Ann Arbor — Earlier this week, the MSU men's basketball team admitted some concern that Michigan would have an added urgency for Tuesday's game because the stakes were higher for the Wolverines.
MSU track and field team members Jeremy Orr and Erica Bailey stood out as leaders for the team during the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships last weekend. The Spartans men earned a ninth-place finish for the event. Orr, a sprinter, extended his winning season with two second-place finishes for the team.
Profootballtalk.com's "The Rumor Mill" reported Sunday afternoon that several NFL teams are now considering former MSU quarterback Drew Stanton to have moved ahead of Notre Dame's Brady Quinn based on performances at the league's annual combine in Indianapolis. The Web site cites good team interviews and overall intangibles for Stanton's jump as well as Quinn's questionable ability to play on the big stage. In four years at MSU, Stanton built a career that includes back-to-back team MVP honors and the best completion percentage in Spartans history (.642).
By most accounts, MSU already has secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans put a "signature win" on their résumé by beating then-No.
MSU women's basketball head coach Joanne P. McCallie is glad there is now a sense of urgency with the Big Ten Tournament in sight. The Spartans struggled through the last two games of the season, losing to Illinois, then having trouble winning against Minnesota. "It's great to get results, but you really want to play your best basketball," McCallie said about the Minnesota game Monday in her weekly press conference.
The No. 13 Spartans knocked one thing off their to-do list by guaranteeing themselves a fourth-place conference finish and clinching a first-round playoff bye with Friday's 5-3 win at Bowling Green.
He's far too stubborn to admit it, but you could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice — Drew Neitzel was sick as a dog.
Despite senior Nick Simmons' record-breaking pin, the No. 22 MSU wrestling team was overpowered by No.
After a week in which it defeated the nation's No. 1 team and hosted ESPN's College GameDay with a record crowd, the MSU men's basketball team added a punctuation mark Saturday night, using a 28-7 second-half run to stifle Indiana, 66-58, at Breslin Center. "That had to be one of the great weeks in Michigan State basketball and maybe athletics, period," head coach Tom Izzo said.
The MSU gymnastics team dropped a 194.875-194.275 decision at No. 20 West Virginia on Friday night. "We are very proud of the way our team was able to put together such a strong road score," MSU head coach Kathie Klages said in a written statement. "Our team worked very well (Friday), and we look forward to returning home to compete against Michigan in a head-to-head competition at Jenison Field House next weekend." Despite the road loss, the 194.275 team total was the Spartans' top road score of the season. The Spartans return to action at 7 p.m.
The group of clean-shaven Spartans is growing. Freshman center Tom Herzog showed up for Saturday's game with a completely shaved head, a la junior guard Drew Neitzel.
It was over in 58 seconds. Friday was the last time Nick Simmons stepped on the wrestling platform at Jenison Field House for a dual meet.
The MSU baseball team earned its first win of the season with a 4-2 victory over Jacksonville on Sunday at the Coca-Cola Classic in Mobile, Ala. Senior pitcher John Dwan got the win, recording four strikeouts while only allowing three hits and one run. The Spartans broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning by scoring three runs.
Drew Neitzel was hampered by flu-like symptoms in Saturday's game against Indiana. The bug subsided, however, after Neitzel ran it off screens for the better part of two hours. Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre could miss up to 10 weeks after undergoing scheduled surgery on a bone spur this week. On the bright side for the Packers, the procedure won't count against their salary cap because it's covered by Favre's AARP plan. Japanese star turned Boston Red Sox free agent Daisuke Matsuzaka outlasted all other pitchers on the team last week by throwing a 103-pitch bullpen session. Scouts caution, however, that with the exchange rate for yen, Matsuzaka's outing only works out to about a pitch and a half. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens is reportedly considering undergoing surgery on his ring finger. Owens also is considering having doctors permanently extend his middle fingers to better reflect his attitude toward the world. The Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators played a fight-filled game last Thursday that ended with 136 penalty minutes handed out. Suspensions are unlikely, however, since league officials said they understand emotions might have been high with the final episode of "The O.C." airing later that night. Mickey Meyer, a goalie for the Southern Cal hockey team, was ticketed during a game last week after he dropped his pants on the ice and mooned the crowd. Meyer was cited for indecent exposure of the five hole.
Victoria Lucas-Perry called MSU's rebounding effort against Minnesota on Sunday "embarrassing." Despite coming away with a 57-50 win, the Spartans were outrebounded, 50-33, by the Golden Gophers.
Senior brothers Nick and Andy Simmons will wrestle in their final dual meet tonight when the No. 22 MSU wrestling team takes on No.
The culmination of the indoor track season — the Big Ten Championships — is set to take place this weekend. The men's team will travel to Indiana and the women head to Illinois for the conclusion of their respective seasons. Several team members are coming off both personal and school-breaking records and are ready to compete. "We're working to control ourselves, to not get distracted," director of track and field Walt Drenth said.
Senior forward Tyler Howells learned a few things on the ice during his four years at MSU that he never would have acquired from in a classroom. Howells has played every position — except for goaltender — in a Spartans' uniform, and he considers the experience valuable beyond the rink. "Going out into the work world, you've gotten used to being moved around and learning new things very quickly, accepting new roles," Howells said.
When MSU and Illinois last met Feb. 4, the Spartans were still stinging from two previous road losses. Since then, the MSU women's basketball team has gone on a tear, knocking off two top 15 teams in Purdue and Ohio State. Illinois has gone the other way, losing four of its last five games. That begs the question: Which MSU team will show up?
Nick Foles has MSU football head coach Mark Dantonio anticipating big things. The newest recruit for the 2007 Spartans football team, Foles signed a National Letter of Intent on Feb.