You can take the coach out of the Final Four, but you won't be able to take the Final Four out of the coach. MSU Sports Information Assistant Director Matt Larson confirmed Tuesday MSU head coach Tom Izzo will join anchors Greg Gumbel and Clark Kellogg in CBS studios for analysis of this weekend's national semifinal and championship games.
San Antonio - The motivation for the MSU men's basketball team this postseason was to make a name for itself instead of chasing the glory of seasons' past. Mission accomplished? "It was a good run, not many people gave us a chance to get this far," sophomore forward/guard Alan Anderson said.
In the second half of No. 7 seed MSU's 68-46 win over No. 2 seed Florida, sophomore forward/guard Alan Anderson dropped a pretty dime to freshman forward Erazem Lorbek for an easy deuce. As associate head coach Brian Gregory strolled by head coach Tom Izzo to call plays he asked, "Where did that come from?" Gregory was referring to Anderson's true point guard-type pass, however, he could have been talking about the entire team's performance.
MSU's recent success is no secret. It's chemistry. The Spartans seem visibly more comfortable now than they did all season.
For a young team looking to make a name for itself, a senior-led, experience-laden opponent is the last team it'd want to face.
While most people were likely observing high school basketball phenom LeBron James at the McDonald's All American High School Basketball Game on Wednesday in Cleveland, some others were staring fixedly at two MSU recruits. Guards Brandon Cotton and Shannon Brown showed off their skills at the contest. Troy Jackson, Brown's coach at Proviso East High in Illinois, said Brown was impressive. "Shannon played real well, like I expected him to," Jackson said.
A month ago, the Spartans were 14-11 and the NCAA Tournament was seemingly wishful thinking.Since, the Spartans (21-12) have won seven out of eight games propelling them into the Sweet 16.
Freshman forward Erazem Lorbek can now make three additions to his résumé - Buffalo tamer, Gator slayer and blissfully aloof hero of MSU's first two NCAA Tournament games. The soft-spoken Ljubljana, Slovenia, native has quietly helped MSU past No.
Tampa, Fla. - Freshman guard Anthony Roberson didn't picture it this way. The Saginaw native chose Florida over MSU, and before Sunday, it was hard for anyone to question his decision. The Gators (25-8) were ranked as high as No.
Aloysius Anagonye knows this is his last hurrah. The senior forward, better known as "Big Al," is heading into the NCAA Tournament with a dark reality - his basketball career may soon be over. "It does hit home," he said.
Who are the Colorado Buffaloes? After MSU received its No. 7 seed and was slated to face No. 10 seed Colorado, the Spartans (19-12) had little time to find the answer to that question. "This is a Big Ten-type team," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said.
This evening, the MSU men's basketball team is putting a mortgage on the program's future. After a season marred by injuries and deflated expectations, the increasingly healthy No.
Sophomore guard Chris Hill might need to devote an entire room to house the individual awards he's piled up this season. Monday, Hill and sophomore forward/guard Alan Anderson were co-recipients of the MSU men's basketball team MVP award. The award, voted on by members of the team, was presented at the Spartans' annual Basketball Bust, an awards dinner to recognize team achievement. Hill also nabbed MVP honors from MSU's media and the team's Scholar-Athlete Award. Senior forward Aloysius Anagonye won the Chairman of the Boards Award for leading the team in rebounds (166) and the Antonio Smith Glue and Guts award for toughness.
Julie Pagel knows exactly what she wants for her birthday - a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The junior forward's 21st birthday is today - two days before the March 16 committee selection date - but Pagel has already made plans to accept the belated present. "It's two days overdue, but nevertheless, it'd be a great gift," she said.
Chicago - Every year, the Big Ten Tournament not only provides excitement, but it also adds a dose of surprise. In the tournament's five-year history, only one No.
It doesn't seem that long ago nearly the entire MSU community packed into Cedar Village like sardines that magical April night the Spartans ran the gauntlet to the school's second national championship. Even with the loss of Mateen, Morris and A.J., Spartan fans had visions of - not sugarplums - back-to-back championships dancing in their heads. The following season, the team returned a solid nucleus - seniors Charlie Bell and Andre Hutson and the high-flying sophomore Jason Richardson - plus a pair of talented freshmen, making the team's attack that much more potent. In pursuit of another title, that team went 24-3 in the regular season and won the school's fourth consecutive Big Ten regular-season title. However, the Spartans encountered a slight bump in the road in their Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal tilt with Penn State, falling to the Nittany Lions, 65-63. Although surprising, the setback didn't deter the team on its way to its third consecutive Final Four.
From living in downtown Chicago to being sidelined by a stress fracture earlier this season, Rashi Johnson's road to playing Big Ten basketball has been rough.While playing street ball at the age of 12, he was shot in the leg.
Big Ten coaches and media unveiled choices for the top players in the conference Tuesday, tabbing sophomore guard Chris Hill and sophomore forward/guard Alan Anderson for Big Ten honors.Hill was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team while Anderson picked up an honorable mention from the media.
The Big Ten Tournament is six years old this season, but MSU head coach Tom Izzo isn't convinced its growing pains are done. As the men's basketball team prepares for this weekend's tournament in Chicago, Izzo said Monday the Big Ten Tournament is, at best, a mixed blessing for players and coaches as they prepare for the NCAA Tournament the following week. Izzo said the revenue and exposure the conference generates for Big Ten programs is a positive, but the "one and done" philosophy surrounding the Big Ten Tournament isn't the best representative of a season of hard work. "All you harp on all season is playing 40 minutes," Izzo said.
Columbus, Ohio - Senior forward Adam Ballinger is certainly picking a convenient time to heat up. After drudging through a season laden with shooting slumps and abandoned expectations, he has come alive for MSU the past two contests.