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Marching FOUR-ward
A tale of two halves: MSU defeats Louisville, 76-70, during overtime. The Spartans are now advancing to the Final Four — head coach Tom Izzo's seventh run.
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MSU basketball's rally cry turns into results
Throughout the entire summer, the MSU basketball players sculpted their mindsets around one thing — Indy. Following a 76-70 win against Louisville , the Spartans have turned the battle cry into results.
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Final four venues have changed over time
The first ever NCAA Final Four took place in 1939 in front of 5,500 fans at Patten Gymnasium in Evanston, Illinois when the Oregon Ducks beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 46-33.
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Fans, still aglow from Elite Eight win, welcome team back to Breslin Center
Fresh off of MSU's victory in the Elite 8 over Louisville earlier the same day, Davis couldn't wait to celebrate the program's first Final Four appearance since 2010 with the same team who will compete in Indianapolis next Saturday.
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See you in Indy: An improbable group of Spartans are off to the Final Four
In the ultimate survive and advance scenario, MSU escaped two dangerous free throw misses at the end of regulation to pull away for a 76-70 overtime victory over Louisville. Freshman forward Marvin Clark checked in for junior forward Matt Costello with 2:21 left in regulation and little did he know the role he would play.
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Halftime: MSU trails Louisville 40-32 in the Elite Eight
Syracuse, N.Y. — It was a competitive game for much of the first half, but a late scoring drought by MSU could endanger its Final Four dreams.
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Tom Izzo expresses admiration for Rick Pitino
If there are tiers when ranking the great coaches in college basketball, Tom Izzo and Rick Pitino would be near the top.
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Louisville stands between MSU and the Final Four
Syracuse, N.Y. -- MSU head coach Tom Izzo will square off against a Pitino-led team for the second time this year, but with a Final Four berth at stake, this one will mean a bit more. The Spartans dropped a home game to Minnesota and head coach Richard Pitino in February, and on Sunday at 2:20 p.m., MSU will face Richard’s father and Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame member Rick Pitino. Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals (27-8 overall, 12-6 ACC) have surged in the tournament, despite the dismissal of guard Chris Jones in late February. The Cardinals escaped in their first tournament game with a two point win over UC Irvine.
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Elite Eight run has been led by upperclassmen
A year after losing three key pieces of its puzzle, MSU has clawed its way right back to where its season ended last year. The Elite Eight. An improbable yet not infrequent tournament run has been conducted by upperclassmen.
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And then there were eight: MSU advances past Oklahoma, will face Louisville Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Syracuse, N.Y. — For a while, it looked as though MSU's free throw woes would be their undoing.
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Halftime: MSU trails Oklahoma 31-27
Syracuse, N.Y. Oklahoma never trailed over the first twenty minutes, and at halftime, the Sooners lead the Spartans, 31-27. Oklahoma junior guard and Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield leads all scorers with 11 points, and MSU senior guard Travis Trice follows with 10 points.
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Head coach Tom Izzo doesn't believe his team is an underdog
Head coach Tom Izzo said he didn't have a comment when asked about MSU earning the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament an hour after falling to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament, but during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, he said the Spartans deserve to be underdogs this season.
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Still part of the family
Fifteen years later, Mateen Cleaves is still invested in Spartan basketball.
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Column: Travis Trice of 2015 is beginning to look like Shabazz Napier of 2014
Travis Trice might be this year’s Shabazz Napier. It’s a premature comparison at the moment but if the senior MSU guard continues to play the way he has, his legacy will mirror that of the Connecticut Huskie who torched the Spartans in the Elite Eight. Tell me that this doesn’t sound familiar: A skinny, six-foot guard dominates NCAA tournament games for stretches of time and knocks down NBA-range threes to lead his No.
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Men's basketball has their biggest fan as they prepare for the Sweet 16: Mark Dantonio
As a head coach, Mark Dantonio isn't afraid to give praise to players or teams when credit is due.
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MSU expecting Oklahoma to run, run and run some more
On Sunday against Virginia, head coach Tom Izzo had to game plan for Virginia's slow, methodical offense eats up much of the shot clock. On Friday against Oklahoma, Izzo expects the exact opposite. "Run, run, run, run, run, man," Izzo said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday. "I think we could have a test run for the 20?second shot clock in this game.
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Draymond Green texted Travis Trice before Virginia win — "Don't let this be your last game"
Travis Trice's big day started well before the opening tip. It started with a message from former MSU forward Draymond Green, who texted Trice the morning of the game reminding him of the goal at stake. "Draymond Green actually this morning said don't let this be your last game and I texted him back and said, I won't," Trice said.
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Mark Hollis reflects on MSU's history with Nike
When Mateen Cleaves and Tom Izzo were cutting down the nets after MSU basketball's last national championship in 2000 they were doing it in Reebok apparel. Times have changed for MSU athletics, as they now wear the Nike swoosh on their uniforms.
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How sweet it is: MSU keeps dancing and advances to the Sweet 16
On to Syracuse. It wasn't sexy.