Detroit - After Sunday’s 3-2 CCHA Tournament championship game loss to Michigan, an irritated MSU head coach Ron Mason said he didn’t want to talk about the NCAA Tournament. “We don’t know who we’re playing, and we don’t know where we’re going to be,” Mason said. Well, now the Spartans know both.
Washington - Following a disappointing 69-58 loss to North Carolina State in Friday’s first round of the NCAA Tournament, MSU men’s basketball associate head coach Brian Gregory quietly sat in the corner of the Spartans’ locker room.With his head in his hands, suit jacket off and tie slightly loosened, Gregory searched for a reason why the Spartans were exiting the tournament after one game for the first time since 1995.“You start wondering, ‘Did we really just run out of gas?’ ” he said.The last time Gregory and the Spartans (19-12) were in the MCI Center locker room, the mood was much different.At halftime, MSU owned a 12-point lead at 30-18 after forcing the Wolfpack (23-11) offense to 6-of-24 shooting.Gregory said the defensive effort in the opening half made the loss even more disappointing.“Anytime you defend as well as you did in the first half and you go out and don’t defend as well in the second half, there’s going to be frustration,” he said.But the exhausted, disappointed, angry and frustrated looks on the faces of his players had to be there.“I think if you don’t see frustration, you have to worry about what kind of kids you have,” he said.One Spartan who had been in the locker room after numerous tournament wins, junior forward Al Anagonye, said he knows he won’t forget being ousted from the tournament this early.“If it doesn’t (bother you), you shouldn’t play at Michigan State,” Anagonye said.
Washington - Despite a 69-58 loss to North Carolina State in Friday’s first round of the NCAA Tournament, Tom Izzo asked his players to savor the moment. With 44 seconds remaining and MSU trailing 67-55 at MCI Center, Izzo called a timeout.
Detroit - The Spartans headed for their Joe Louis Arena locker room just seconds before being subjected to an unwelcome sight - archrival Michigan hoisting the Mason Cup, which is named after MSU’s longtime head coach Ron Mason. The trophy signified U-M’s CCHA Tournament Championship, which it won Sunday with an impressive 3-2 victory over MSU in front of 16,452 fans.
Dear Marcus Taylor, I know we’ve both heard speculation about your future at MSU. And while you might be considering leaving school early for the NBA, I ask you to stay put. This isn’t for my benefit, really - it’s for your own good. I understand why entering the NBA Draft might sound like a good idea to you.
Detroit - Retiring MSU head coach Ron Mason will get another crack at the Wolverines - and it will be with the CCHA Tournament championship on the line. The archrivals posted matching 2-1 semifinal wins in front of 14,079 fans at Joe Louis Arena on Saturday.
Detroit - The No. 2 seed Spartans now know their next CCHA Tournament foe - No. 3 seed Northern Michigan. Behind a hat trick by center Chris Gobert, Northern overcame a 1-0 deficit to notch a 3-1 win against No.
Washington - Midwestern basketball fans probably know who MSU sophomore guard Marcus Taylor is.
If MSU is able to knock off North Carolina State today, it will face one of two formidable opponents. No.
MSU swimmer Kate Duncombe’s regular-season times have qualified her to compete in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke events in the 2002 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships on March 28-30 in Athens, Ga.
The men’s tennis team (9-5 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) will host Bowling Green State (8-5) and Bradley (4-8) on Saturday. The women’s tennis team (8-6, 0-2) will host Minnesota (4-9, 0-3) on Saturday and Wisconsin (8-3, 3-0) on Sunday.
Washington - The MSU men’s basketball season came to an end Friday with a 69-58 loss to North Carolina State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The minor league baseball season is almost here, and fans of the Lansing Lugnuts can purchase tickets at the box office this weekend. Tickets for the 2002 Lugnuts home games and the 2002 Midwest League All-Star Game on June 18 will be available 10 a.m.
Washington - In the game of basketball, size and strength play large roles, and the Spartans held a distinct advantage over North Carolina State in each category.But it was the Wolfpack (23-11) who prevailed 69-58 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at MCI Center on Friday.The smaller N.C.
No. 2 seed MSU heads into the weekend knowing it needs two wins to claim its fourth CCHA Tournament title in five years. The Spartans (26-7-5) just don’t know who they’ll have to beat to win the Mason Cup, named after MSUhead coach Ron Mason. Six teams still are alive as the second weekend of the CCHA Tournament starts today - up from the usual four.
Junior goaltender Ryan Miller is the CCHA Player of the Year for the second straight season - capturing the honor at the CCHA Awards Banquet on Thursday night at Fox Theatre in Detroit. The league’s 12 coaches dubbed the East Lansing native the CCHA’s premier player after posting conference-leading numbers in goals against average (1.64), saves percentage (.941) and shutouts (eight). He ranked second in league wins (18) and minutes played (1,684:58). Miller is the second person to win the award back-to-back, after Michigan’s Brendan Morrison did so in 1996-97.
The MSU men’s golf team will compete in the Conrad Rehling Spring Invitational this weekend. The invitational starts today in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and ends Sunday.
Washington - The MSU men’s basketball team arrived for a 12:15 p.m. practice Thursday at the MCI Center, but something was missing.
The baseball team (9-2) will travel to Richmond, Ky., to take on Eastern Kentucky (2-8) in a three-game series with a doubleheader Saturday.
The Spartans have the chance to play in the postseason. And they are prepared to make the best of their opportunity. MSU (16-12) will try to extend its season at 7 p.m.