ICE HOCKEY
Howells named finalist for Frozen Four competition
MSU senior forward Tyler Howells has been named a finalist for the NCAA Frozen Four Skills Challenge.
BASKETBALL
MSU plays Illinois tonight
Saturday's near-win at No. 5 Ohio State showed the MSU men's basketball team's tenacity, but tonight's game against Illinois might be a better indicator of the Spartans' resolve. Less than 72 hours removed from their extremely dramatic and taxing comeback against the Buckeyes, the Spartans (17-5 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) will need to find a way to rebound quickly against the struggling but dangerous Fighting Illini (15-8, 3-5), who are playing to resuscitate their fading postseason bid. "This is where you really make a statement, or you really grow up, or you really have a turning point," head coach Tom Izzo said Monday at his weekly press conference.
SPORTS
MSU wrestling downs U-M in Sunday meet
The No. 23 MSU wrestling team defeated No. 17 Michigan Sunday at Jenison Field House to win the overall meet, 21-17, and claim its first dual win over U-M since 2003. Senior brothers Nick and Andy Simmons put the Spartans ahead early, 15-0, but five match wins by the Wolverines put the Maize and Blue back in the picture near the end. With the Spartans hanging on to a slim 18-17 lead, the final decision came down to a double-overtime final match when freshman Alan O'Donnell defeated U-M's Omar Maktabi, 2-1, to secure the victory. "That was the biggest win of my career," O'Donnell said in a written statement.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans remain in conference hunt
While the bye week was a restful one, the MSU hockey team did more moving than it would have liked. The Spartans, who have 25 points in the CCHA so far this year, dropped from third to fourth in the league standings during their idle weekend, while Michigan surpassed MSU with a pair of conference wins. "It doesn't really matter until all games have been played," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
FOOTBALL
Stanton to represent MSU in skills contest
Senior quarterback Drew Stanton has been selected to represent MSU today in the College Football All-Star Challenge in Miami. Stanton earned team MVP honors last season after tossing 17 touchdowns for 2,252 total yards.
ICE HOCKEY
Manning the blue line
Even with a few old faces, this is a new MSU defense on the ice. Junior Jeff Dunne and sophomore Brandon Gentile are finally healthy.
SPORTS
Curler already making an impact
Nicole Curler's freshman year has been a balancing act. Literally. The 5-foot gymnast attends classes, practices and study tables. Not to mention she ranks sixth in the nation on the balance beam (9.850) as of Jan.
BASKETBALL
How to defend Oden
Columbus, Ohio — Trying to stop Greg Oden is like playing a game of Russian roulette — you pick your poison and hope you live to tell about it. After Saturday's game, MSU junior center Drew Naymick had no problem reciting the catalog of moves the all-world Ohio State freshman uses on the low post — the head fake, the drop step, the off-arm hook — "it's legal," Naymick said — all performed with textbook precision. "That's what makes him a great player," Naymick said. Oden's expansive repertoire — not to mention his brute force — has opened him up for dozens of uncontested highlight-reel dunks already this season.
BASKETBALL
Scrappy comeback shows MSU is for real
Columbus, Ohio — They say close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. We really should consider expanding that saying to include the RPI. Because if MSU's oh-so-close 66-64 loss to No.
SPORTS
Monday musings
The Austin Toros, an NBA Developmental League team, almost lost a late lead last week when their mascot, Da Bull, was assessed a technical foul for hanging on the rim while the ball was in play.
SPORTS
Grapplers start Big Ten schedule tonight
Wrestling head coach Tom Minkel looks at his team and sees "big-time talent." The only thing missing on the No.
ICE HOCKEY
No. 9 Spartans still have room to grow offensively
The No. 9 Spartans hockey team is idle this weekend before taking on Nebraska-Omaha in a road series Feb.
SPORTS
No. 23 MSU looks for 1st program win at Bryce Jordan Center tonight
The No. 23 MSU women's basketball team has never won at Penn State. The Spartans are 0-12 at Bryce Jordan Center, a number they are looking to bring to a halt at 6 p.m.
ICE HOCKEY
Increased crowds at Munn have No. 9 MSU energized, excited
First MSU hockey game attendance this season against Western Michigan — 4,497. Saturday's attendance against Lake Superior — 6,653. The cheering, the chants and the overall crowds have galvanized the Spartans at Munn Ice Arena in their last four home games, creating more of a buzz around the arena than there has been in recent years. Winning nine of the past 10 games most likely helps attendance, but even some of the players aren't quite accustomed to the fan activity yet. "The crowds are into it from the start," freshman defenseman Mike Ratchuk said.
BASKETBALL
Spartans face Gophers tonight at Breslin
The MSU men's basketball team is about to enter the toughest part of its conference season. The Spartans face a brutal stretch that includes games against national title contenders in hostile environments. They'll face a Wooden Award front-runner (Wisconsin forward Alando Tucker), the likely No.
SPORTS
Focused Jefferson gives Spartans' frontcourt a lift
Despite being removed from the starting lineup Jan. 14 at Iowa, sophomore forward Aisha Jefferson has continued to produce off the bench. For the MSU women's basketball team, this is good news.
BASKETBALL
Izzo unhappy with Big Ten schedule
The Big Ten scheduling computer has not received a Christmas card from MSU men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo lately. The league plays a 16-game conference schedule, meaning each of its 11 schools plays six opposing teams twice and four teams once.
BASKETBALL
High-tempo Spartans explode for transition points; Izzo vows team will continue to play faster game
State College, Pa. — The green light is on again. With their perimeter depth at least somewhat restored for Saturday's game against Penn State, the Spartans revived their struggling fast break — just as head coach Tom Izzo had been aching to do all season. The Spartans had three transition baskets in the first seven minutes of their 91-64 romp, and they finished the game with a 16-9 edge in fast-break points. "We're going to keep running," Izzo vowed afterward. Part of the equation was intense ball pressure up top from junior guard Drew Neitzel and sophomore guard Travis Walton, which forced several turnovers that led to transition baskets. "You pressure the ball, get a couple turnovers, (and) it gets you going on defense, it gets you going on offense," Walton said. But even on missed Penn State shots, the Spartans were getting back up the court with the urgency of someone trying to catch a bus, and Neitzel and Walton did a superb job of getting the ball ahead to streaking finishers.
BASKETBALL
MSU back in Big Ten picture after rout
State College, Pa. — With the way his shot was falling, Drew Neitzel might as well have been shooting at a rusty basket in his driveway back home.
SPORTS
MSU football receives QB, LBs among four more commitments
MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio and his staff had a busy weekend, picking up four verbal commitments since Thursday. First was outside linebacker Greg Jones from Cincinnati's Archbishop Moeller High School.