For Michigan State basketball coach, Tom Izzo, he may have a problem that most coaches would love to have, multiple quality big men and not enough playing time to go around. The Spartans are returning starter Nick Ward, Ben Carter and Gavin Schilling from injury, reserve player Kenny Goins and also have two incoming freshmen, Jaren Jackson and Xavier Tillman. All players that are worthy of being on the floor for the Spartans.
Source: isportsweb
Matt McQuaid dribbled to the wing where he was faced up against Michigan State teammate Kenny Goins, who stood a few feet off of him. Typically, McQuaid might have hoisted the 3-pointer. But in the Moneyball Pro-Am game Thursday at Aim High Sports, his jumper had been struggling. So instead, he crossed over to his right and drove to the basket for a nifty up-and-under layup.
Source: Land of 10
A weight has been lifted off Kenny Goins’ shoulders. Well, actually, off his knee. Gone is the bulky brace the Michigan State junior wore after suffering knee injuries during his redshirt freshman season. And Goins is adding a few things in its place.
Source: Detroit Free Press
The 2017-18 Michigan State basketball team will look a lot different than the one that took the court in last year’s NCAA Tournament. While the Spartans only lost one player that played significant minutes in a tournament game (Alvin Ellis III), they’ll go from one of the shortest teams in the country (ranked 289th in average height according to KenPom) to likely somewhere in the top 100.
Source: Spartan Avenue
Last year Michigan State was dominated on the boards often. Teams like Purdue simply had too much size for the Spartans to keep up. That’s why Michigan State lived and died with the three ball. That won’t be the case next year in East Lansing.
Source: BT Powerhouse
Eighty minutes per game to be had. Six big men to split those minutes. Imagine if Michigan State had also landed 6-foot-11 recruit Brandon McCoy. Nick Ward might have wound up at shooting guard next season.
Source: Lansing State Journal
Graduation weekend has come and gone, with only a few more events left for Michigan State to put a close to its 2016-17 athletic calendar. But just because finals are over doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of questions about Spartan sports. Let’s dive into some of the issues readers on Twitter have going into the summer.
Source: Detroit Free Presse
The Michigan State freshmen were the story of the season, but the sophomores did provide a lift throughout the season. Two of them played out of position and gave the Spartans some quality minutes throughout the season. The other struggled early in the season before hitting his stride down the stretch. Let’s take a look at the grades for MSU’s sophomores.
Source: isportsweb
Matt McQuaid remembers the moment vividly. It was last March 18 when No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee State led No. 2 Michigan State by nine points with 5.1 seconds left in the first, and last, game for the Spartans in the NCAA Tournament. McQuaid and Kyle Ahrens, both freshmen, ran up opposite sidelines as the Spartans raced for the final shot of the game, however unnecessary.
Source: Land of 10
Being a No. 9 seed is not ideal for the Spartans because with a win over Miami the Spartans would likely have to play No. 1 seed Kansas. No matter the opponent, players will have to step up if the Spartans want to make some noise in the tournament.
Source: isportsweb
To make a deep run in the postseason, Michigan State needs more than just its freshmen. Three sophomores showed Thursday they can help, too.The Spartans got key contributions during their 78-51 Big Ten tournament-opening win over Penn State from a number of players whose roles have increased — and whose importance could go a long way to determining how this season will finish.
Source: Detroit Free Press
The Spartans’ top three lineups are playing 31.0 percent of the minutes. Heading into a home date with Ohio State (15-11, 5-8 Big Ten) on Tuesday night (9 p.m. TV: ESPN), over the last five games, MSU most prevalent lineup — by a slight margin — has been Tum Tum Nairn, Eron Harris, Joshua Langford Kenny Goins and Miles Bridges. It’s played 11.8 percent of MSU’s minutes. There have been varying forms of that lineup with Nick Ward, Cassius Winston, Matt McQuaid and Alvin Ellis III joining the rotation, but none have played more than 11 percent of the time together as a singular unit.
Source: How Tom Izzo’s shapeshifting rotations are unique, and not changing anytime soon | MLive.com
Tom Izzo knew Michigan State needed to hit the boards better. His players did so, early and often Saturday night. With turnovers continuing to be an issue, the Spartans needed every extra possession they could gather against Iowa en route to a crucial 77-66 victory that helped erase some of the sting of Tuesday’s blowout loss at Michigan.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Second-half run sparks MSU to 77-66 win over Iowa Spartan Tailgate
Tom Izzo pumped his fist and yelled in approval of his team’s play, while Fran McCaffery called a timeout and screamed at the officials. After turning the ball over what seemed like every other possession for the first 25 minutes of Saturday’s game against Iowa, Michigan State made five of six shots, including four 3-pointers, in a span of a little more than two minutes to go on a 13-4 run and open up a nine-point lead over the Hawkeyes with 12:10 remaining.
Miles Bridges gets a little help from his friends as Michigan State beats Iowa MLive
Miles Bridges kept Michigan State above water on Saturday night. Then his fellow freshmen did some rowing. Bridges scored 14 of his team-high 16 points in the first half, while Nick Ward, Cassius Winston and Joshua Lanford combined for 32 second-half points, as Michigan State beat visiting Iowa at Breslin Center.
Michigan State takes down Iowa at home, 77-66, behind tough defensive effort Land of 10
A second-half run initiated by stingy perimeter defense led Michigan State (15-10, 7-5 Big Ten) to a 77-66 win over Iowa (14-12, 6-7) on Saturday at the Breslin Center. Freshman Miles Bridges led the way with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Nick Ward added 14 points, Kenny Goins gathered 10 rebounds and Cassius Winston dished out five assists.
Spartans win pivotal matchup against Iowa, stop Jok, 77-66 State News
Taking the court for the first time since Tuesday night’s 29-point blowout loss to the University of Michigan, MSU (15-10, 7-5 Big Ten) defeated the University of Iowa Hawkeyes (14-12, 6-7 Big Ten) at home Saturday in a pivotal game in conference play by a final score of 77-66.
Strong second half carries Spartans past Hawkeyes Detroit News
In the first half Saturday night, Iowa did practically nothing right. And yet, someway, somehow, it held a lead over Michigan State. The Spartans went from frazzled in the first 20 minutes to fierce for the final 20 to beat the Hawkeyes, 77-66, before a raucous sellout crowd at Breslin Center.
Despite Turnovers, Spartans beat Hawkeyes in Pivotal Matchup Impact Sports
Michigan State (14-10 OVR, 6-5 B1G) and Jack Breslin Student Events Center played host to the Iowa Hawkeyes (14-11 OVR, 6-6 B1G) on Saturday evening, as both teams looked to get back on the winning track as the conference season winds down. But after 40 minutes of back-and-forth play, it was the Spartans who got a much needed win in their first of four home games to close out the season, beating the Hawkeyes 77-66.
Michigan State Defeats Iowa 77-66 MSUSpartans.com
Miles Bridges scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half and finished with 11 rebounds, leading Michigan State in a 77-66 win over Iowa on Saturday night. The Spartans (15-10, 7-5 Big Ten) bounced back from a lopsided loss at Michigan with their third win in four games, improving their chances of playing in a 20th straight NCAA tournament.
Spartan Stars: MSU’s top performers in win over Iowa Spartan Tailgate
Seven different players had six or more points for MSU, and nine total scored while Michigan State shot 48.3 percent from the field as a team to overcome 21 turnovers for the second game in a row. The Spartans also outrebounded Iowa 46-32, thanks to 14 offensive rebounds and holding the Hawkeyes to 32.8 percent shooting (and the fact MSU turned it over so many times).
Langford, Bridges, and Ward propel Spartans over Hawkeyes isportsweb
Life on the bubble has been nerve-wracking, frustrating, and exhausting for the Michigan State Basketball team. In a must-win game at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center, the Michigan State Basketball team was able to overcome a sloppy first half and pull away from the Iowa Hawkeyes in a sharp second half by a score of 77 to 66.
Nick Ward has been working to lose weight since he stepped on campus this summer. The Michigan State freshman has done a good job of it, too, dropping 30 or so pounds to get to the point where he’s a more athletic player and can log more minutes while consistently playing hard.
Source: Spartan Tailgate
The focus and energy to this year’s MSU men’s basketball team is no secret, it is the power of the highly-acclaimed freshman class. As these young players are analyzed in every facet of their game, head coach Tom Izzo said the team will make its jump from good to great because of players outside the freshman class.
Source: The State News
Kenny Goins can be frustrating to watch as a Big Ten center. And that’s why Michigan State basketball fans should like him. Or at least appreciate him.He’s been adequate enough for you to forget he’s not a Big Ten center and to pin frustrations on him, rather than the situation. The Michigan State redshirt sophomore didn’t ask for this or expect it. But as a former walk-on who grew up a Spartan fan, he sure as hell isn’t going to whine about it.
Source: Lansing State Journal
Nick Ward picked up one foul after another. Kenny Goins knew exactly what his freshman teammate was going through. The sophomore forward endured his own foul trouble during Michigan State’s overtime win at Minnesota last month, when Ward put on a stellar second-half performance.
Source: Detroit Free Press
In a way, Kenny Goins had been lying to himself.The Michigan State sophomore forward kept hearing from the doctors that the knee he re-injured in MSU’s first-round tournament loss last year and had surgery on this offseason was good. He kept telling himself it would be fine and he had nothing to worry about, but he didn’t truly believe it. Not until recently, at least, when Goins had a spiritual moment realization of sorts.
Source: Spartan Tailgate