BASKETBALL
Spartans lose Big Ten opener at Minnesota 76-63
After finishing up the non-conference schedule against Texas nine days ago, Tom Izzo has been preparing the No.
ICE HOCKEY
GLI ends for Spartans with loss to U-M
When asked what he’s taking away from the 2012 Great Lakes Invitational, Tom Anastos paused and answered with one word: heartburn. After a shootout loss to Western Michigan on Saturday and a 5-2 loss to rival Michigan on Sunday, the hearts of all MSU hockey (5-11-3 overall, 4-8-1-0 CCHA) players are likely burning along with their head coach.
ICE HOCKEY
MSU loses to U-M in GLI consolation game 5-2
The consolation game of the Great Lakes Invitational, or GLI, featured rivals MSU and U-M in a heated battle in which U-M prevailed, 5-2. The match up at Joe Louis Arena got off to a quick start, with three goals in the first period — courtesy of U-M’s Lee Moffie and MSU sophomore forwards Tanner Sorenson and Matt Berry. The game slowed down in the second period, with both teams unable to find the back of the net. The third period proved to be a productive one for U-M, netting three goals. An odd-man rush by the Wolverines early in the third tied the game up, and U-M pulled ahead minutes later with a power play goal. With about ten minutes remaining, U-M’s Di Guiseppe netted a goal following a backhanded pass from Moffatt on one knee. After a game misconduct and a five-minute major by Wolverines’ Treais, U-M’s Hyman received a goal after being tripped when rushing an empty net. Western Michigan and Michigan Tech will face off for the GLI Championship at 7 p.m.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans fall to Western Michigan in first ever GLI shoot out
With the National Hockey League locked out from play, the Joe Louis Arena found it’s life again Saturday night with a history-making game at the The Great Lakes Invitational. The Great Lakes Invitational kicked off with the MSU and Western Michigan hockey programs, the Broncos besting the Spartans in a shootout.
BASKETBALL
Athletic director pledges dedication to MSU in wake of Kearney departure
Chandler, Ariz. — More than 250 Spartan fans packed into a pep rally waiting to be pumped up for the MSU football team’s Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl matchup with TCU on Saturday night only to fall silent when they got a speech about the departure of an MSU basketball player.
FOOTBALL
Spartan fans rally night before Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
When communication junior Dustin Thaler went home for winter break, he never thought he would get to see his beloved Spartans live before next season at Spartan Stadium.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Spartans beat Texas 67-56 behind career-high scoring effort from Nix
From his opening bucket where he drained a hook shot and pumped his fists as he ran back on defense, Derrick Nix was on his game.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Women's basketball claims South Point Holiday Hoops Classic beating Texas Tech in overtime
The MSU women’s basketball team won’t be returning from Sin City empty-handed. The Spartans claimed the 2012 South Point Holiday Hoops Classic championship in Las Vegas Thursday evening after beating Texas Tech 50-48 in overtime. On Wednesday, the first day of the two-game tournament, MSU (11-1 overall) knocked off Oregon State, 49-35, with a dominating defensive effort. With six minutes left in the game, the Spartans held a 38-31 lead, before Texas Tech (8-2) came storming back and cut the MSU lead to one with less than two minutes to play. Sophomore guard Kiana Johnson, who made her first appearance for MSU this season on Sunday following a nine-game suspension to start the season, came up clutch for the Spartans in the tournament final.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Column: MSU basketball program will survive without Parker
Parker’s announcement means MSU’s 2013 recruiting class still is without any committed players, and it’s possible the Spartans might not bring in any new recruits next season for the first time in head coach Tom Izzo’s tenure. This shouldn’t be a cause for panic among MSU basketball fans.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
MSU loses recruiting battle for top recruit: Parker chooses Duke
Standing in front of his friends, family and a large television audience at Chicago Simeon High, the 6-foot-8 small forward Jabari Parker announced his intentions to attend Duke following a long recruiting process.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Women's basketball beats Oregon State in opening round of South Point Holiday Hoops Classic
The MSU women’s basketball team didn’t need help from lady luck Wednesday night in Las Vegas in its first game of the 2012 South Point Holiday Hoops Classic, cruising to a 49-35 win over Oregon State. In Suzy Merchant’s 500th career game as a head coach, the Spartans (10-1 overall) never trailed Oregon State (6-5) at any point in the contest.
BASKETBALL
MSU knocks off Bowling Green in hard-fought road contest
After taking the then-No. 5 MSU men’s basketball team into Bowling Green and losing more than 20 years ago, head coach Jud Heathcote vowed he would not return to Anderson Arena, now called the Stroh Center.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
MSU basketball team uses break to increase practice time, prepare for tougher schedule
“It’s a big week,” Nix said. “We ain’t got no more cupcakes. Let the party start.”
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Johnson makes presence felt in first time on court this season
Kiana Johnson had spent exactly three months dreaming of this day, but when she finally awoke, she almost hit the snooze button. “I woke up at like 7 (AM) and I was going to go back to sleep for 10 minutes, and I’m like ‘what am I doing?
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Women's basketball blows out IPFW thanks to dominant first half
The Spartans went 41.4 percent from the floor and 86.7 percent from the free throw line as they led 40-11 at the end of the first half, but the second half was a different story, as MSU was outscored by the Mastodons 25-24.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Women's basketball wins big over IPFW, Johnson makes an impact in season debut
The MSU women’s basketball team (9-1) seemed right at home in their return to Jenison Field House, pummeling IPFW (3-7) 64-36 Sunday afternoon.
BASKETBALL
MSU crushes Tuskegee in 92-56 victory at Jenison Field House
The game was played in Jenison Field House to commemorate the “Game of Change” nearly 50 years ago, when the stadium hosted an NCAA Tournament game between Loyola-Chicago and Mississippi State, in which Mississippi State had to sneak out of its state to play an integrated basketball game during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Spartans defeat Tuskegee in historically significant game at Jenison Field House
It was a night of historic moments that certainly wasn’t lost on head coach Tom Izzo, who imparted the lessons taken away from the positives of such a cultural shift in American history.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
In game at Jenison Field House, MSU rallies to beat Tuskegee
In the first game at Jenison Field House in more than two decades, the No. 19 MSU men’s basketball team overcame an ugly first half to defeat Division II Tuskegee 92-56.
ICE HOCKEY
Hockey team recaptures offense, takes down Ferris State
For the last six games, the MSU hockey team lost its offense.