Curran Jacobs was 60 seconds away from his first All-American honors. Competing for a top-eight spot in the NCAA Tournament this weekend — where the top eight finishers are named All-Americans — the senior 174-pounder was the remaining Spartan participating.
Led by the hot bat of junior second baseman Ryan Jones, the MSU baseball team traveled to Cincinnati this weekend and came away with a three-game sweep at Marge Schott Stadium.
Last week, MSU softball head coach Jacquie Joseph said she had the best 7-15 team in the country. This weekend, the Spartans (10-16) might have proven her right.
Columbus, Ohio — The MSU men’s basketball team gained a lot in identity this weekend after earning a trip to Phoenix and the Sweet 16 on Thursday. Three days ago, the media heard a lot of talk from LIU Brooklyn about how slow-paced the Spartans are.
Before six members of the MSU wrestling team left for St. Louis to participate in the NCAA Tournament beginning on Thursday, competing junior heavyweight Steve Andrus said he felt there was no reason all six wrestlers couldn’t come back with All-American status. However, by Friday night, each of the Spartan wrestlers had been eliminated from the tournament with senior 174-pounder Curran Jacobs coming within an overtime 3-1 decision of his first All-American honors.
After making strides for the past few weeks, the MSU gymnastics team stumbled Friday when it fell to in-state rival Michigan, 196.025-192.700 at Ann Arbor.
Coming into the game against Saint Louis, the MSU men’s basketball team knew it would be well defended against. The Billikens are praised for their defense and were extremely physical and abusive to the Spartans. At least all the Spartans not named Keith Appling. The Billikens sagged of the sophomore guard and dared him to shoot. Appling has struggled with his shot all season, but he can still find the bucket when needed.
The NCAA unveiled its 2012 tournament field on Sunday, and the MSU hockey team has a new lease on life. The Spartans (19-15-4 overall, 14-11-3-2 CCHA) earned a bid as the No. seed in the East Region in the 2012 NCAA Tournament and will open against Eastern College Athletic Conference champion and No. 1-seed Union on Friday in Bridgeport, Conn. With the bid, the Spartans rank fourth in all-time tournament appearances with 27 and are in the tournament for the first time since 2008.
College Park, Md. — As Lykendra Johnson sat at a table in Breslin Center, wearing her MSU sweatsuit during the frigid early weeks of December 2011, she repeated one phrase over and over.
Columbus, Ohio — Nothing about the MSU men’s basketball team’s game against Saint Louis in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament surprised head coach Tom Izzo.
Columbus, Ohio — Brian Conklin has a hard time calling anything an upset anymore. Likely a new name to MSU basketball fans, Conklin is a senior forward averaging 14 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for No. 9-seed Saint Louis, who the Spartans (28-7) play at about 2:45 p.m. Sunday in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
After answering questions at the podium, Taylor Alton, with tears in her eyes, returned to the locker room and sat next to fellow senior forward Lykendra Johnson. It was the final time the duo would wear their MSU jerseys, and as Alton sat in her chair, emotionally drained from the afternoon, her fellow captain put her arm around her and the two rocked back and forth, talking of their time at MSU.
College Park, Md. — Just hours after their season ended with a 67-55 loss to No. 7 seed Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the MSU women’s basketball team already is looking ahead to next season. Although the 2011-2012 campaign is now in the books, freshman center Jasmine Hines said she felt that because the Spartans refused to quit during the loss, they had laid a good framework to build on in preparation for next season. “We’re all competitors,” Hines said.
Columbus, Ohio — A lot of talk in Saturday’s press conference was on the disappearance of centers in the game of basketball.
Columbus, Ohio — Less than 48 hours after the No. 1-seed MSU men’s basketball derailed high-speed No.
As Tom Izzo readies to attempt another deep NCAA Tournament run, the praise of the MSU men’s basketball head coach’s March success is coming out yet again.
College Park, MD — One and done. The mantra of the NCAA Tournament is as old as March Madness itself, but the finality of the phrase hit Taylor Alton and the rest of the senior class especially hard on Saturday.
Draymond Green became just the third player in history to record multiple triple-doubles in the NCAA Tournament, according to the Big Ten Network, joining Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Oscar Robertson. Friday also marks the third triple-double of Green’s career and his first this season.
For possibly the first time all season, the men’s basketball team’s center duo of Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne were on in the same game in Friday’s 89-67 win against LIU Brooklyn.
Columbus, Ohio — The No. 1-seed MSU men’s basketball team ran away with its first game of the 2012 NCAA Tournament against No. 16-seed LIU Brooklyn, 89-67..