an eight-point Ohio State lead to one.
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Road bumps continue with loss at Illinois
Champaign, Ill. — Many wondered if Tuesday night's contest against Illinois would be a "hangover" game for MSU.
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MSU plays Illinois tonight
Saturday's near-win at No. 5 Ohio State showed the MSU men's basketball team's tenacity, but tonight's game against Illinois might be a better indicator of the Spartans' resolve. Less than 72 hours removed from their extremely dramatic and taxing comeback against the Buckeyes, the Spartans (17-5 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) will need to find a way to rebound quickly against the struggling but dangerous Fighting Illini (15-8, 3-5), who are playing to resuscitate their fading postseason bid. "This is where you really make a statement, or you really grow up, or you really have a turning point," head coach Tom Izzo said Monday at his weekly press conference.
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Scrappy comeback shows MSU is for real
Columbus, Ohio — They say close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. We really should consider expanding that saying to include the RPI. Because if MSU's oh-so-close 66-64 loss to No.
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Within their grasp
Columbus, Ohio — Moral victories don't exist. Not in this program. Not when a statue of Earvin "Magic" Johnson graces the entrance to your home arena. Not when two national championship banners hang in the rafters above the floor you practice on every day. And not when "State" is stitched across your chest. So when Maurice Joseph's buzzer-beating 3-point attempt drifted a few inches left of center, preserving No.
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How to defend Oden
Columbus, Ohio — Trying to stop Greg Oden is like playing a game of Russian roulette — you pick your poison and hope you live to tell about it. After Saturday's game, MSU junior center Drew Naymick had no problem reciting the catalog of moves the all-world Ohio State freshman uses on the low post — the head fake, the drop step, the off-arm hook — "it's legal," Naymick said — all performed with textbook precision. "That's what makes him a great player," Naymick said. Oden's expansive repertoire — not to mention his brute force — has opened him up for dozens of uncontested highlight-reel dunks already this season.
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Spartans face Gophers tonight at Breslin
The MSU men's basketball team is about to enter the toughest part of its conference season. The Spartans face a brutal stretch that includes games against national title contenders in hostile environments. They'll face a Wooden Award front-runner (Wisconsin forward Alando Tucker), the likely No.
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Izzo unhappy with Big Ten schedule
The Big Ten scheduling computer has not received a Christmas card from MSU men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo lately. The league plays a 16-game conference schedule, meaning each of its 11 schools plays six opposing teams twice and four teams once.
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Hoops recruits show great potential
Chris Allen, a 6-foot-3, 185-pounder from Lawrenceville Meadowcreek High School in Georgia, scored a career-high 45 points Tuesday night as he led his team to a 75-72 win over Central Gwinnett, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. With 29 points, Kalin Lucas led Orchard Lake St.
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MSU back in Big Ten picture after rout
State College, Pa. — With the way his shot was falling, Drew Neitzel might as well have been shooting at a rusty basket in his driveway back home.
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High-tempo Spartans explode for transition points; Izzo vows team will continue to play faster game
State College, Pa. — The green light is on again. With their perimeter depth at least somewhat restored for Saturday's game against Penn State, the Spartans revived their struggling fast break — just as head coach Tom Izzo had been aching to do all season. The Spartans had three transition baskets in the first seven minutes of their 91-64 romp, and they finished the game with a 16-9 edge in fast-break points. "We're going to keep running," Izzo vowed afterward. Part of the equation was intense ball pressure up top from junior guard Drew Neitzel and sophomore guard Travis Walton, which forced several turnovers that led to transition baskets. "You pressure the ball, get a couple turnovers, (and) it gets you going on defense, it gets you going on offense," Walton said. But even on missed Penn State shots, the Spartans were getting back up the court with the urgency of someone trying to catch a bus, and Neitzel and Walton did a superb job of getting the ball ahead to streaking finishers.
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Spartans look to forget slow Big Ten start
Tom Izzo knew this year's team would struggle at times, but that doesn't mean he has to accept those struggles. Road losses to Iowa and Indiana put the Spartans in an 0-2 hole in the Big Ten, and Izzo is wondering what happened to the squad that played so well in the early portion of the season, when the Spartans topped Texas and hung tight with Maryland. "The last five games have not been played nearly as well as the first seven," Izzo said Monday in his weekly press conference.
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More road woes
Bloomington, Ind. — Not counting walk-ons, nine Spartans saw the floor in Sunday's game against Indiana.