Indianapolis – Walking off the court after being bounced by Purdue in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, the minds of Lykendra Johnson and players on the MSU women’s basketball team were filled with uncertainty. Following MSU’s 74-63 loss to the Boilermakers on Friday, questions surrounded the team’s candidacy for a bid in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Indianapolis – With each shot that crossed the threshold of the rim by Purdue guard Brittany Rayburn, the MSU women’s basketball team gradually watched its Big Ten Tournament chances fade away.
Indianapolis — The MSU women’s basketball team (20-11 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) fell to Purdue (22-8, 11-5) 73-64 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
With senior night winding down, as it became clear that MSU was going to come out on top, senior Jackie Berg crouched beside the floor, head bowed, simply overwhelmed by the moment.
Indianapolis – As she sat at her locker, thinking about the upcoming opportunity to face Purdue, freshman guard Kiana Johnson’s face couldn’t help but light up. The Spartans (20-10 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) will take on No.
One down, three to go. The MSU women’s basketball team (20-10 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) came into the Big Ten Tournament determined to make history as the first team to win four games in four days to win the title. If Thursday’s opening round game against Indiana (6-24 overall, 1-15) is any indication, it’s clear the Spartans mean business.
Indianapolis – With the benefit of a 97-68 rout against No. 11 seeded Indiana, MSU women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant had the opportunity to spread out some minutes Thursday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Indianapolis- When asked before the game what a win in her team’s opening game at the Big Ten Tournament would do for the MSU women’s basketball team’s chances to secure an NCAA Tournament bid, Suzy Merchant assured a victory would put her team over the top. Well at least for now, mission accomplished.
Physically, Austin Thornton has been here before. A fifth-year senior guard for the No. 5 MSU men’s basketball team, Thornton has been to two Final Fours, played in a National Championship game and he’s been a part of three Big Ten championship teams.
Indianapolis – It took a little while for the Spartans to get going, but an early run helped the MSU women’s basketball team (20-10 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) cruise to a 97-68 victory over Indiana (6-24, 1-15) in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
The No. 5 MSU basketball team could have an extra-special Senior Day on Sunday. With Tuesday’s 70-55 loss at No. 18 Indiana, the Spartans (24-6 overall, 13-4 Big Ten) host a default championship game at Breslin Center against No. 10 Ohio State (24-6, 12-5).
Since Brandon Wood first stepped on campus in 2007, he’s been looking forward to his impending Senior Day. Ignore the fact he was stepping onto the campus of Southern Illinois some 500 miles away. And forget that he went to three different schools before finally landing in East Lansing.
All season long, each match the MSU wrestlers compete in has led up to the final weekend of the season: the Big Ten championships. This year, the Spartans will be sending six wrestlers to West Lafayette, Ind., to compete in the tournament with varying levels of experience.
The MSU gymnastics team is riding high going into its senior night faceoff with Illinois-Chicago, having won the last two meets and the last four at home. MSU will look to carry that momentum into Friday night’s meet at Jenison Field House as the team’s four seniors depart.
Hitting the road for the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, the MSU women’s basketball team (19-10 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) is out to do one thing: make magic. The Spartans will open the tournament against No. 12-seed Indiana (6-23, 1-15) on Thursday (approximately 8:25 p.m., Big Ten Network), and senior forward Lykendra Johnson said her team is confident after winning seven of the past eight games.
At long last, a much-needed break for the No. 15 MSU hockey team. Following a weekend split on the road at Notre Dame, the Spartans (19-13-4 overall, 14-11-3-2 CCHA) have a bye week to catch their breath before meeting Miami (Ohio) in a best-of-three series in the quarterfinal round of the CCHA Tournament.
It might be early in the season, but Justin Scanlon still hasn’t forgotten the way the last one ended. The senior shortstop and captain of the MSU baseball team walked off the field at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio, at the end of May 2011 with his head down and his dreams dashed, as Illinois beat the Spartans in the Big Ten Tournament championship game by a final score of 9-1.
After winning seven out of their nine games this season, the women’s tennis team heads to Orlando, Fla., this week for the season’s first away competition.
On the surface, senior wrestlers Curran Jacobs and Anthony Jones Jr. couldn’t be more different. As expressive as they come, Jacobs speaks with confidence and never shies away from the spotlight. When he came to MSU five years ago, he didn’t have a flashy wrestling résumé, but that didn’t stop him from working his way up to the No. 18 ranked wrestler in the nation at 174 pounds.
When Suzy Merchant was asked last week if it was important to secure a bye in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, she paused. The question would have been laughable a month earlier when the MSU women’s basketball team (19-10 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) had lost four straight games for the first time in four years and was fighting itself more than its opponents.