Tom Izzo met with the media earlier this week after the Spartans completed a stretch of six games in 16 days following a 63-59 win at Florida on Saturday. The Spartans, 8-2 overall, winners of seven of the last eight games and ranked No. 9 in the country by the Associated Press, are in the midst of an 8-day break for final exams before returning to play on Sunday, Dec. 16 at home against Green Bay (5 p.m., BTN).
The MSU resume is actually in pretty good shape right now. The Spartans are the ninth-ranked team in the polls, they are number eight in KenPom, and ninth in the new NCAA Net rankings (RPI’s replacement).
Source: The Only Colors
I would be lying if I told you that I follow women’s college basketball as closely as I do men’s college basketball, but I think it’s time we all start paying attention to the ladies of the Michigan State program. Suzy Merchant’s team is off to an 8-1 start and is coming off of a huge upset win against the (at the time) No. 3-ranked Oregon Ducks.
Source: The Only Colors
He’s only the 2nd guard in NBA history to have a 20-point/10-rebound game while going 5-for-5 or better from three; the other was Kobe Bryant on 1/6/2006 vs. Phi (48 pts, 10 reb, 7/7 threes).
Source: Spartan Avenue
Michigan State basketball’s turnover problem persists. But curiously, more so before halftime. The ninth-ranked Spartans have given the ball away 132 turnovers on the season, and they have gone through phases in which they appear to be correcting the issue.
Source: Detroit Free Press
While Michigan State’s players have begun to start practicing for the Redbox Bowl matchup with Oregon on New Year’s Eve, the coaching staff has been busy hitting the road. With the early signing period starting next week — players can sign from Dec. 19-21 — Mark Dantonio and his assistants have been busy trying to add a few more members to the 2019 class while sealing the deal with the 18 players who already have verbally committed.
Source: Detroit News/a>
Michigan State senior center Jenna Allen added to her honors after being named U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women’s National Player of the Week on Tuesday. She also garnered ESPW and Big Ten Player of the Week accolades on Monday.
Redshirt sophomore Drew Hughes has been named Big Ten Conference Wrestler of the Week for Dec. 11 as announced by the league office on Tuesday. Hughes improved to 11-2 on the season and 2-0 in dual meets last Friday, earning a major decision over Indiana’s Jake Hinz, 11-0, to score the only bonus points of the dual.
Listen to “Suzy Merchant joins The Drive before practice” on Spreaker.
Freshmen Aaron Henry discusses his arrival to Men’s Basketball, Men’s Soccer reflects on their journey to the NCAA College Cup, and Men’s basketball takes on #14 Iowa.
With Kyle Ahrens’ health finally in a good place, it’s up to Tom Izzo to keep the swingman’s game and confidence there, too. Ahrens, a redshirt junior, has started the past four outings for No. 9 Michigan State in place of senior captain Matt McQuaid. Setback by various injuries since landing at MSU — including missing all of last season with a foot injury — Ahrens is now playing as well and consistently as he ever has in East Lansing.
Source: Spartan Tailgate
Associate Head Coach Dwayne Stephens joins Will Tieman as they discuss the team after an 8-2 start to the season and more.
Source: Spartan Sports Network
Michigan State and Oregon bring very comparable pedigrees to the Redbox Bowl matchup that will take place on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. Since 2010, these two programs are among the nation’s best.
Source: Spartans Wire
When Mark Dantonio learned Michigan State football would be going to a bowl game named after a movie DVD distribution business, it didn’t matter to him. He even brought up the game the Spartans played in named after chicken wings restaurant in 2012.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Michigan State junior defensive end Kenny Willekes has landed on his third All-America team of the 2018 season. Willekes was named to the second team by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), which was released on Monday night. He earned a spot on the first team by The Athletic last Wednesday and was also named to the second team by the Walter Camp Football Foundation last Thursday.
Jenna Allen ran down the court Sunday afternoon, arms stretched out holding up three fingers with each hand, basking in the roar that had overtaken the Breslin Center. The Michigan State senior had just buried a 3-pointer from the wing to effectively seal the Spartans’ 88-82 victory over No. 3 Oregon, giving her a season-high 27 points and allowing Michigan State to announce to the college basketball world that it will be a team to be reckoned with in 2018-19.
Source: Detroit News
Finals week brings a time for rest and mental preparation for Michigan State’s basketball team. Not so much for Tom Izzo. Izzo and his staff went en masse to watch 2019 5-star prospects Isaiah Stewart and Keion Brooks play for La Lumiere School on Saturday night in an Indianapolis tournament, just hours after MSU wrapped up a tough 63-59 road win at Florida.
Source: Detroit Free Press
For the second year in a row, Michigan State junior offensive tackle Cole Chewins has earned Academic All-America honors. Chewins, a first-team selection in 2017, was named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America Division I Second Team on Monday, as selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).
After closing out a challenging six-game stretch with a 5-1 mark, Michigan State improved its overall record to 8-2 and now finds itself at the No. 9 spot in the newest AP Poll.
Source: Spartans Wire
While Michigan State’s players are getting a break from the court this week, the same can’t be said for the coaching staff.It’s finals week at Michigan State, which means the ninth-ranked Spartans won’t play again until Sunday when they host Green Bay. But while the players are fitting in workouts and film around tests, Tom Izzo and his staff will be bouncing around the country.
Source: Detroit News