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Sports | Football 1000

BASKETBALL

Teammates to turn opponents in MSU, Iowa game

It’s been nearly 10 months since Denzel Valentine and Anthony Clemmons set foot on a basketball court as teammates. A lifetime of preparation, early-morning workouts and practices that sometimes roared into the darkness of a winter evening led to the Lansing Sexton High seniors capturing their second consecutive MHSAA Class B state championship. In moments of elation about what the future held, it became difficult not to think back to all they’ve been through together.

ICE HOCKEY

Spartans look to rebound in second half of season

Despite what the record might say, Chris Forfar said the MSU hockey team is better than the numbers show. About halfway through the 2012-13 season, there might not be much interpretation to take out of the team’s 5-12-3 overall record, with a showing of 4-9-1-0 in the CCHA.

BASKETBALL

Heart of Big Ten schedule on the horizon for Spartans

As the Big Ten season moves along, the importance of each game on the schedule is not to be understated by teams in the conference. After watching No. 5 Indiana survive a New Year’s Eve scare against Iowa and Purdue upset then-No. 11 Illinois on Jan. 2, the notion of any team competing on any given day is less cliché and more reality this season for MSU head coach Tom Izzo.

SPORTS

MSU wrestling to face tough opponents this weekend

The MSU wrestling team has another busy weekend on the road as they begin the toughest part of their schedule. The Spartans (4-3, 0-2 Big Ten) travel to Clarion, Pa., to take on Clarion and North Carolina beginning at noon Saturday before heading to State College, Pa., for a tilt against No. 1, and two-time defending national champion, Penn State at 2 p.m. Sunday.

BASKETBALL

Tom Izzo moves to 3rd in all-time wins as coach in Big 10

When Tom Izzo tried to recall the Big Ten’s winningest coaches, his memory stopped after two — Gene Keady and Bob Knight. The legendary former Purdue and Indiana basketball head coaches, respectively, have led the Big Ten in wins for the better part of a decade, but it wasn’t until moments before the MSU men’s basketball team took on Purdue on Saturday that Izzo learned about the next man in line.

ICE HOCKEY

Anastos: Team needs to get back to basics

Following another weekend and another heavy loss for the MSU hockey team, Tom Anastos said they had to do some major soul-searching — and for the head coach that meant watching the game “over and over and over again.”

SPORTS

Column: Don't sleep on MSU gymnastics team

With the start of the 2013 MSU gymnastics season just days away, excitement is buzzing throughout the young and talented Spartan team. The excitement for this season is increased because of the success of the gold-medal-winning USA gymnastics team in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

BASKETBALL

Harris still recovering from shoulder injury

It’s been established Gary Harris sprained his left shoulder in a November game against Boise State. However, head coach Tom Izzo revealed at his press conference Monday the freshman guard has been dealing with an additional shoulder injury.

FOOTBALL

Who's next?

With Le’Veon Bell, William Gholston and Dion Sims all headed to the NFL Draft, the MSU football team will be looking for a few fresh faces to step in and fill the void. Here are some of the players contending for a spot near the top of the depth chart.

SPORTS

Former wrestling All-American returns to MSU as opposing coach

When Dan Wirnsberger graduated from MSU in 1995, he was one of the most decorated and celebrated Spartan wrestlers in the program’s history, and helped turn a struggling program into a national power. Now, as the head coach at Bucknell, Wirnsberger returned to MSU to take on his former coach and alma mater on Sunday afternoon.

FOOTBALL

Juniors paths to NFL leaves MSU stronger

Their paths couldn’t have been more different. The no-name, two-star high school running back with less than a handful of scholarship offers. The two-sport athlete determined to play both football and basketball at the college level. And the high profile, five-star, All-American recruit with offers from seemingly every big-name program in the country.

ICE HOCKEY

Frustrations aplenty in first 20 games of 2012-13 season

Twenty games into the season, the MSU 2012-13 hockey season has been encapsulated by the word “frustrating.” With a 5-12-3 overall record, 4-9-1-0 in the CCHA, the Spartans have experienced a speedy, downward slip following their 7-2 win against Michigan on Nov. 10.

SPORTS

Wrestling defeats Bucknell, Lindsey Wilson in dual meet

The MSU wrestling team (4-3, 0-2 Big Ten) came away with a pair of wins as they beat Bucknell 28-11 and Lindsey Wilson 28-12 on Sunday afternoon. After a disappointing loss to Purdue on Friday night , the Spartans lost the first three matches to Bucknell to fall down 11-0 , but won the last seven to come away with a 28-11 win.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Women's basketball loses to Penn State in 76-55 blow out

The closest MSU managed to get to visiting No. 9 Penn State in the second half was seven points, and that was less than 30 seconds into the half. From there, the Nittany Lions (12-2 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) grew the lead to as much as 26 en route to a commanding 76-55 win over MSU (13-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten). The Spartans kept it close early, trading blows with PSU in the opening minutes, but an 11-0 run halfway through the first half put the Nittany Lions in the driver’s seat the rest the game.