When Mark Dantonio was hired as MSU's new football head coach in November, he was quick to stress toughness and effort as qualities he demanded in his program. And even though the official start of spring practice is still several days away, Dantonio has spent all winter instilling mental and physical toughness in his players via early-morning workouts.
MSU shouldn't have any trouble slipping past the Joe Louis Arena metal detectors entering Friday's semifinals matchup against Michigan. The Spartans failed to receive nominations for CCHA individual and team honors, which will make Thursday's CCHA awards banquet at the Fox Theatre in Detroit a forgettable one. But the Spartans maintain that lack of recognition makes their performance in the CCHA tournament and their national ranking more impressive from a team perspective. "We didn't have a single player who made the top three in any of the league awards or any of the all-star teams or anything," MSU head coach Rick Comley said after Saturday's 4-1 win over Nebraska-Omaha.
It couldn't have been scripted much better. MSU vs. Marquette. Tom Izzo vs. Tom Crean. Teacher vs.
Senior wrestler Nick Simmons snagged the top seed in the 133-pound weight class Monday for the NCAA Wrestling Championships this weekend, his second consecutive No.
Indianapolis — For the first two and a half games, Purdue guard Katie Gearlds played against the MSU women's basketball team and failed to showcase the skills that earned her First-Team All-Big Ten honors. In the contests between the Spartans and Boilermakers on Jan.
Under a warm Lakeland sun at the Florida spring training home of the Detroit Tigers, I became 8 years old again. There I was, standing along the first baseline of Joker Marchant Stadium, collecting autographs from some of the team's biggest stars.
Women's basketball reporter Matt Bishop examines the Spartans' NCAA Tournament potential and reviews the Big Ten Tournament. Question: How angry should the team be after the loss to Purdue in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament? Answer: Losing a 12-point second-half lead is never a good thing, but I'll tell you what — I personally felt a lot better about it after turning on ESPN2 last Monday night and watching Purdue dismantle Ohio State.
Softball While many MSU students were basking in the Florida sun last week, the Spartans softball team was playing 13 games in eight days. After leaving East Lansing with a 3-6 record, the team returns home with a 12-10 record, which includes four consecutive wins at the Plant City Tournament and a four-game split at the USF-Adidas Invitational. Sandwiched between the two tournaments, the Spartans swept St.
LSU women's basketball coach Pokey Chatman resigned last week amid allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct with a former player.
Senior wrestler Nick Simmons has accomplished nearly everything in college wrestling during his four years as a Spartan. But while the Williamston native has piled up All-American acknowledgments and Big Ten titles, he has yet to reach the pinnacle of college wrestling — winning a national championship. Simmons moved one step closer to reaching that summit last weekend by winning his third individual title at the Big Ten Championships held at Breslin Center. Top-seeded Simmons defeated Indiana's No.
Chicago — Since MSU's loss to Wisconsin in Friday's quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, Badgers star Alando Tucker has been lambasted in many MSU circles as a classless, heartless thug.
The MSU men's soccer team announced the signing of five new recruits for the fall 2007 season. "Our 2007 recruiting class is the strongest we have had in several years," Baum said in a statement.
MSU track and field athletes junior Jeremy Orr and senior Mark Langlois received All-Big Ten Indoor honors for their performances at the Big Ten Indoor Championships last weekend. Langlois won the pole vault, earning him first-team honors.
The preliminary seeds have been posted, and the MSU wrestlers are ready for the Big Ten Championships this weekend. MSU will host the championship meet, and all Big Ten teams will head to Breslin Center for the first time since 1996.
The No. 25 MSU gymnastics team will host No. 15 Michigan on Saturday at Jenison Field House. At the State of Michigan Classic on Feb.
MSU won't find out who its second-round CCHA playoff opponent is until Saturday at the earliest, but it's counting on playing Nebraska-Omaha anyway. The Mavericks host last-place Bowling Green this weekend.
Four players from the MSU women's basketball team earned All-Big Ten status as announced by the conference Tuesday. Freshman center Allyssa DeHaan led the way for MSU, earning Freshman of the Year honors and being named second-team All-Big Ten.
The 12-game 2007 MSU football schedule, which includes seven home games, was unveiled Tuesday. MSU opens the season with three consecutive home games.
Spartans hockey fans may be criticizing the team's recent play, and MSU head coach Rick Comley probably won't blame them. "I've known all along that we have some good points and that we have some deficiencies," Comley said.
MSU track and field team members Jeremy Orr and Erica Bailey stood out as leaders for the team during the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships last weekend. The Spartans men earned a ninth-place finish for the event. Orr, a sprinter, extended his winning season with two second-place finishes for the team.