SPORTS

Gymnastics closes regular season at Michigan

Jesse O'Brien

March 15, 2012

After the MSU gymnastics team jumped from No. 44 to No. 28 in the Regional Qualifying Score, or RQS, rankings this past week, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Spartans got complacent and fell off a bit in their final meet of the season. But head coach Kathie Klages doesn’t think getting her team to stay focused will be an issue, considering the competition her gymnasts are up against this week.

SPORTS

Three wrestlers win first match of NCAA Tournament, resume tonight

Jesse O'Brien

March 15, 2012

With session one of the NCAA Tournament in the books, three of the six Spartans that made the trip to St. Louis have kept their championship dreams alive.

FOOTBALL

Nichol continues to push for NFL attention as draft approaches

Dillon Davis

March 15, 2012

After he transferred to MSU from Oklahoma following his freshman year of college, Keith Nichol always has been out to prove himself. Coming in as a quarterback, Nichol saw his playing time quickly evaporate in favor of Kirk Cousins.

FOOTBALL

MSU prepares Worthy to advance to NFL

Dillon Davis

March 14, 2012

It surprised few when Jerel Worthy decided to forgo his senior season and declare for the 2012 NFL Draft. Sitting next to MSU head coach Mark Dantonio at the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center in January, the first team All-American junior defensive tackle came to the decision to leave following MSU’s 33-30 triple overtime victory against Georgia in the 2012 Outback Bowl.

FOOTBALL

Cousins, Spartans impress Wednesday at MSU Pro Day

Jesse O'Brien

March 14, 2012

If there’s one thing about Kirk Cousins that stands out above all the rest, it’s the way he leads his team. So then it should come as no surprise that during MSU’s Pro Day at Duffy Daugherty Football Building on Wednesday, the former Spartan quarterback found a way to showcase his leadership before representatives from 32 NFL teams.

SPORTS

Wrestlers to utilize experience at NCAAs

Jesse O'Brien

March 14, 2012

With only the NCAA Tournament remaining — starting Thursday and continuing through the weekend in St. Louis — six members of the MSU wrestling team will have one final opportunity to end their seasons on a high note.

BASKETBALL

MSU sees success despite losing Dawson

Jeremy Warnemuende

March 13, 2012

When Branden Dawson went down with a season-ending knee injury in the MSU men’s basketball team’s regular season finale a week and a half ago, the Spartans didn’t have much time to adjust. Four days later, MSU traveled to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament without the freshman guard — who started all 31 games before tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in a 72-70 loss to Ohio State.

Alex McClung ·

BASKETBALL

Women’s basketball prepares underclassmen, FEET for tournament

Josh Mansour

March 13, 2012

The thought of returning home has crossed Taylor Alton’s mind more than once this season. The senior forward is a Colorado native, and after learning this year’s Final Four will be held in Denver, Alton said her teammates began telling her they would help her find her way home.

ICE HOCKEY

MSU left waiting for NCAA Tournament fate

Dillon Davis

March 13, 2012

As the four CCHA Tournament semifinalists gear up for a chance at the title and an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament this weekend in Detroit, the No. 16 MSU hockey team is forced to wait to know its fate.

BASEBALL

Baseball looks forward to Cincinnati, then home opener

Dillon Davis

March 13, 2012

In spending the first 17 games of its season on the road, the prospect of making a return to McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field is more than appealing at this point to head coach Jake Boss and the MSU baseball team.

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BASKETBALL

Women's basketball earns No. 10-seed, faces Louisville in first round

Josh Mansour

March 12, 2012

Spartans aren’t known to root for Wolverines, but as the MSU women’s basketball team (20-11 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) waited to see if it made the NCAA Tournament, the school from Ann Arbor gave reason to hope.

Jeremy Warnemuende ·

BASKETBALL

Izzo: Championship win highlights postives, necessary improvements

Pat Evans

March 12, 2012

Entering the Big Ten Tournament, the MSU men’s basketball team dropped two in a row and a chance at an outright Big Ten regular-season title,but the Spartans (27-7) bounced back and won their outright title on Sunday and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

BASKETBALL

A DECADE OF DANCING

Jeremy Warnemuende

March 12, 2012

When the MSU men’s basketball program won its last national championship in 2000, the current Spartans were in grade school, still familiarizing themselves with the game of basketball.

BASKETBALL

Column: Big Ten Championship earned after impressive win

Pat Evans

March 12, 2012

The MSU men’s basketball team got its outright conference championship in the Big Ten Tournament title game, where the Spartans bested Ohio State, 68-64. Just as head coach Tom Izzo promised last week at Senior Day, after a loss to Ohio State, they won their title back.

ICE HOCKEY

Miami eliminates Spartans from CCHA playoffs

Dillon Davis

March 11, 2012

For much of the season, the No. 15 MSU hockey team has been waiting patiently to procure its first playoff win in more than four years. After dropping two games and being eliminated from the CCHA Tournament this weekend, that wait might be a little longer.

SPORTS

MSU sends six wrestlers to Nationals

Jesse O'Brien

March 11, 2012

Following the trend of the season, the MSU wrestling team saw some impressive individual performances at the Big Ten Tournament last weekend, but finished near the bottom as a team.

SPORTS

Gymnastics sweeps Alaska-Anchorage

Jesse O'Brien

March 11, 2012

One week removed from its final meet at Jenison Field House, the MSU gymnastics team swept Alaska-Anchorage in a weekend series that saw the Spartans make the 3,795 mile hike to Wells Fargo Sports Complex in Anchorage.

ICE HOCKEY

Column: Hockey's rebuilding phase evident in playoffs

Dillon Davis

March 10, 2012

Oxford, Ohio – His scowl was louder than his voice. It was evident in the gritting of his teeth between polite but bitter words about coming up short in the CCHA Tournament.

ICE HOCKEY

Spartans lose to Miami 4-1, eliminated from CCHA playoffs

Dillon Davis

March 10, 2012

Oxford, Ohio – Even with the stakes raised for the playoffs, the No. 15 MSU hockey team still had plenty to play for on Saturday night. The Spartans needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive in the best-of-three series with Miami (Ohio) in the quarterfinals of the CCHA Tournament.

BASKETBALL

Column: Spartans look to capitalize on chance at redemption

Jeremy Warnemuende

March 10, 2012

Only one thing will be on the minds of the Spartans on Sunday, and it won’t have anything to do with payback or seeds.