Men's hoops reporter Tom Keller discusses the highs and lows of Iowa. But mostly lows. Of all the places I wanted to spend Valentine's Day, Iowa City was obviously at the top of the list.
Three things made MSU head coach Tom Izzo smile after Saturday's game at Breslin Center. The first: Regaining dominance over archrival Michigan, courtesy of a 90-71 win. The second: The re-emerging possibility of winning the Big Ten.
A different take on the sports world. The MSU men's basketball team dominated the University of Michigan on Saturday, reasserting itself as the premier team in the state. In a related story, ESPN broadcaster Rick Majerus repeatedly referred to MSU forward Matt Trannon as a tight end, reasserting himself as the dumbest TV analyst in the country. The Spartans' win was overshadowed, however, by a pre-game incident in which little-used U-M center Amadou Ba got into a verbal altercation with an Izzone member and pushed him to the ground. The fan is reportedly being charged with assault and Ba-ttery. 5-foot-9 New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson won the NBA dunk contest on Saturday, beating out 6-foot-6 Andre Iguodala, among others. Hear that, DeMarcus Ducre?
The No. 18 MSU wrestling team was unable to give its seniors a win on Senior Day, dropping nine of 10 matches en route to a 41-3 loss to No.
MSU football player Cole Corey plead guilty to a single count of possession of a controlled substance in the Lenawee County Circuit Court on Feb.
By Becky Johns For The State News As the MSU softball team prepares for a new season, players and coaches are keeping one objective in mind: "Play the game, not the jersey." MSU head coach Jacquie Joseph said the philosophy of focusing on its own game, not the opponent's, is what keeps the players working toward a common goal.
Colton Fretter can still remember the feeling he had after he scored the game-winning goal in the 2004 Great Lakes Invitational championship game to beat Michigan, 2-1. "That was just crazy because no one here on this team had won any kind of championship or anything," he said.
The No. 14 MSU women's basketball team faces Iowa tonight at 7 p.m. at Breslin Center. The Hawkeyes (14-9 overall, 7-5 Big Ten) topped the Spartans (19-7, 9-4) in the previous meeting between the two teams, 75-64, on Jan.
While the No. 10 Spartans might not be able to catch CCHA-leading and No. 2 Miami (Ohio) in the conference standings, beating the RedHawks in a two-game series at Munn Ice Arena this weekend would be immense. For one, the Spartans (17-10-7 overall, 11-7-6 CCHA) could create some space in the close CCHA race and further the attempt to lock up home ice in the playoffs as well as a first-round playoff bye. Secondly, wins against a highly ranked team like Miami (20-5-4, 17-4-2) would mean more sway for MSU in terms of seeding for the NCAA Tournament next month. "We're fighting for a first-round bye so that's the only thing we're kind of thinking about, talking about — just as we've done over the last couple of months is just try to put wins on the board," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. Miami clinched the CCHA regular-season title with a 6-3 win Tuesday against Ohio State.
When the MSU men's and women's basketball seasons wrap up each spring, high-level basketball in the Lansing area usually lays dormant until the fall.
The MSU women's swim team begins its run for a Big Ten Championship starting at 11 a.m.
State News sports reporters Eric Fish and Matt Bishop discuss Olympics and MSU hockey and basketball. How the United States will fare in men's Olympic hockey … Eric Fish: I think they'll do better than people expect them to do, but not as good as they could have if they would have kept John Grahame or Robert Esche at home and brought goaltender Ryan Miller instead. Even so, I like the American team, and I like how it's not being hyped up.
Two of the most impressive players in MSU women's basketball history were given their moment in the spotlight after Sunday's 53-47 over Wisconsin. Senior forward Liz Shimek and senior guard Lindsay Bowen, playing in their second-to-last home game as Spartans, were honored in front of teammates, coaches and a crowd of more than 9,000 — the sixth-largest in MSU women's basketball history. They are two of only three players in MSU history to score more than 1,600 career points and will likely be racing neck and neck for the MSU career scoring record as the season comes to a close. Given the circumstances under which the then-No.
In years past, when MSU head coach Tom Izzo wanted to get a feel for how his team was doing, there were certain players he knew he could talk to and find out. Right now, he's not sure where to turn. "The last three or four years, it's been harder for me to gauge our team because we haven't had that true, true leader," Izzo said Monday at his weekly press conference.
Minneapolis — It's not often MSU head coach Tom Izzo throws around words like "outcoached" and "outplayed," no matter what the circumstance. That is what made Saturday's 69-55 loss to Minnesota that much more surprising.
Play-by-play analyst Al Michaels was traded from ESPN to NBC last week. As part of the deal, The Walt Disney Company (ESPN's parent) obtained the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a cartoon character Walt Disney created 79 years ago. Other cartoon characters were supposed to be involved, but those talks broke down when Goofy reportedly failed a drug test. Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin allegedly sent a friend of his into the stands to confront some fans who were heckling him at a game last week. Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest has said he will do the same thing to keep fans from harassing him, just as soon as he gets some friends. Former NHL player Rick Tocchet was indicted last week on charges that he operated an illegal sports gambling ring for several years. Bets allegedly included a 4-to-1 wager on whether Barry Melrose's mullet is actually a tranquilized animal. Anne Abernathy, a 52-year-old American known as "Grandma Luge," broke her right wrist during a crash in practice Sunday and might not compete in the Turin Games. Also in jeopardy for the games is "Grandpa Curling," who broke a hip Sunday taking his broom out of the closet. Figure skater Michelle Kwan withdrew from the Olympics on Sunday with a strained groin, effectively ending her career at age 25. Kwan is the most prominent American to have her career end in her 20s with a groin-related condition since Christina Aguilera. Seen at the game: Signs the Izzone made during the game against Purdue on Wednesday: "Remember the Comb-over," "Your season (picture of train going off cliff)," "Chuck Norris + Vin Diesel = Tom Izzo (Minus the Beard)," "Primary Colors —Brown + Gray" and our favorite: "My Grandma Has the Hots for Shannon Brown."
Former MSU quarterback Dan Enos is returning to the football team after being named the new quarterbacks coach Thursday, filling the vacancy created when Doug Nussmeier left to join the NFL's St.
For John-Michael Liles, there was no dramatic phone call. Instead, the former Spartans hockey standout heard the news a few days before the official announcement was scheduled to be made Dec.
The U.S. men's Olympic hockey team will not win the gold medal. This is clearly evident in scanning the roster of the Americans who are seeking the highest Olympic honor since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" squad accomplished the feat in Lake Placid, N.Y. But it didn't have to be this way.
The State News recently caught up with men's basketball freshman guard Maurice Joseph. • On the last movie he saw in the theater … "Glory Road." • On his first job … "Paperboy." (Joseph grew up in Montreal, Quebec.) • On which actor would play him if a movie was made about his life … "Denzel." (As in Washington, the star of "Remember the Titans.") • On anything special he did for the Super Bowl on Feb.