Cetera Washington lives by the mantra that while defense wins games, rebounding wins championships. So it should be no surprise the junior forward recently has stepped on the accelerator in both areas, becoming a key force during MSU’s run of 10 wins in its past 11 games.
Competing against the nation’s best every week, the MSU wrestling team finally is in line to reap the benefits of facing a grueling schedule with a young lineup. As the team prepares for this weekend’s Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, it hopes the growth of its underclassmen will carry over in the results of the competition.
Although the Spartans posted an impressive regular season, everything is on the line as the CCHA Tournament approaches. MSU still is a bubble team trying to earn an at-large bid into the 16-team NCAA Tournament. And they likely will need a deep run in the conference playoffs to receive an invite to the “big dance.” Here’s a look at the Spartans’ regular season grades as they prepare for the CCHA Tournament:
Four members of the MSU women’s basketball team were honored by the Big Ten on Monday, led by senior center Allyssa DeHaan as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and junior forward Kalisha Keane as the conference’s Sixth Player of the Year.
With the postseason here, MSU head coach Suzy Merchant is scaling back practices to keep her team fresh for a run in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.
After an unsettling home loss to Ohio State and a long week of practice, the MSU men’s basketball team realized they needed to sleep it off. At Breslin Center.
MSU played a tough, hard-nosed game to beat the Boilermakers on Sunday. For the first time maybe this entire season, the Spartans exhibited coinciding flashes of toughness, grit, heart and, well, good ol’ fashioned MSU basketball.
Following the MSU hockey team’s disappointing four-point weekend, hockey reporter Alex Difilippo analyzes the series’ impact on the Spartans’ NCAA Tournament chances and the upcoming CCHA Tournament.
MSU head coach Suzy Merchant called her four seniors — center Lauren Aitch, center Allyssa DeHaan, forward Aisha Jefferson and guard Mandy Piechowski — in for a meeting Friday, offering them the chance to start together for their final game at Breslin Center on Sunday.
The MSU women’s basketball team’s 70-50 win against Minnesota on Sunday at Breslin Center served three purposes: It sent the team’s four seniors out as winners, clinched the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and also gave the team 10 wins in its last 11 games, the second best regular season finish in program history, trailing only the 2004-05 national runner-up team that won 13 of its last 14.
West Lafayette, Ind. — Assist-to-turnover ratio usually is a useful stat to judge offensive efficiency. But when the ratio being looked at is field goals-to-turnovers, you know you had a tough day offensively.
The No. 14 MSU men’s basketball team overcame a staggering turnover total in a physical game to steal a 53-44 win from No. 3 Purdue on its home floor Sunday. The win keeps the Spartans’ Big Ten regular season championship hopes alive.
Bowling Green, Ohio – The game was packed full of energy and end-to-end action throughout, but after the teams played to a 2-2 tie through regulation and overtime, the Falcons won the ensuing shootout, 1-0.
Competing in their final career meet Friday at Jenison Field House, seniors Rochelle Robinson and Nicole Curler set the tone with memorable launches that gave the No. 23 Spartans early momentum. Unfortunately for the Spartans, they saw a below-average performance on the bars, eventually falling 196.825-194.125 to the Sooners.
During Senior Night at Munn Ice Arena senior forwards Nick Sucharski and Jay Sprague each recorded goals as the No. 12 MSU hockey team got back into early season form to rout Bowling Green, 5-2.
Once again, a top-five Big Ten team has lost perhaps its best player leading up to a matchup with the top spot in the conference on the line. This time, it’s not MSU junior guard Kalin Lucas. It’s Purdue forward Robbie Hummel, who tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in the first half against Minnesota on Wednesday night and will miss the remainder of the season.
Two years ago, I watched from my seat on Mackey Arena’s press row one February evening as a green blur jetted the length of the floor, lofted an orange orb at one end, bouncing it off the glass and through the net in a repetitive fashion.
The No. 3 Boilermakers (24-3 overall, 12-3 Big Ten) came to East Lansing on Feb. 9 to hand the Spartans (21-7, 11-4) their first home loss of the season, part of three consecutive MSU losses that dropped it from standing alone in first place in the Big Ten. Now the Spartans will head to West Lafayette, Ind., for a game that could be decisive for both teams.
Every time sophomore forward Delvon Roe goes up for a rebound, those who know him must hold their collective breath.
This season’s class of four seniors has been part of the highest of highs (2007 National Championship) and the lowest of lows (everything about last season).