In a warm-up match before Tuesday's tilt with No. 1 Illinois, the No. 15 MSU men's basketball team cruised to a 92-75 win over Oakland on Saturday night at Breslin Center. It was the calm before the storm. "On a one-day prep, we tried to pick a couple things we wanted to accomplish," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said.
Senior guard Chris Hill held his hands high in the air a little past midcourt - the same spot he threw a lob pass that sailed over several Michigan defenders and into junior guard Maurice Ager's hands for a high flying dunk with more than six minutes left. It was another moment on the highlight reel for MSU's senior class, winning 64-53 against the Wolverines.
Down 7-0 within the first few minutes of the game, the No. 15 MSU men's basketball team quickly fought back and never let Michigan regain the lead in a sloppy 64-53 win Thursday night at a packed and boisterous Breslin Center. The Spartans committed 17 turnovers in the game, a figure that had head coach Tom Izzo scratching his head. "We're getting down to crunch time here," Izzo said.
If senior guard Kelvin Torbert has to pick one game to win all year, it'd be against Michigan. Sure, he wants to beat No.
Redshirt freshman center Idong Ibok will get his chance to contribute this week. MSU head coach Tom Izzo is calling on the 6-foot-10 Lagos, Nigeria native to use his 7-foot-5 wingspan and 9-foot-3 reach to challenge every shot in practice. "We're giving him a chance to swat everything he can swat this week," Izzo said of Ibok, who hurt his hand before the season and has redshirted, but still practices with the team.
Minneapolis - It's all about the defense. Three days after torching Ohio State for 22 points and 12 rebounds, Minnesota guard Vincent Grier was shut down by MSU's defense as the No.
Minneapolis - As the final buzzer sounded Saturday, Alan Anderson found Chris Hill near mid-court and wrapped his arms around him before the teammates bumped chests. It was a brief moment of emotion and satisfaction for MSU's seniors, who were criticized as a group last week for their lack of toughness.
The dust has settled after week two of Big Ten play, and two teams remain undefeated - Michigan and Illinois. But both squads are hitting the heart of Big Ten scheduling.
For the first 19:56 of the game, MSU junior guard Maurice Ager looked to be repeating his performance from Sunday's game in which he finished 1-of-8.
Madison, Wis. - A day after the No. 15 Spartans watched an eight-point lead slip away in the final three minutes of a 62-59 loss to Wisconsin, head coach Tom Izzo defended his players. His senior group - guards Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert and forward Alan Anderson - has often been criticized for its inability to win close games.
It will be the end of an era tonight at Breslin Center. The No. 19 MSU men's basketball team will say farewell to Gene Keady, when the legendary Purdue head coach makes his final appearance in East Lansing as his 25-year career as coach winds down. Keady owns a 25-21 all-time record against the Spartans. "I'm looking forward to playing Purdue," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said.
Tom Izzo has always wanted to be a football coach. He loves the sport. But now that the head coach has eight days off until his team faces Wisconsin - similar to the time between football games - he's wishing he could face the Big Ten rival sooner. "There's nothing like having a situation like this and having eight days (off)," Izzo said.
Riding on a six-game winning streak, the No. 20 MSU men's basketball team made very few mistakes, committing a season-low of eight turnovers while forcing 19 in a 87-58 win over Northwestern on Saturday at Breslin Center. MSU (10-2 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) snapped the Wildcats' four-game winning streak while extending its own to seven games for the first time since the 2000-01 season, when MSU opened the season with 12 straight wins.
Washington, D.C. - After the MSU basketball team's 13-point loss to George Washington on Saturday, head coach Tom Izzo said there will be changes.
Washington, D.C. - The MSU basketball team continued to struggle in the second day of the BB&T Classic, but escaped with a 66-60 win over George Mason on Sunday in the consolation game at the MCI Center. "We just didn't do the things we needed to," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said, while talking about his team's inability to widen its lead over the Patriots (3-3). "We got sloppy in the second half; we turned the ball over and so many of them were unforced, and that's just a lack of focus," he said. Izzo made some lineup changes after the No.
Durham, N.C. - No. 10 Duke beat No. 11 MSU 81-74, Tuesday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Junior guard J.J.
For head coach Tom Izzo, Saturday's game against Nicholls State was a win, but the game did not go the way he would have liked. The No.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo was looking for better defense from his No. 10 Spartans on Tuesday night, after giving up 72 points in their first game. Izzo got some defense and a lot of offense, in a 104-46 win over Wisconsin-Green Bay (1-1) at Breslin Center, while doing well in the three aspects he has been focusing on since the start of practices. "It is encouraging that we went into the game with three objectives: to do a better job with our turnovers, do a better job with our rebounding and do a better job with our defense," Izzo said.
It's possible that Kelvin Torbert will become the next Morris Peterson, a senior sixth man whose talents off the bench pushed MSU toward the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Head coach Tom Izzo has asked Torbert, for now, to adjust to a new role, to move from starter to bench player. It's a big change for someone who started 86 of the first 96 games he appeared in during his first three years at MSU.
Head coach Tom Izzo didn't take it easy on his old school, as MSU handed Northern Michigan a 42-point loss in its second exhibition game at Breslin Center on Sunday. Izzo said he was satisfied with MSU's unselfish play and rebounding in the 98-56 win against his alma mater. But he was disappointed the Spartans shot 41 percent from the field. "We did a poor job of shooting the ball, and I think we are the best shooting team I've ever had," he said. "It was our inside game that was really poor and I don't mean just our big guys.