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Davis shines in win
Paul Davis had the look of a beaten warrior. Blood seeped through a small bandage covering his right eyebrow.
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Spartans shut down Nittany Lions
The Spartans wanted to defend their case as a contender for the Big Ten title. Wednesday night against Penn State, they did it with defense. MSU smothered the Nittany Lions all night en route to a 76-58 victory in front of a jubilant Breslin Center crowd. "I think we got back to our old selves," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said.
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Naymick still adjusting in Spartans' system
"Drew, Drew!" While coming off a screen last week and waving his hand toward the point, freshman walk-on guard Tyrone Deacon tried to direct his teammate Drew Naymick to where he was supposed to be, while the Spartans went over a new offensive set.
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Duke, 'U' collide for first time since '99
On Sunday afternoon, MSU senior center Jason Andreas and his fellow captains, junior guard Chris Hill and junior swingman Alan Anderson, lifted the Coca-Cola Spartan Classic trophy. Minutes after the game, the Duke lineup appeared on the dry-erase board in the Spartans' locker room. "We're going to enjoy this championship for a couple hours," Andreas said after MSU's 89-81 win over DePaul.
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Spartans take all in Coca-Cola tourney
After beating Penn 77-52 in the first round of the Coca-Cola Spartan Classic, junior guard Chris Hill knew MSU was on the right track toward achieving the goals MSU set for itself at the beginning of the season.
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Exorcising the Demons
If a breakout season is what those outside East Lansing are expecting from junior guard Kelvin Torbert, they'll have to be satisfied with a breakout tournament instead. Torbert and No.
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Grueling schedule begins tonight against Kansas
And so it begins. After being discussed, criticized and examined to near exhaustion, the murderous nonconference schedule facing the No.
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Izzo calls team 'soft' after game, demands toughness
Tom Izzo slammed his right fist into the palm of his left hand. The veins were clearly visible in his forehead and neck as he screamed across the court to any Spartan who would listen. It was a reoccurring scene Friday night in the Spartans' sloppy, 64-52 victory over Bucknell at Breslin Center. Rebounding, a staple in MSU's program during Izzo's tenure, evaporated against the Bison (0-1). The Spartans (1-0) weren't crashing the boards, and when the final buzzer sounded, MSU was slimly the victor in the rebounding category, 42-39. The poor display and representation of Spartan basketball caused Izzo to call this squad the softest team he's had in his nine-year reign as head coach. "This team needs a toughness transfusion," Izzo said.
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Point guard position poses questions for Izzo's squad
It'll be the question of the season for the Spartans.Well, maybe second to "Can they win a national championship?"Will the point-guard-by-committee approach suffice for the men's basketball team's postseason powerhouse dreams?Juniors Alan Anderson and Chris Hill, senior Rashi Johnson and freshman Brandon Cotton are members of the quarterback committee."We really have three or four guys that can run the point," sophomore center Paul Davis said.
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3 recruits sign letters of intent to join Izzo, team next season
As the MSU basketball team embarks on its self-proclaimed "Magical Journey," three high school seniors took the first step in theirs.Wyoming Park point guard Drew Neitzel and forwards Marquise Gray of Flint Beecher and Goran Suton of Lansing Everett kept their promises to MSU head coach Tom Izzo by signing national letters of intent Wednesday to play for the Spartans next season.Wednesday was the first time Izzo could speak about his incoming class, which included two players - Neitzel and Gray - who have been verbal commits to the Spartans since their sophomore years.With so many high school players entering the NBA and the recent rash of decommittments in college basketball, recruiting has become a jungle, Izzo said.
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Ankle injury will limit Ager's playing time vs. Nike Elite
Following an improved performance in the NCAA Tournament last season and a solid offseason, sophomore guard Maurice Ager was expected to factor heavily into the Spartans' rotation of players this season. Now, they'd be happy if he could walk. Since scoring 34 points in MSU's Green and White game on Oct.
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Spartans impress 'Magic'
When Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird met at center court Saturday, it was a meeting of the minds, 25 years after the two played in the 1979 national championship game.But this time, the two met as elder statesmen of the game, discussing everything from LeBron James to MSU's potential NBA prospects and the state of the NBA.While Bird didn't play in the game, he served as the Globetrotters honorary coach, watching the game from the end of the bench next to Johnson."We came in and changed the league," Johnson said.
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Horford orally commits to Florida, not ready to sign letter of intent
On the recruitment radar for MSU basketball, Grand Ledge senior power forward Al Horford has gone from potential target to foregone conclusion then back again - maybe.Horford, who gave an oral commitment to U-M on Sept.
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Stars, stripes sting 'U'
While Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird smiled from the start to finish of the Harlem Globetrotters 97-83 win over MSU, Tom Izzo wasn't amused. The Globetrotters, featuring Johnson along with Bird as the honorary head coach, didn't goof around with the Spartans.
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'Magic' statue erected at Breslin
The "Magic" is back in East Lansing - this time, forever. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, former MSU standout and 1979 national champion, unveiled a 12-foot, bronze-cast statue of his likeness Saturday morning in front of hundreds of fans gathered outside the Breslin Center. His trademark smile flashed for cameras outside, but a ceremony preceding the unveiling revealed the life-long Spartan shaking with emotion. "My whole life I wanted to be a Spartan," Johnson said.
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Spartans to unveil 'Magic' statue, play Globetrotters
Many doubt, the MSU men's basketball schedule is amazing. It has been described as the most brutal schedule in Spartans history.Only time will tell.But the "Magical Journey" head coach Tom Izzo is so fond of isn't a venture down the road.
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Men's basketball team ranked No. 3 in poll
The hype surrounding the MSU men's basketball team was finally put in writing Thursday evening when the Spartans were ranked No.
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Ager could steal 'U' spotlight
This guy can flat out score. He's a guard with the greatest combination of shooting and athleticism MSU basketball head coach Tom Izzo has recruited during his tenure in East Lansing.
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Izzo eager for Magic statue dedication
While the focus of life around MSU's campus this weekend will be focused on the Spartans' football game against Michigan, the MSU basketball team will open its exhibition season against the Harlem Globetrotters.The game will take place at 2:30 p.m.
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Defense starts slowly for hoops team in scrimmage
Just because the depth issues that hampered the MSU women's basketball team are relatively healed, the defense still appeared to be hurting. At the women's annual Green and White game on Saturday, the Spartans showed off a jelled offense and transition game but gave their scrimmage team opponents sufficient room to shoot from outside. The Spartans wore out their scrimmage team - made mostly of MSU basketball managers - 77-64, but head coach Joanne P.