Ann Arbor, Mich. – On one of the biggest stages college sports has ever seen, the MSU hockey team couldn’t perform. In front of 113,411, MSU was manhandled by a vastly superior Michigan team in a 5-0 loss. What a way to go into the record books.
Auburn Hills, Mich. – The No. 7 MSU men’s basketball team may have been favored against in-state foe Oakland, but the Spartans found themselves in a 40-minute dogfight against the defending Summit League champion Golden Grizzlies, winning, 77-76, at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The largest crowd in NCAA sporting history also brought the MSU hockey team its worst loss of the season. The Big Chill at the Big House housed 113,411 spectators who witnessed No. 12 Michigan slaughter MSU, 5-0.
As expected, Mark Dantonio and his No. 7 MSU football team were denied a BCS bid in favor of fellow conference champions Ohio State and Wisconsin. And yet, when the Spartans take on No. 15 Alabama in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, 2011, in Orlando, Fla., Dantonio said he believes it will be MSU’s bowl game that is the best matchup involving any Big Ten team, including the Rose and Sugar bowls.
A hockey game never has seen a crowd of 110,000 people. Following Saturday’s highly anticipated hockey matchup between MSU and No. 12 Michigan in the “Big Chill at The Big House,” that will be history.
About 11 years ago, T.J. Duckett was a confused 18-year-old freshman. Then a bruising tailback for the MSU football team, which was preparing to take on Florida in the 2000 Citrus Bowl, Duckett was with the Spartans in large part because he wanted to play for then-head coach Nick Saban.
When the Spartans and No. 15 Crimson Tide play in the Capital One Bowl, set for 1 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2011, in Orlando, Fla., plenty will be at stake, including conference bragging rights and the chance to ring in their new year with a victory.
A 9-3 overall record, 5-3 conference record and a berth in the Capital One Bowl versus the No. 7 ranked MSU Spartans would be considered a successful season at most programs across the country. Not at Alabama.
The last time the MSU hockey team faced off against Michigan on March 13, the Spartans watched their rivals skate off with a 5-3 win at Munn Ice Arena that ended the Spartans’ CCHA Tournament run and NCAA Tournament hopes.
The Big Ten will begin bowl season Dec. 28, and, as has been the case in previous seasons, will go in having to earn every ounce of respect it’s going to get.
Jamie Burns has been a Spartan his whole life, going to MSU sporting events since childhood. Burns, now a biosystems engineering freshman, went to every home football game this year and made trips to Ann Arbor University Park, Pa., and Evanston, Ill., to watch games. Now, he and his family have one final destination and one final game in one of the best seasons in MSU football history — Orlando, Fla., for the Capital One Bowl.
Despite extending its winning streak to six games, head coach Suzy Merchant was “disappointed” in the No. 15 MSU women’s basketball team’s 55-48 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis remembers pulling into Jenison Field House during the ticket sales of the Cold War game between MSU and Michigan in 2001 and being surprised to see the line stretch around the parking lot. But, as Hollis said this week, that is the appeal of bringing a game outdoors and restoring hockey to its natural roots.
The MSU gymnastics team will host its annual Green and White meet at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Jenison Field House, as it prepares for the upcoming season, which begins in the spring.
What they say is true: Everything is better in 3-D. Except maybe the scoreboard of MSU’s matchup with Syracuse. In conjunction with Comcast Corp., ESPN and MSU gave participants the opportunity to watch the nightcap of the Jimmy V Classic, matching MSU and Syracuse, in 3-D.
Last week, when the MSU men’s basketball team lost to No. 1 Duke, head coach Tom Izzo said he was able to take a number of positives away from the game despite the loss. Tuesday night, after the No. 7 Spartans fell to No. 8 Syracuse, 72-58, Izzo had a much different attitude toward his team’s performance.
Don’t tell MSU women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant that two straight wins over nationally ranked teams mean that her team is Final Four bound at this point in the season. MSU will take on Wisconsin-Milwaukee at 7 p.m. tonight at Breslin Center.
Pond hockey has lost its place in the hockey world, and it’s something MSU hockey head coach Rick Comley is disappointed about. The Spartans will get their chance to take their game outside at the Big Chill at the Big House on Saturday at Michigan Stadium.
Each game in the NFL’s week 13 had playoff implications. With every loss, teams are falling further out of the race. With the playoffs now in view, welcome to week 13’s good, bad and ugly.
On Monday men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo explained that Tuesday’s game against No. 8 Syracuse, which almost exclusively plays a 2-3 zone on defense, will be another style for his players to experience before possibly facing it in March.