After riding a six game winning streak into last Wednesday, the Spartans now have been swept in their last two games, with their most recent loss to No. 1 Penn State.
All season long, the MSU football team has been a bounce here, a bounce there, away from pulling out a few close wins.
A record-setting performance by junior running back Le’Veon Bell and a lockdown performance from the Spartans defense has MSU back in postseason play.
After a season of tough breaks, the Spartans finally got one to go their way, using an odd bounce to take a halftime lead. A pass deflected off the hands of sophomore receiver Tony Lippett into the hands of junior receiver Bennie Fowler for a 41-yard go-ahead touchdown to give the MSU football team (5-6 overall, 2-5 Big Ten) a 13-7 lead over Minnesota (6-5, 2-5) at the end of the first half.
When Tom Izzo and Greg Kampe stepped to the podium for their postgame press conferences, both coaches did so in the exact same manner. With a grimace, a heavy sigh, and nearly identical opening statements: that they had just finished the worst basketball game between MSU and Oakland that either coach had ever seen.
It was one of the scariest moments of Keith Appling’s life, if only for a moment.
For Denzel Valentine, it was a matchup more than 18 years in the making. And the freshman guard certainly didn’t disappoint.
It took a few minutes for the Spartans to hit their stride, but midway through the first half the MSU men’s basketball team (3-1) took control, heading into the locker room leading Oakland (2-3) 34-21 at the end of the first half.
There’s no questioning the importance behind the MSU football team’s (5-6 overall, 2-5 Big Ten) final regular season game at Minnesota (6-5, 2-5) Saturday.
Although the MSU football team (5-6 overall, 2-5 Big Ten) approaches Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-5, 2-5) with its back against the wall, wide receivers coach Terrence Samuel is proud of the improvements made by his position group.
The MSU women’s basketball team (4-0) can fully enjoy their Thanksgiving dinner after defeating Albany (2-2) 67-35 Wednesday night.
Earlier this season, the Spartans swept Michigan in Ann Arbor in convincing fashion. On Wednesday night, however, the tables were turned, as the Wolverines (22-11 overall, 10-9 Big Ten) swept the Spartans (23-8, 11-8) on Senior Night, in front of a record breaking crowd at Jenison Field House of 5,059.
The MSU women’s basketball team (4-0) took care of business once again as they downed Albany 67-35 on Wednesday night. Four Spartans were in double figures, but junior guard Klarissa Bell led the way for them by scoring 19 points and dishing out five assists.
The biggest scare the MSU men’s basketball team (3-1) received Tuesday wasn’t from a closer-than-expected game against Boise State (3-1), but from “a shoulder injury to star freshman guard Gary Harris in the game’s opening minute.
Harris’ shoulder was popped out when he was hit hard on a moving screen that MSU head coach Tom Izzo said was illegal and will result in an MRI Wednesday morning. “Harris is not good,” Izzo said. Don’t know what it is yet. He’ll have an MRI (today), but he’ll be out for a while.
With 24 seconds left in Tuesday night’s game against Boise State and clinging to a two-point lead, MSU basketball head coach Tom Izzo called timeout. During the break, Izzo turned to Keith Appling, who had spent the previous 39 minutes and 26 seconds running up and down the Breslin Center floor.
He might not have been as quick to the draw as he would have liked, but Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany was excited to announce Rutgers as the 14th member of the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday.
The No. 15 MSU men’s basketball team (3-1 overall) barely escaped with a win over Boise State (3-1), 74-70 at Breslin Center Tuesday night.
Getting to know the Big Ten’s newest additions: Maryland and Rutgers.