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Sports | Football 1087

BASKETBALL

Taylor still questionable

The Spartan men’s basketball team may have to gun down Big-Ten-leading No. 16 Ohio State on Sunday at Breslin Center without its most effective weapon available. Sophomore guard Marcus Taylor could still be shelved for the Spartans’ (13-9 overall, 4-5 Big Ten) 1 p.m.

SPORTS

Coach to represent U.S.

Women’s golf coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll will coach Team USA against Team Japan at the Glen Club on July 15-17 in Glenville, Ill. Slobodnik-Stoll will coach the top four female U.S.

ICE HOCKEY

Spartans hope to fight off Irish, maintain lead

Any Spartan suffering through a scoring drought probably can’t wait for the puck to drop tonight at Munn Ice Arena. Notre Dame (9-14-5 overall, 7-11-4 CCHA) is in town for the first time in almost two years, and just gave up 13 goals in a series against Alaska-Fairbanks. The Irish have given up an average of 3.43 goals per game - which ranks 10th in the CCHA.

FOOTBALL

Recruits part 3

John R. Buchtel High: Akron, Ohio 5-11, 170 pounds Cornerback Carlos Alexander is one of five Ohio natives coming to East Lansing next year. The cornerback was named to the All-Midwest Team by Prep Football Report. As a senior he had 48 tackles and five interceptions.

FOOTBALL

Williams calls speed key element in recruits

Wednesday was a big mail day for MSU head football coach Bobby Williams.Nineteen letters reached Williams’ desk signed and sealed, securing MSU’s early signees for the 2002 recruiting class.“I am very, very happy this day has come and it’s come to a close,” Williams said.

FOOTBALL

Recruits part 2

Clifton Ryan Arthur Hill High: Saginaw 6-3, 255 pounds Linebacker Ryan continues the long lineage of great athletes coming from the Saginaw Valley Conference.

FOOTBALL

Recruits part 1

Kyle Brown West Bloomfield High: West Bloomfield 6-1, 195 pounds Wide receiver Brown verbally committed in late January and said he’s looking forward to teaming up with other fast wide receivers. “It’s gonna be pretty fun,” Brown said. His senior season was cut short by a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but that didn’t stop schools from recruiting him. His junior season he rushed for 1,300 yards and passed for 300.

FOOTBALL

Defense hopes to fill hole

The departure of senior linebacker Josh Thornhill to the NFL leaves a big hole in the middle of the MSU football team’s defense next season.Enter a hopeful replacement for next fall - Riverside-Brookfield High (Illinois) linebacker Steve Kielp, who will sign a letter of intent to play for head coach Bobby Williams today.“I think Kielp, a top 10 player in the state of Illinois, is very important to Michigan State,” said Bill Kurelic, recruiting analyst for MidwestRecruiting.com.

SPORTS

Hoops team moving up

MSU women’s head basketball coach Joanne P. McCallie is in the midst of doing what most coaches wouldn’t be able to do. She is turning around the women’s basketball program.

BASKETBALL

Northwestern offense poses challenge to U

The MSU men’s basketball team will do its best to stay awake tonight against Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena. “It’s kind of a lull-you-to-sleep offense,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said of the Wildcats’ attack. Wildcats head coach Bill Carmody coached under the legendary Pete Carril at Princeton from 1982-96, and was the Tigers’ head coach until 2000.

FOOTBALL

Spartans stay in state, add to receiving corps

The key ingredients to a passing attack are a quarterback with a strong arm and wide receivers with speed and height.And the Spartans didn’t have to look far for the speed and height, with three Michigan wide receivers among MSU football’s 2002 recruiting class.The 6-foot-7 Matt Trannon joins Kyle Brown and Agim Shabaj, who have both been clocked 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash.Brown and Trannon are ready to sign Wednesday, but Shabaj is having second thoughts.

BASKETBALL

Taylors status questionable

When sophomore guard Marcus Taylor left Sunday’s game early in the second half, things looked bleak.But after the final buzzer sounded, the MSU men’s basketball team recorded more than a 67-61 win over No.

SPORTS

Super Bowl: Partying key as game itself

Call it Super Bowl FunDay, not Sunday. It’s the one day out of the year that the Sabbath (in the Christian sense) can be forgotten and the gods of the gridiron are worshiped from kickoff ’til the clock expires. Sure, during the National Football League’s regular season there are 17 weeks of play to be witnessed.

ICE HOCKEY

2 games, no winner in weekend series

Columbus - While MSU head coach Ron Mason got the two points he wanted out of a weekend trip to Ohio State, Michigan still sliced the Spartans’ CCHA lead in half.With the Wolverines sweeping Lake Superior State, and MSU and OSU skating to a pair of 3-3 ties, the Spartans’ lead shrunk from four to two points with six CCHA games remaining.“Definitely, it matters,” junior defenseman Brad Fast said.

SPORTS

Womens swimming and diving team ends home schedule with win

The MSU women divers made sure John Narcy, the women’s diving coach, had a successful final home meet. As MSU women’s swimming and diving team closed the regular season with a win over Northern Michigan, 132.5-89.5 on Saturday in East Lansing, his divers achieved their highest scores of the season.