The players on the basketball court will certainly provide an interesting matchup on Tuesday, but the chess match on the sidelines will be equally compelling and might decide the game.
When the men’s basketball team looks across the court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for pregame introductions, they will already be down 9-1. No. 19 MSU (1-0 overall) faces off against No. 4 Duke (2-0 overall), who will dress nine McDonald’s All-Americans compared to MSU’s one Branden Dawson Tuesday night in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The men’s soccer team (11-4-5 overall, 4-2-2 Big Ten) has earned the No. 3-seed overall in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The Spartans will play the winner of this Thursday’s Kentucky (10-5-4 overall, 5-1-2 Conference USA)mtg vs. Oakland (9-6-3 overall, 5-0-3 Horizon) matchup on Sunday.
No. 10 MSU got a much-needed bounce back victory Saturday, topping the Maryland Terrapins, 37-15, from Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. The Spartans used a stifling defensive performance and powerful rushing attack to bulldoze to another road conference win.
Notre Dame (No. 25) defeated the men’s swimming and diving team this weekend at IM West, 127-171, winning seven of 16 events.
This weekend in Madison, Wisconsin, the women’s cross country team took first place and the men placed second at the Great Lakes Regional Championships. Only two weeks after redshirt senior Leah O’ Connor won the Big Ten Championship after running closely to Wisconsin’s sophomore Sarah Disanza, she took another victory.
MSU hockey (3-6 overall) is still fighting to turn the corner as a program. When head coach Tom Anastos said before the season that the Spartans can see the corner, it was difficult to tell what he meant by that. Now, nine games into the season, his message is becoming more and more clear.
MSU played its first regular season game against Eastern Michigan on Sunday afternoon, and the Eagles put up quite a fight before the Spartans pulled away for a 69-61 win.
By Troy Jefferson tjefferson@statenews.com The women’s volleyball team (14-13 overall, 7-9 Big Ten) finally had a chance to do something, they haven’t done in a while up until Saturday night. Smile.
No. 10 MSU (8-2 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) got knocked down against No. 7 Ohio State (9-1 overall, 6-0 Big Ten)mtg when they lost 49-37 Nov. 8
As the men's soccer team (11-4-5 overall, 4-2-2 Big Ten) gets over the its tough Big Ten Tournament semifinals loss to the Maryland Terrapins on Friday, the team must think about what's to come. Neither team was able to score through 110 minutes of play on Friday sending the game to penalty kicks where MSU would lose 3-2 in a five round setup. The team must look forward to Monday's NCAA Tournament selection show.
With the final whistle Saturday in College Park, Maryland, it was officially time for MSU’s seniors to focus on one final game at Spartan Stadium.
No. 12 MSU (8-2 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) rebounded from last week’s disappointing loss to knock off Maryland (6-4 overall, 3-3 Big Ten), 37-15, from Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium on Saturday night. The Spartans were led by a stout defensive performance, holding the Terrapins to only 252 total yards and 11 first downs.
The women’s volleyball program’s 750th win came in record-setting fashion on Saturday night.
MSU hockey (3-6) suffered another one-goal loss on Friday, this one coming at the hands of No. 8 Boston College.
It was fitting that senior guard Travis Trice, after making the free throw to seal the victory, soared in the air to bring down the game-clinching rebound.
In the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament, the men's soccer team (11-4-5 overall, 4-2-2 Big Ten) lost to the Maryland Terrapins (12-5-3 overall, 5-2-1 Big Ten) 0-0 (3-2) on penalty kicks Friday afternoon at Ludwig Field in Maryland.
After the Spartans toured the United States Air Force Academy in Annapolis, Md. on Thursday, they plan to play on Veterans Day 2016 at Pearl Harbor. MSU will Arizona and Kansas and Indiana will play as part of the fifth annual Armed Forces Classic.
No. 12 MSU football will enter uncharted territory on Saturday — College Park, Maryland.
When senior forward Abby Barker arrived on campus in the fall of 2011, she already had plenty of accolades from her high school playing days.