Tom Izzo has the best basketball team in the country, but he’s still not totally happy. In the No. 1 MSU men’s basketball team’s 82-67 win against Portland Monday night, there were allegedly 14,797 fans there, but it didn’t seem like that many for Izzo. When the game tipped off, the stadium appeared to be two-thirds full, if that.
Watching the Green and White his whole life, one of Carter Godfrey’s greatest memories was watching the 2000 Spartans win the national title. Now, 13 years later, the agribusiness management junior and the rest of the Izzone are watching their Spartans play as the top-ranked team in the nation. “It’s never been like this in the Izzone before, where there are 700 people waiting outside two hours before the game starts,” the Izzone section leader said. “This year, the upper bowl is way bigger than it ever has been and the campout was three times bigger than it was last year.” The Spartans grabbed the No. 1 ranking in the AP and coaches polls for the first time in nearly 13 years Monday, giving the MSU faithful high hopes as team football team wraps up an impressive season.
Spartan fans in their respective football, basketball and hockey student section seats will no longer be seeing individuals from outside of MSU filling the bleachers around them. Recent attention toward the revamped student section ticket policy, which allows student section ticket holders to transfer their tickets to the ID cards of other students without a fee, will make it much harder for non-students to attend games in student-specific seats.
The season isn’t over for the men’s soccer team. Despite a 1-0 loss to Indiana Sunday afternoon in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game, the Spartans earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
After a stellar first week of her college basketball career, the Big Ten announced Monday redshirt freshman guard Aerial Powers was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. It was the first time an MSU player was awarded the conference’s Freshman of the Week since junior forward Becca Mills did so on Nov.
Big Ten Champions. A 14-10 overall record. An Elite Eight exit in the NCAA Tournament. By all means, the 2013 season is the most successful season for the field hockey team since 2009, and the best of head coach Helen Knull’s three-year head coaching tenure. Thankfully, the season didn’t end after nine games.
Friday night was Adreian Payne’s time to shine — and on Monday night, it was Keith Appling’s turn to step into the spotlight. Led by the senior guard’s career-tying 25 points, MSU beat Portland in their Coaches vs.
The seniors stole the show for the No. 1 MSU men’s basketball team as they lead Portland 36-32 at the break. Senior guard Keith Appling led the way with 16 points, while senior center Adreian Payne chipped in with 10. Portland got off to a hot start when they stole the opening tip and rolled it in for the first lead of the game. The Pilots got another basket sandwiched in between 3-point baskets from sophomore guard Gary Harris and Appling. The lead went back and forth until there was 14 minutes left in the game and MSU forced back-to-back turnovers.
Fresh off a major upset of No. 2 Syracuse, the field hockey team’s postseason euphoria was at an all-time high. However, all storybooks come to a close. An improbable, Cinderella-like postseason run finally ended for the field hockey team on Sunday. In a physical game, the Spartans (14-10 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) fell to No.
For the first time in nearly 13 years, the men’s basketball team is sitting on top of the latest AP poll.
LINCOLN, NEB. – During the course of a football game, there are defining moments that make the difference between a win and a loss.
LINCOLN, Neb. – With a historic opportunity in their grasp, they ran a “Charlie Brown,” but they didn’t pull a Charlie Brown — whiffing and falling flat. The then-No. 14-ranked Spartans strolled into one of college football’s most hallowed sanctuaries and used a crafty fake field goal to power their 41-28 win, the program’s first win against Nebraska in eight tries. MSU (9-1 overall, 6-0 Big Ten) was ahead by six and facing fourth-and-1 at the Cornhuskers’ 27-yard line early in the fourth quarter when head coach Mark Dantonio ordered the trickery named after the “Peanuts” main character. Once again, junior punter Mike Sadler was the secret weapon and designated ball-carrier on the deceptive play, this time as the holder on the field goal unit.
It’s no secret the MSU volleyball team is talented. In the past few weeks, it’s become more clear just how talented the roster is in a historical sense. A week after junior libero Kori Moster became the all-time digs leader in MSU history, senior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski set the all-time career kills record against Iowa on Saturday.
A second half goal denied the No. 20 men’s soccer team its second straight Big Ten Championship in a row after a 1-0 loss to Indiana on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. Jamie Vollmer netted a 66th-minute goal to earn the Hoosiers (8-11-2) an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
It went all the way down to the wire and needed an overtime period to finish, but the No. 19 MSU women’s basketball team pulled out the win against No. 23 Dayton, 96-89. With MSU trailing by two and just a minute left in play, senior forward Annalise Pickrel went up for a layup but was fouled. She made both free throws to tie the game. Redshirt freshman Aerial Powers immediately stole the inbound pass which led to an easy basket by sophomore guard Cara Miller. But Dayton guard Amber Deane was able to make her own layup as well as draw a foul against senior guard Klarissa Bell. She pursued to make the free throw to give Dayton the one-point lead. After making the big steal, Powers made a poor turnover which led Bell to foul Deane again, but Deane could only hit one shot from the line.
The No. 19 women’s basketball team is in a battle with No. 23 Dayton, as the Spartans lead the Flyers, 34-23. However, it wasn’t the crowd or the sound of a swooshed jump shot that was heard the most — it was the refs’ whistle.
LINCOLN, NEB. – Many – myself included – predicted the No. 14-ranked MSU football team would require a nearly perfect game to voyage through Nebraska’s Sea of Red with a win.
LINCOLN, NEB. – All season long, defense has been a strength for the No. 14 MSU football team, able to overcome even the most egregious of offensive shortcomings.
Turnovers are the story as the No. 14 MSU football team heads into halftime leading Nebraska 20-7.
The field hockey team toppled powerhouse No. 2 Syracuse, 2-1, today to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2009.