Evanston, Ill. - It's hard to believe that MSU junior guard Maurice Ager would have another huge scoring game against Northwestern. But after the Wildcats cut an 18-point deficit to five points late in the game, Ager was there to stop them.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo picked Northwestern as his sleeper team this year in the Big Ten. Although the Wildcats (14-13 overall, 6-8 Big Ten) have struggled with injuries and chemistry, they still are fighting for an NIT spot. "We've been hit by injuries and a lot of other things," Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody said.
MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie shared the honor of Big Ten Coach of the Year after she led her team to a record of 25-3, an MSU record for wins. She was named Coach of the Year by the media and Ohio State head coach Jim Foster was named Coach of the Year by the coaches. "The Coach of the Year award is really a program of the year award," McCallie said.
The MSU men's track and field team placed ninth in the Big Ten Indoor Championships this weekend. Wisconsin won the indoor title with 144.5 points, and Indiana came in second with 105.5.
Tim Bograkos always has been a favorite of MSU head coach Tom Izzo. But lately, the senior guard has been garnering even more praise from his coach for his hard work and determination. "He's probably the hardest working, toughest player that we've got the last three or four years," Izzo said.
MSU head football coach John L. Smith lost yet another assistant coach to a rival Big Ten school. Defensive backs coach Paul Haynes was hired by Ohio State, he confirmed Monday. Haynes joins running backs coach Reggie Mitchell and defensive line coach Steve Stripling as assistants who have left the Spartans in the past few months. Haynes, a Columbus native, said the opportunity to move back to his roots was the only major factor in his decision. "It's home for me," Haynes said.
The MSU women's track and field team came in sixth place at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Ann Arbor. Michigan finished first, and Illinois and Minnesota were second and third place, respectively. Sophomore Cynetheia Rooks had an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 54.25 in the 400-meter dash, an event she also won.
Bloomington, Ind. - MSU head coach Tom Izzo wouldn't suggest to anyone in the world to play the type of schedule his team did last year. After playing Kansas, Duke, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Syracuse and UCLA in the nonconference conference, the Spartans lost all six games heading into the Big Ten. But although the schedule stripped his team of a lot of confidence, Izzo suggested that the experience of tough, close games would help MSU. That's one reason that Izzo knew Sunday's game against Indiana, an NCAA Tournament bubble team, would be a nail-biter. "Indiana is a good enough team.
The Izzone student section's ritual when the opposing team's players are being introduced before a game is to hold up newspapers and yell, "Who cares?" But before Thursday's game against Wisconsin, the chant was somewhat subdued. Everyone in the building cared about this game.
Sophomore forward Drew Miller said he was so frustrated after Friday's loss at Bowling Green, he spoke to his brother, former MSU goaltender and Hobey Baker Award winner Ryan Miller. "I felt like I was out there working hard but nothing was getting accomplished," Drew Miller said about Friday's game.
More than 1,000 people came to Jenison Field House on Friday night to see some big-time wrestling, and big-time wrestling was what the fans got. In what could be a preview of late NCAA Championship matchups, No.
The phrase, "Lights, camera, action" doesn't usually come to mind when thinking about a football game. But this is different. Flames, dancers, music and prizes are just part of the craziness that encompasses arena football. And there also is a football game complete with football players.
Bloomington, Ind. - Old demons continue to haunt MSU. Nearly everything went wrong as the No.
The No. 20 MSU wrestling team faces off against No. 7 Oklahoma tonight, in a dual that will feature two marquee matchups, which could give fans a sneak preview of two late NCAA championship matches. At 125 pounds, No.
He's done it again - and this time it was perfect. MSU senior swingman Alan Anderson once again showed up for his team when it mattered most and propelled the No.
It's hard to imagine the MSU men's basketball team had any losing streaks associated with its 20-4 record. The two streaks that have lingered over the team for two years were seemingly erased from the current scouting report and filed into the history books Thursday as the No.
This weekend marks an important series for the MSU hockey team in the quest for home ice when the Spartans meet Bowling Green in a home-and-home series. The Falcons are on a two-game winning streak, after sweeping Western Michigan last weekend, and have a 5-4-1 record in their past 10 games, all while evolving into a CCHA contender. MSU, currently in eighth place in the CCHA, will be looking to move up in the standings against the fifth place Falcons as the season winds down. Just as it was last weekend against Ohio State, special teams are stressed to be another critical factor this weekend. "Special teams wins games for you," sophomore forward Tyler Howells said.
Five MSU seniors will participate in the NFL Combine currently going on until Tuesday, trying to improve their positioning for the 2005 NFL Draft, which will take place April 23-24. Running back DeAndra Cobb, defensive end Clifford Dukes, free safety Jason Harmon, place-kicker Dave Rayner and defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson all will be down in Indianapolis to prove themselves at various skill and speed drills. The number of Spartans at the combine matches the number of players representing defending national champions Southern Cal. Cobb ranks third all-time at MSU for kickoff return yards with 1,632. Dukes, who dealt with an injury to his quadreceps muscle throughout his senior year, earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and ranks sixth of MSU's all-time sack list. Leading the Spartans in interceptions in 2004 was Harmon, who also finished third in tackles with 105.
The senior guard continued to shine last week with her performances in wins against Iowa and Ohio State.
When junior center Paul Davis looks back on six straight losses to No. 20 Wisconsin, he said he remembers the big plays. Although nearly all of them have been made by the Badgers, Davis said the Spartans (19-4 overall, 10-2 Big Ten) need to knock off Wisconsin (17-6, 10-2) to give them the lift needed to make a run in March during tournament time. "They beat us down there with the three," Davis said of MSU's last loss at Madison, Wis.