Saturday, May 11, 2024

Sports | Basketball

BASKETBALL

Team improves play in Classic victory

The weekend was all about improvements for the MSU men’s basketball team in the Spartan Coca-Cola Classic. MSU defeated Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne 81-68 in the Classic opener Friday and then defeated Lamar 80-71 on Saturday for their sixth straight Spartan Coca-Cola Classic championship.

BASKETBALL

Team drags to 72-62 OT victory

TV cameras weren’t around to witness this one.And that was probably a good thing - the MSU men’s basketball team didn’t feed the net until the 15:54 mark of the first half.

BASKETBALL

Exhibition set for mens b-ball

The No. 15 MSU men’s basketball team has started 2-0 and still has one more exhibition game to tighten things up before the regular season continues. The Spartans play their second exhibition game of the year at 2 p.m.

BASKETBALL

Three basketball recruits warming up pens to sign letters today

At 11 a.m. today Rochester forward Paul Davis, Detroit Crockett guard Maurice Ager and Arlington (Indianapolis) forward Delco Rowley will sign letters of intent to play for MSU men’s head basketball coach Tom Izzo in 2002.Recruiting analyst Dave Telep of bluechiphoops.com said Izzo’s new gang of recruits rests in line with some of college basketball’s more storied programs.

BASKETBALL

Freshmen step up play in win over Detroit

After a miss midway through the second half, drawing shouts of “air ball” from the crowd, Detroit-Mercy guard Greg Grays shook his head Monday night at Breslin Center. Grays, a Southfield native, scored 24 points to lead the Titans on Monday night, but the rebuilding MSU men’s basketball team gave him one more reason to shake his head by the end of the night. With superior rebounding, MSU handed Grays’ team an 80-70 loss, marking the first time in four games his Titans would fall to the Spartans. MSU took the lead early going up 7-2 a minute and a half into the game. “Our plan was to just get the ball and just keep going, keep playing, it was no surprise,” junior forward Al Anagonye said.

BASKETBALL

Spartans grab win in season opener, 80-70

Only three teams in the country were undefeated against Tom Izzo and the MSU men’s basketball team before Monday night - Duke, Arizona and Detroit-Mercy. Now, only two are. The Spartans (1-0) beat the Titans - a team made up of 13 Michigan natives, including eight Detroiters - 80-70 in the first round of the Preseason NIT at Breslin Center. The game opened both teams’ regular season and kept MSU’s home-winning streak intact at 45 games. But the Spartans, who haven’t beat the home-grown Titans in its last three tries, had a tough time reversing that streak Monday. “I was pleased with the win; I wasn’t always pleased with how we got it,” Izzo said.

BASKETBALL

Izzo to get $1.3M, bonus to stay at U

MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo received a seven-year rolling contract Wednesday, recognizing him as one of the elite college basketball coaches in the country. The contract, stemming from his rapid success at the program’s helm, brings his annual earnings up $200,000 to $1.3 million, MSU President M.

BASKETBALL

Magic night ends with 89-87 Spartan win

A packed Breslin Center got all it could ask for Friday night, as the Spartan basketball team pulled out a 89-87 victory over the Magic Johnson All-Stars.With three seconds left sophomore guard Marcus Taylor hit a double-clutch floater in the lane after scooting by ex-Spartan Johnson for the last points of the game.Johnson‘s half-court desperation attempt was right on-line, but fell inches short, sealing the Spartan win.Taylor survived a tough shooting night to finish with 19 points to lead all scorers.Johnson finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to record the triple-double.

BASKETBALL

Basketball: Magic back in Breslin

Fans have had months to speculate and bicker, and today some of those speculations will be substantiated.After numerous player losses and recruit additions, the MSU men’s basketball team will take the court in an exhibition game against the Magic Johnson All-Stars at 9 p.m.