The Spartan chariot won’t be the only throwback to the days of ancient gladiators this fall at Spartan Stadium.The MSU football team unveiled its newly designed uniforms Tuesday, which are modeled after ancient Spartan gladiators.
When the Spartans first saw their NCAA Tournament seeding - No. 3 in the West Regional in Ann Arbor - they were pretty satisfied.
MSU head coach Ron Mason tried just about every coaching ploy in his repertoire this weekend, but it still didn’t equate to a CCHA Tournament championship. Mason overhauled his forward lines right in the middle of MSU’s 2-1 win over Northern Michigan on Saturday and the Spartans’ 3-2 loss to archrival Michigan in Sunday’s title game. By the end of the Northern game, MSU’s top line had a 67 percent turnover, with senior right wing Adam Hall as the only constant.
The MSU women’s basketball team has never made it to the semifinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. But a win tonight against Alabama (19-11) would send the Spartans (18-12) to the final four of the WNIT. Freshman guard Kristin Haynie said the chance to play for the tournament title would be exciting, adding playing the Crimson Tide at Breslin Center should help the Spartans achieve that goal. “It’s very exciting to play for any championship; it doesn’t matter if it’s the NIT, the Big Ten or the NCAA,” Haynie said.
Michigan’s Mr. Basketball will be a Spartan for the fourth straight year. Paul Davis, a member of the MSU’s 2002 recruiting class, follows in the footsteps of Jason Richardson, Marcus Taylor and Kelvin Torbert. The Basketball Coaches Association, in conjunction with the Detroit Free Press, named Davis the 22nd annual Hal Schram Mr. Basketball recipient Monday. Davis, a 6-foot-10 center from Rochester High, received 760 points, while Anthony Roberson of Saginaw High got 382 points and Lester Abram of Pontiac Northern High received 269. Davis won the award despite breaking his right ankle 16 games into his senior season.
Senior Carly Weiden qualified for the NCAA Championships in the three-meter dive during the NCAA Diving Regionals, Zone C, in West Lafayette, Ind. Weiden qualified on the second day of competition with a fifth-place finish. She will make the trip to the 2002 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in Austin, Texas, Thursday through Saturday, to compete in the 1- and 3-meter boards. Junior Stephanie Anisko and freshman Kelly Baldwin also competed during the weekend, but did not qualify.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.