Wednesday, December 24, 2025

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Sports

ICE HOCKEY

Defense, special teams do not measure up to previous season

One game past the halfway point of the season, the MSU hockey team has a .500 record (9-9-1 overall, 5-6-0 CCHA). For a team that hasn't had a losing season since 1991, the players and coaches agree it's a mark teetering on the edge of unacceptability. Dissecting MSU's problem is a continuous process for head coach Rick Comley.

BASKETBALL

Izzo expects players to improve on free throws

Heading in to their 53rd season of Big Ten men's basketball, No. 25 MSU is looking for a little charity - from the stripe, that is.After shooting 77.7 percent from the foul line in the first seven games of the season, MSU (8-4) has only shot 67.5 percent in the last five, which is below head coach Tom Izzo's standards.Izzo said missed free throws have "really cost us the last two games, as much as anything."Despite MSU's shooting woes, the Spartans are currently tied for fourth (72.8 percent) among Big Ten teams.

ICE HOCKEY

Indiana native commits to hockey squad

Brandon Warner, a 6-foot, 170-pound defenseman from Huntertown, Ind., verbally committed to the MSU hockey team Wednesday.Warner has four goals, nine assists and 54 penalty minutes in 32 games this season for the Pittsburgh Forge of the North American Hockey League.

SPORTS

Team aims to net some wins

The MSU women's basketball team has battled inconsistency so far this season, however, this is not new to the Spartans.Last season MSU headed into conference play with a 9-1 record, and then finished tied for ninth in the conference.

BASKETBALL

Spartans look to net Big Ten title again

After loaning out the Big Ten Championship trophy for a season, the Spartans will face tough tests in their quest to bring the prize back to MSU for a fifth time in six seasons. From the top to bottom of the conference, there isn't a clear cut championship favorite.

ICE HOCKEY

Comical Clark makes position change for more playing time

By nature, Steve Clark is usually quick with a quip. And the talkative senior hockey player apparently amused head coach Rick Comley with a comment during a game this weekend at Lake Superior State. "We all laughed because he said he played more that particular night than he did his first three years here," Comley said with a chuckle. Of course, that's a huge hyperbole on Clark's part.

FOOTBALL

Officials deny athletes given extra breaks

Despite witholding information about run-ins with police officers, university officials denied reports Monday that embattled athletes receive special treatment. The State News reported Monday All-American wide receiver Charles Rogers allegedly pushed an MSU parking enforcer and had a verbal argument with the same officer last fall.

ICE HOCKEY

Fast: The caring defenseman

Senior defenseman Brad Fast is one of 15 finalists for the eighth annual Hockey Humanitarian Award, which will be awarded at an April 11 ceremony at the Frozen Four in Buffalo, N.Y. The award recognizes college hockey's "finest citizen" for his or her contributions to society.

ICE HOCKEY

2 defensemen leave program

It's the new year, and as "Auld Lang Syne" says, it's time for old acquaintances to be forgotten.That motto rings especially true nowadays for the MSU hockey team, which saw two defensemen leave the team in December.

ICE HOCKEY

Comley's squad splits another weekend series

Sault Ste. Marie - The only constant with the MSU hockey team this year has been its inconsistency. The Spartans (9-9-1 overall, 5-6-0 CCHA) went 3-3 in their six games during semester break, including a split at woeful Lake Superior State (4-15-1, 1-13-0) this weekend.

BASEBALL

Burrill, Day receive recognition

A pair of MSU baseball players have garnered preseason honors. Senior catcher Brady Burrill along with sophomore pitcher Tim Day became the Spartans first preseason All-Americans since Mark Mulder in 1998. Burrill was named a third-team All-American by Louisville Slugger, as selected by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, while Day earned third-team honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Although Burrill appeared in just 28 of the Spartans' 57 games last season, he still led the team with a .414 batting average.

SPORTS

Top 10 team invades Breslin Center today

The MSU women's basketball team has battled inconsistency throughout the season. The team has earned respect by hanging with top teams and has demolished weaker squads, but has followed up strong performances by dropping easy-win contests.On Dec.

FOOTBALL

'U' won't release athletes' discipline records

University officials refuse to release information regarding student athletes' encounters with the law, citing privacy concerns as local prosecutors say the lack of witness participation among victims in the cases is frustrating. That frustration includes an incident with All-American wide receiver Charles Rogers who allegedly pushed an MSU parking enforcer in October, Ingham County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Joyce Draganchuk told The State News. The incident also included a verbal argument between Rogers and the parking employee.

SPORTS

Spartans surprised by Golden Flashes

The No. 11 MSU wrestling team started off the new year on a sour note as the Spartans fell to 25th-ranked Kent State on Saturday. The loss to the Golden Flashes (7-0) brings MSU's record to 1-2 and is leaving the team searching for answers. "This team has got to figure out where it's going and we've got to figure it out in a hurry," MSU head coach Tom Minkel said.