BASKETBALL
Messages from meeting with Mateen Cleaves fuel No. 13 Spartans in win over Nicholls State
Earlier in the week, the No. 13 MSU basketball team was paid a visit by a familiar face.
BASKETBALL
No. 13 Spartans rout Nicholls State 84-39
After nearly a week of sluggish and generally ineffective play, the MSU men’s basketball team needed a strong showing to get its swagger back. Playing against Nicholls State on Saturday at Breslin Center, an energetic performance including having four players in double-figures gave the team that chance.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans bested by Ohio State 1-0
Tom Anastos said he didn’t want to compare Friday night’s game to a heavyweight boxing match, but it’s difficult to find a better analogy to describe the MSU hockey team’s (4-7-2 overall, 3-5-1 CCHA) 1-0 loss to Ohio State. For 60 minutes, both teams clawed, fought and battled at a mostly even keel, exchanging punch after punch. Almost 58 minutes into the game, the Buckeyes threw a punch that knocked the Spartans out of the match, as Ohio State’s Ryan Dzingel picked up a rebound off MSU freshman goaltender Jake Hildebrand to put away the only score of the night. “It was a style of game that we prepared for,” Anastos, the second-year MSU head coach, said.
VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball beats San Diego, advances in NCAA Tournament
It wasn’t easy, but the MSU volleyball team now is heading to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year after beating San Diego in five hard fought sets (25-19, 23-25, 25-20, 18-25, 15-11).
SPORTS
Wrestling topped by No. 17 Edinboro
The MSU wrestling team might have lost 22-12 on Friday night, but the young Spartans gave No. 17 Edinboro more than it expected.
BASKETBALL
Women's basketball tops NC State 68-51; remain undefeated on the season
It was a night filled with career and season highs as the MSU women’s basketball team defeated North Carolina State 68-51 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge to improve to 6-0 for the fourth time in program history.
FOOTBALL
Spartans await bowl opponent
When the MSU football team walked off the field victoriously one week ago in Minneapolis, the Spartans (6-6 overall, 3-5 Big Ten) clinched bowl eligibility and a return to postseason play for the sixth time in Mark Dantonio’s tenure as head coach.
BASKETBALL
Harris, Trice return for No. 13 Spartans
Even in the clouds of defeat, the MSU basketball team has found its silver lining.
VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball heads to LA for NCAA Tournament vs. San Diego
It has been more than three months since MSU volleyball’s season started, and they now are hours away from starting the most crucial portion of the year: the NCAA Tournament.
FOOTBALL
Story of a season
Before a national audience in the first game of the season, Bell established himself as the Spartans’ main offensive threat, carrying the ball a 2012 NCAA single game-high 44 times for 210 yards and MSU’s only two touchdowns.
FOOTBALL
Like a Bat Out of Bell
It’s no secret junior running back Le’Veon Bell has had a phenomenal 2012. Bell has done a lot of heavy lifting for the Spartans (6-6 overall, 3-5 Big Ten) this season and, in doing so, has pieced together one of the most impressive rushing campaigns in MSU history.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans aim to continue home success against Ohio State
When Ohio State hockey took Spartan ice for its first ever match up at MSU in 1970, the Buckeyes were handed a 4-2 loss. The pattern continued for almost 25 years, as MSU went 29-0-1 against Ohio State at home until Feb. 4, 1994 when the Spartans were defeated, 5-4, by the Buckeyes on home turf.
SPORTS
Wrestling hosts No. 17 Edinboro for dual meet
When the MSU wrestling team (1-0) takes on No. 17 Edinboro at 7 p.m. Friday at Jenison Field House, both mind and body must be in peak condition if the Spartans want to take down the Fighting Scots.
ICE HOCKEY
Hockey team collects for local food banks
With the holiday season ahead, the MSU hockey team (4-6-2 overall, 3-4-1 CCHA) is taking time off the ice to turn its attention to those in need in Greater Lansing.
VOLLEYBALL
Freshman prepares for tournament
In front of nearly 4,000 fans in Austin, Texas, a year ago, the MSU volleyball team saw its season come to an end in the NCAA Tournament against No. 1-seeded Texas. Not only did the loss knock the Spartans out of the Big Dance, but it closed the book on head coach Cathy George’s winningest team since she came to MSU in 2005.
BASKETBALL
Women's basketball to face NC State in ACC/Big Ten Challenge
The first NCAA statistical report was released Monday, and the MSU women’s basketball team (5-0) statistically has the nation’s best defense, allowing just 37.4 points per game.
FOOTBALL
Bell, Gholston among juniors who could make NFL leap
After completing a grueling regular season, members of the MSU football team’s (6-6 overall, 3-5 Big Ten) junior class will use the next few weeks to decide if they’ll return to school next season or forgo their senior year to enter the NFL draft.
BASKETBALL
No. 13 MSU to face Hurricanes in annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge
Faced with the challenge of an opponent he’s never seen before, head coach Tom Izzo has sought out an old friend for help: Brian Gregory. The former MSU assistant coach and current Georgia Tech head coach has been one of the people Izzo has turned to in preparing for the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge, which began Tuesday night and continues when the No. 13 MSU men’s basketball team (5-1) heads to Miami to take on the Hurricanes (3-1) tonight (7:30 p.m., ESPN).
ICE HOCKEY
Icers use break to recharge with Ohio State series looming
In the hockey world, Thanksgiving weekend is a notorious one for tournaments. Rinks are ready for the influx of teams and players, and most hockey families grow accustomed to spending the days following the holiday circled around a sheet of ice.
VOLLEYBALL
George readies Spartans for unfamiliar NCAA Tournament opponent
When the MSU volleyball team found out they were slated to play San Diego in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans didn’t know very much about their next opponent.