BASKETBALL
MSU TV ads promote academic, athletic prestige
The court wasn’t the only place MSU men’s basketball fans could spot the team’s 6-foot-11-inch junior center, Idong Ibok.
BASKETBALL
Spartan fans travel cross-country to Denver to support MSU in tourney
Some dedicated MSU basketball fans attend all the home games, an occasional away game and maybe even paint their faces before screaming the fight song at the top of their lungs.
SPORTS
Gomez grapples way to 3rd place finish in NCAA tourney
It was the No. 1 seed against the No. 2 seed, but instead of MSU sophomore wrestler Franklin Gomez and Illinois’ Jimmy Kennedy battling for the 133-pound national championship, they squared off in the third-place match at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis.
BASKETBALL
Team is finally on right track after highs, lows
Flash back five months. The MSU men’s basketball team was ranked No. 8 in the country, chosen as a favorite to win the Big Ten and Drew Neitzel was named the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year.
SOFTBALL
Weigle blasts grand slam in win, baseball postponed
A combination of plenty of offense and solid pitching from senior Lesley Noel led the MSU softball team to a 2-1 showing at the Best Western Miami Invitational in Oxford, Ohio, to improve its record to 14-13.
BASKETBALL
Keane's 20-point performance leads MSU to victory, Spartans advance in WNIT
Freshman forward Kalisha Keane has an admirer. No, not an MSU women’s basketball fan, but Bowling Green women’s basketball head coach Curt Miller.
SPORTS
MSU serves up a split series in Big Ten opening weekend
It was an up-and-down weekend for the MSU women’s tennis team as they began Big Ten play, taking out Purdue 6-1 Saturday and succumbing to Illinois 4-3 Sunday at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers earn No. 3 seed, will play Colo. College Friday
Last year, the MSU hockey team found itself within driving distance of East Lansing when it landed in Grand Rapids as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
BASKETBALL
The Izzo effect
And now it’s off to the Sweet 16 — a place MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo has been seven times in the past 11 years. But what separates this year’s Spartans from the other six is their ability to hit the playbooks — not just their own, but their opponent’s as well.
SPORTS
Gomez falls in national semifinal
Sophomore Franklin Gomez’s bid for a national championship fell short, as he fell to Iowa’s Joey Slaton by a 3-1 decision in overtime in a national semifinal at the NCAA National Wrestling Championships in St. Louis.
BASKETBALL
Spartans prepare for tough Panthers
Denver — Travis Walton and Co. have already shut down one team’s standout player in the NCAA Tournament. With another round comes another threat.
BASKETBALL
Students flock to E.L. bars to watch Spartans play in first round of tourney, celebrate victory
Donning a green wig, Brian Stevens was ready to go at 10 a.m. The graduate student and his roommate, psychology senior Matt Zuehlke, arrived at Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, 360 Albert Ave., more than two hours before tipoff of the MSU men’s basketball game against Temple University on Thursday.
BASKETBALL
Keep on dancin'
A mile high and a few steps ahead. The MSU men’s basketball team climbed the first-round mountain and built an 18-point lead Temple couldn’t overcome en route to a 72-61 victory Thursday afternoon at Pepsi Center. The Spartans (26-8) continue their road to the Final Four on Saturday against No. 4 Pittsburgh.
BASKETBALL
MSU too much for overmatched Temple squad
Last season, the MSU men’s basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and met one of college basketball’s powerhouses — North Carolina. After keeping up with the Tar Heels’ run-and-gun style of play, North Carolina eventually pulled away just by sheer depth and strength.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers await placement in tournament
After last weekend’s devastating loss to Northern Michigan in the CCHA Quarterfinals, the MSU hockey team took the first few days of this week to regroup.
BASKETBALL
Young players come to play in tourney opener
Thursday afternoon may have been a strong indication of promise for the future. With senior guard Drew Neitzel scoring six points on 2-for-11 shooting, some MSU fans might be saying “Uh-oh, we’re doomed in this tournament without Neitzel burying 3-pointers and scoring at least 17 points a game.”
BASKETBALL
Spartans have new goal: win 5 games, WNIT title
Senior guards Alisa Wulff and Courtney Davidson were hoping Feb. 28 would be the last time they would play at Breslin Center.
BASKETBALL
Pitt advances to face Spartans, 82-63
Levance Fields scored a season-high 23 points and Keith Benjamin had 12 points and nine rebounds for Pittsburgh as the Panthers defeated Oral Roberts 82-63 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at Pepsi Center.
BASKETBALL
Balanced effort
Arguably the most important contribution from the MSU men’s basketball team in its win against Temple can’t be found in the box score. A combined MSU effort in defending guard Dionte Christmas, Temple and the Atlantic 10’s leading scorer, doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but might be the most notable of the afternoon. Thanks to Kalin Lucas, Drew Neitzel, Raymar Morgan and especially Travis Walton, the Spartans held Christmas to three points — his lowest point total of the season.
SPORTS
Gomez heads into NCAA Quarterfinals with triple-overtime win
In a marathon match that lasted three overtimes, sophomore wrestler Franklin Gomez overcame a tough unseeded opponent and a hurt ankle to advance to today’s quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships.