The MSU women’s basketball team has the ability to lose its next game or take it all the way. Head coach Suzy Merchant said the Spartans have used, and will continue to use the pent up anger and disappointment that came with missing out on the NCAA Tournament to fuel their way to a WNIT championship.
The MSU baseball team will try to get a home game under its belt before this weekend’s Big Ten conference opener against Illinois.
MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo seems to have the ability to see what other people can’t. At least, specifically, in the case of Goran Suton.
A week ago, the MSU men’s basketball team and head coach Tom Izzo left Indianapolis dejected and dispirited after their exit from the Big Ten Tournament. On Saturday night, it was all smiles about sweet, sweet redemption in Denver.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Denver — Travis Walton and Co. have already shut down one team’s standout player in the NCAA Tournament. With another round comes another threat.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”