Looking back through sports history, great teams always have been led by great players. From high school to college to the professional ranks, championship teams tend to have a leader who embodies at least one distinct characteristic the whole team possesses to make it successful.
The biggest rivalry in college hockey couldn’t be any bigger this time around for the No. 17 MSU hockey team. As if a series rematch with the Spartans’ (15-11-4 overall, 10-9-3-2 CCHA) biggest rival Michigan wasn’t motivation enough to get geared up for the weekend, serious playoff implications are on the line for both squads.
When it came down to it, MSU wrestling’s 24-13 dual loss to No. 6 Ohio State wasn’t because the Spartans were unprepared, or overmatched, or even just having a bad day. Instead, the dual was lost all in about a three-minute time frame sparked by what head coach Tom Minkel called a “breakdown in discipline.”
After a short, midseason slump, Keith Appling surfaced in Sunday’s 64-54 win against No. 22 Michigan, No. 11 men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo said at his press conference Monday.
With 25 seconds on the clock and the score tied at 63 against Michigan, head coach Suzy Merchant called timeout and drew up a play with everyone in the arena knowing who would have the ball in her hands.
It was in their grasp, but the Spartans just couldn’t pull off the upset. The MSU wrestling team dropped its final Big Ten dual of the season 24-13 to No. Ohio State, but the match was much closer than the score indicates.
Draymond Green was a game late, but he started the streak of never losing to Michigan again.
The MSU gymnastics team welcomed back former gymnasts Saturday at its annual alumni meet at Jenison Field House.
The MSU hockey team picked up a critical series sweep against No. 10 Ohio State.
It wasn’t a perfect night for the MSU gymnastics team, but the Spartans topped Southeast Missouri State 193.450-188.350 Saturday night.
On Jan. 17, Trey Burke had his way with Keith Appling and any other Spartan who guarded him.
The MSU women’s basketball team (14-9 overall, 6-4 Big Ten) came into Ann Arbor and knocked off Michigan (17-7, 6-5) 65-63 thanks to a game-winning jumper by senior guard Porsché Poole with 3.9 seconds remaining.
The MSU gymnastics team built on the momentum of its first win of the season last weekend and saw improvements on the event that has troubled the Spartans the most in their 193.450-188.350 win over Southeastern Missouri State tonight at Jenison Field House.
Heading into the MSU men’s basketball team’s first meeting with Michigan this season, Travis Trice didn’t know exactly what to expect. Growing up near Dayton, Ohio, the freshman guard said after the 60-59 loss in Ann Arbor he didn’t realize the intensity that comes along with the in-state rivalry.
When Draymond Green went down with a left knee injury late in Tuesday’s 42-41 loss to Illinois, his thoughts raced. The senior forward felt “discouraged, worried (and) scared” and wondered if he had lost a shot at a championship.
In her four years as a Spartan, senior guard Porsché Poole has never lost to Michigan, and with Sunday’s matchup likely serving as her last experience in the rivalry, she doesn’t want to start now.
Branden Carney can walk. Although not an impressive feat for most, the freshman defensman realizes how close he came to having that simple aspect of his life taken away.
At this point in the season, focusing on the little things will pay big dividends for the MSU hockey team. Entering a rematch on the road of an earlier season split against No. 10 Ohio State, the Spartans (13-11-4 overall, 8-9-3-2 CCHA) are at a critical point in the season and attention to detail has become essential.
For six members of the MSU wrestling team, Sunday’s dual against No. 6 Ohio State will be the last time they step onto the mat at Jenison Field House. In their final home dual of the season, the Spartans (3-8 overall, 1-6 Big Ten) hope to snap a four-game losing skid, but they’ll be tasked in doing so by one of the top teams in the country.
As Tom Anastos looks ahead to the series with No. 10 Ohio State, he recognizes a lot of similarities with his own team.