Near the end of any sport's season, fans and analysts usually look at where teams would be in the playoffs "if the season ended today."Well, if that were the case, the MSU hockey team would be fine in the CCHA Tournament.
Plain and simple, the Big Ten picture is cloudy. It wasn't particularly sunny in the preseason, but three teams were supposed to vie for the conference crown: MSU, Indiana and Illinois. With three weeks left in the season, not one of those teams are leading the Big Ten.
This season, the MSU men's basketball team is in the middle of a personality crisis: Goliath at home and David on the road. The Spartans (14-9 overall, 6-5 Big Ten) are relatively dominant at Breslin Center, boasting a 10-1 record this season - 5-0 in the Big Ten.
Two former Spartans could soon be standing side-by-side once again.Former MSU head football coach Bobby Williams shifted from Detroit Lions running backs coach to wide receivers coach Monday.One expert says Detroit could benefit from the change if the Lions choose former MSU wide receiver Charles Rogers in April's NFL Draft.B.
Ann Arbor - MSU's 82-55 waxing of archrival Michigan on Sunday at Crisler Arena was anything but competitive as the Spartans swept the season series for the first time in seven years.And to senior forward Syreeta Bromfield, nothing tastes as sweet as beating the enemy in its own domain."Oh man it feels so good," she said.
Although many people are afraid to admit it, they - like me - are in front of their television sets every Monday and Thursday watching the superstars of the WWF. Yeah, I said 'F'. I just can't get used to World Wrestling Entertainment. I've watched this stuff basically my entire life and still have no idea why; although the scantily clad women who parade around the ring could have something to do with it.
The MSU wrestling team finished its six-match homestand with an unblemished record. The seventh-ranked Spartans (9-5 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) moved into a first-place tie with Iowa and Minnesota in the Big Ten after MSU slid past the No.
If basketball had three stars of the game like hockey, Kelvin Torbert would have been the undisputed first star Saturday.The sophomore guard scored a career-high 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting in MSU's 64-51 win over Northwestern.
Beech triumphs 3 times in tournament The MSU softball team opened its season with three wins at the North Carolina Triangle Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C. Junior pitcher Jessica Beech(3-0) won each game, including a complete-game no-hitter in the 1-0 victory over East Carolina in the season opener.
Tennis team drops match to Cardinals Unranked Ball State upset the No. 66 MSU men's tennis team, beating it 4-3 and ending its eight-match winning streak Saturday.
Corey Potter's first goal since Oct. 24 had all the makings of an insurance tally. The freshman defenseman's slap shot from the right point gave MSU a 4-1 lead over archrival Michigan with 11:33 to play Saturday night at Munn Ice Arena.
Traditionally, the Michigan hockey team is comprised of fast, skilled players, while the Spartans have a bunch of big, tough grinders. For the most part, that's true.
There's plenty of hatred surrounding this weekend's MSU-Michigan hockey games, but it seems most of the loathing will be confined to the fans in the stands. The teams are still archrivals - just ask any student or alumnus from the schools.
Golf tournament ends after second round The MSU women's golf team tied with Georgia for 10th place in the 18-team Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge. The Spartans didn't have the opportunity to improve on their two-round score of 635 (312-323), as the final day of competition was canceled due to heavy rainfall. Junior Allison Fouch was MSU's top performer, tied for 22nd place after tallying a two-round score of 154 (74-80). Pepperdine finished atop the leader board, followed by No.
For someone who never in her career has had the pleasure of defeating Michigan before Jan. 30, nothing would be sweeter for senior forward Syreeta Bromfield than a season-sweep of the Wolverines during her last year as a Spartan. Bromfield and the rest of the MSU squad (13-8 overall, 6-4 Big Ten) will get that chance when the two teams match up at 2:15 p.m.
Ann Arbor - Imagine you are Northern Michigan goalie Craig Kowalski. You have done everything but stand on your head to keep your Wildcats within a goal of perennial CCHA powerhouse Michigan. But late in the third period, a rogue Michigan blast slips by you for a 3-1 Wolverine lead - and the game is now out of reach. Hanging your head in despair, you stare at the ice and realize where you are: the University of Michigan's Yost Ice Arena. For an opposing goalie, just call it hell frozen over. And the fans gleefully start their ritualistic torment.
Staggering into the Big Ten season with back-to-back losses has forced the Spartans to dance on the NCAA Tournament bubble much of the season. And in just over a month - on March 16, to be exact - the field of 65 will be released.
If Nenad Gajic scores against Michigan tonight, his parents, Lazo and Helen Gajic, are going to stick out like sore thumbs at Yost Ice Arena. After all, Nenad is an MSU hockey player, and the Spartans and their parents are considered enemies in Ann Arbor.
The conference's top defensive squads clash today at Breslin Center. No. 22 Ohio State (17-5 overall, 8-3 Big Ten) leads the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing 56.2 points per game, while MSU (13-8, 6-4) finishes a second, surrendering 59.
In MSU's 64-53 loss to Wisconsin on Tuesday, the Badger defense had an answer for every Spartan offensive option - except freshman forward Erazem Lorbek.