It seemed like another close match for the No. 1 men’s basketball team, but Adreian Payne the Spartans finished the game blowing the doors off of Virginia Tech, 96-77.
The return of junior forward and last season’s leading scorer Matt Berry and sophomore defenseman John Draeger was spoiled Friday night with a 2-0 loss to in-state rival Western Michigan Broncos. MSU dropped the first of a two-game home-and-home series at Munn Ice Arena Friday night, with the Broncos shutting out the Spartans, 2-0.
A home return couldn’t change the bad fortunes of the MSU volleyball team. In the team’s first home game in two weeks, the No.
After a week off, the MSU hockey team returns to action with a home-and-home series with Western Michigan this weekend. The Spartans (3-5 overall) and Broncos (3-5-2, 2-2 NCHC) will face off at 7:05 p.m. at Munn Ice Arena on Friday night before heading to Kalamazoo, Mich., for a matchup at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Lawson Ice Arena.
College athletics are big business. From the growing facades of athletic venues to the expanding salaries of the coaches and staffs on the sidelines to the varying cost of tickets, concessions and merchandise along the concourse, athletic budgets have become as much as a topic for discussion as the teams and players that the program represents. For athletics director Mark Hollis and MSU’s athletics department, the discussion heated up this summer following a June 21 Board of Trustees meeting, where a 4.7 percent increase — a little more than $4 million — to the athletic budget was reported for the 2013-14 fiscal year. Multiple outlets, including The State News, reported the $4 million increase was expected to be allocated exclusively to the football program.
For the first time ever, No. 1 Michigan State will be tipping off against Virginia Tech tonight at the Coaches vs. Cancer semifinals in Brooklyn, N.Y. (9:30 p.m., TruTV) Head coach Tom Izzo said after practice Wednesday that, even after looking at tape, there still are surprises within the Hokies’ team.
The volleyball senior class has seen steady, season-by-season progression since joining the program. Coming in as freshmen, middle blocker Alexis Mathews, setter Kristen Kelsay and outside hitter Kelsey Kuipers entered a program that hadn’t seen a great amount of national success.
MSU head coach Mark Dantonio knows how dangerous a desperate team can be. That was his team a year ago — backed into a corner, needing a win on the final day of the season on Minnesota’s frozen field to secure bowl eligibility.
Senior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski transferred to MSU from Northern Illinois before her junior year. Despite only being with the program for two years, her impact on the team’s success has been measurable. Last season, Wicinski helped the Spartans achieve a 25-10 overall record and Sweet Sixteen finish in the NCAA Tournament. It was a definite leap forward in the program.
More than once, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio mentioned the evolution of the outside perception of his now-Big Ten championship contending team at his Tuesday press conference. He recalled a September filled with skepticism of an unproven offense and an October in which potential turned into production, then he transitioned to November, when the Spartans established themselves as a complete team.
Glancing at the postseason finishes, 2009 and 2013 seem very similar for the field hockey team. Both teams were Big Ten champions. Both teams had postseason runs cut short by falling in the Elite Eight. However, the events leading up to the postseason this year were different. The 2013 team, coming off two consecutive years that ended in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, was an underdog that overachieved. The 2009 team, fresh off an Elite Eight exit in 2008, had greater expectations.
The No. 1 MSU men’s basketball team still is searching for the big man down low to best replace the force that was Derrick Nix. Redshirt junior forward Alex Gauna, sophomore forward Matt Costello and freshman forward Gavin Schilling are the three candidates that have been rotating in and out from below the basket.
The No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team had no trouble putting away Detroit-Mercy on Wednesday night as the Spartans rolled to an 80-41 victory. The outstanding play of redshirt freshman Branndais Agee as well as a pair of double-digit runs were key in helping the Spartans (3-1 overall) secure the 39-point victory against the Titans (1-4). After Detroit-Mercy guard Senee Shearer hit a 3-pointer to briefly tie the game at 11, MSU started to pull away with 3-pointers by freshman Tori Jankoska, senior guard Klarissa Bell, Agee and sophomore guard Cara Miller on four of the next six possessions to give MSU a 23-13 point lead.
It was the half of the jumpshot for both teams, but the No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team is leading Detroit-Mercy, 42-22, at Breslin Center. The Spartans started the game off with an opening jumper from the top of the key by redshirt freshman guard Aerial Powers, shortly followed by a corner 3-pointer by senior guard Klarissa Bell.
For a brief moment, it looked as though a time-honored tradition at the Breslin Center of giving all fans in attendance a free taco if the basketball team scored more than 70 points was in jeopardy. It appears the worry may be coming to an end. Taco Bell Corp. said in a statement that the company plans to continue the promotion at 10 local Taco Bell stores, the Associated Press reported.
The Breslin Center is known for its various traditions regarding MSU basketball. From the Izzone jumping whenever the Spartans are on defense to popping paper bags after the team’s first field goal, these traditions have become a part of experiencing a game at the Breslin Center. One of those traditions has officially been discontinued.
When the No. 13 MSU football team takes the field Saturday against Northwestern, they might be getting a glimpse of the past. A season ago, the Spartans lost six games by an average of five points, often failing to capitalize in critical moments before sneaking into a bowl game. That’s been the story for the Wildcats (4-6 overall, 0-6 Big Ten) this season, who now have lost six straight games by an average of 10 points, including overtime losses in two of the past three matchups.
When the No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team returns to action Wednesday night, the Spartans will square off against Detroit Mercy at 7 p.m. at Breslin Center. MSU (2-1 overall) is coming off of an overtime victory against then-No. 21 Dayton, and Detroit Mercy (1-3) is off from back-to-back losses against Western Michigan and Michigan.
While fans and media are anticipating a clash with Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game after the conclusion of the regular season, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio is striving to keep his team focused in the moment.
College sporting events can seem like a whole new world through the eyes of a young child, like something unreachable. An idea struck David Harns, the founder of Spartan Kids Ticket Exchange, when he saw the wonder in his son Elijah’s expression when they attended the 2010 MSU-Notre Dame football game at Spartan Stadium. This happened to be the game of the famous Little Giant play, named for the 1994 movie based around youth football. Harns watched his son, who was only eight years old at the time, as the Spartans worked their magic on the field and said that he felt the impact that seeing it made for his son.