Tuesday, January 6, 2026

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Sports

FOOTBALL

Spartans routed by Penn State, 49-18

State College, Pa. —- Playing on the program’s biggest stage in 18 years, the No. 17 MSU football team stumbled and came to a crashing fall under the bright lights of Beaver Stadium, losing in convincing fashion to No. 7 Penn State 49-18.

FOOTBALL

One shot

It started out as a vision. Perhaps the idea could be called a pipe dream. But when George Perles, then-MSU’s football coach and Athletics Director, emerged from the Spartan Stadium tunnel for MSU’s regular season finale against Illinois in 1991 and saw a mere 61,721 fans in the crowd, he decided the MSU football program needed a change.

FOOTBALL

Prognosticators

Some students go out and party on Thursday nights. Others stay in to refresh the sports page over and over and over again so that they can be first ones to read Prognosticators. Well, it’s go time, sports fans. Prognosticators is here.

BASKETBALL

MSU stomps Detroit Mercy

Not even two big handfuls of mistakes could knock the MSU women’s basketball team off its path. Despite 24 turnovers and 49 missed shots from the floor and free-throw line, the Spartans still rolled over Detroit Mercy 85-48 on Wednesday at Breslin Center — remaining unbeaten this season.

SPORTS

Bush leads Spartans to NCAA Championships

Cross country senior Nicole Bush has broken individual MSU records, won high school state titles and earned conference awards in her illustrious running career. Yet the crowning achievement in an already overflowing trophy case — an NCAA national championship — has alluded the Wyoming, Mich., native. Bush and the 10th-ranked Spartans women’s team will travel to Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday for the NCAA Championships, where Bush will look to best her fifth-place finish in 2007.

VOLLEYBALL

MSU volleyball team clings to NCAA Tournament aspirations

It’s not over ‘til it’s over. That’s the attitude the MSU volleyball team is taking into the last two weeks of the regular season. The team (14-13 overall, 6-10 Big Ten) still holds an outside chance of making the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid and is looking to take every opportunity to slip into the Big Dance.

SOCCER

DeMartin earns academic honor

For the first time in the history of the men’s soccer program, a Spartan has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American First Team. Senior forward Doug DeMartin earned the award Wednesday after being selected to the Academic All-District IV first team, which made him eligible for All-American recognition.

SPORTS

Soccer gets bye, No. 4 seed in NCAA

If it were basketball, the MSU men’s soccer team would be a No. 1 seed going into the NCAA Tournament. But because only 48 teams are selected for the tournament, the Spartans earned a No. 4 seed, which guarantees MSU home field advantage until the semifinals.

SPORTS

Cold close to season

It was an eerie start to the game and an even weirder way for the season to end. The NCAA quarterfinal game between the MSU field hockey team and Iowa, postponed for weather reasons and finished Monday, started right where the game left off Sunday. No national anthem. No player introductions. They just started playing.

BASKETBALL

Izzo settles on small lineup

After weeks of wondering who would play where and in what capacity, MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo unveiled the first official edition of the MSU starting lineup Sunday night. In the Spartans’ 100-62 season-opening win against Idaho at Breslin Center, Izzo started sophomore guards Kalin Lucas and Chris Allen in the backcourt, senior guard Travis Walton at the three and junior forward Raymar Morgan and senior center Goran Suton in the frontcourt.

SPORTS

Returning players give Spartans bright future

Although the 2008 MSU field hockey team might have been only inches away from the NCAA Final Four, the team looks like it could be miles ahead of the competition for 2009. This year’s team, which made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, was just a missed penalty corner short of heading to the third Final Four in school history.