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Sports

SPORTS

Nick Simmons fails to win national title, finishes 3rd at championships

Auburn Hills — MSU wrestler Nick Simmons emerged victorious in his final match as a Spartan at the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday, but it wasn't the match he wanted to end his collegiate career. Simmons took third place in the 133-pound weight class at the national finals after defeating Tennessee-Chattanooga's fifth-seeded Matt Keller in wrestleback finals Saturday morning. But the win came one night after he was upset in the championship semifinals, 4-3, by Oklahoma State's fourth-seeded Coleman Scott, ending his last effort at winning his first national title. In the match's first period, Scott scored a two-point takedown and a two-point near-fall to jump out to a 4-0 lead.

BASKETBALL

Round 2 next

Winston-Salem, N.C. — The familiarity between Marquette and MSU led many to believe Thursday night's first-round matchup would be tightly contested.

SPORTS

Word on the street

"I'm not really interested in (basketball), so not much for me, but I'm sure people would go to crazy lengths for it." Lily McNamara apparel and textile design junior "I'd camp out all day if they were going to release them.

BASKETBALL

Tales of the 1,300 tapes

Ever wish you could watch film of every 3-pointer Drew Neitzel has ever made off the dribble out of a timeout in a road game? Kevin Pauga can make it happen. Pauga, the video coordinator for the MSU men's basketball team, manages a film scouting system that puts Blockbuster to shame.

SPORTS

Brothers take aim at NCAA titles

Nick and Andy Simmons are linked in many ways — brotherhood, wrestling, Big Ten Championships and All-America honors. This weekend, the senior grapplers from Williamston look to create one common bond that has eluded them in their tenure at MSU: national champions. The Spartans wrestlers will travel to Auburn Hills on Thursday in pursuit of their first national championship titles after finishing in the top 10 at nationals in back-to-back years.

FOOTBALL

Hoyer: 'Intensity' the difference in workouts

When Mark Dantonio was hired as MSU's new football head coach in November, he was quick to stress toughness and effort as qualities he demanded in his program. And even though the official start of spring practice is still several days away, Dantonio has spent all winter instilling mental and physical toughness in his players via early-morning workouts.

ICE HOCKEY

Spartans snubbed on CCHA individual honors

MSU shouldn't have any trouble slipping past the Joe Louis Arena metal detectors entering Friday's semifinals matchup against Michigan. The Spartans failed to receive nominations for CCHA individual and team honors, which will make Thursday's CCHA awards banquet at the Fox Theatre in Detroit a forgettable one. But the Spartans maintain that lack of recognition makes their performance in the CCHA tournament and their national ranking more impressive from a team perspective. "We didn't have a single player who made the top three in any of the league awards or any of the all-star teams or anything," MSU head coach Rick Comley said after Saturday's 4-1 win over Nebraska-Omaha.