Tag: msu

Quotes: Tom Izzo breaks down Michigan State basketball’s loss to Purdue

Quotes: Tom Izzo breaks down Michigan State basketball’s loss to Purdue

As we all know, there are no moral victories in college basketball, a loss is a loss. But Michigan State basketball’s loss to Purdue on Saturday at least felt a little better than their last two losses Ohio State and Iowa.

It wasn’t because Purdue was favored to win anyway, it was more-so because MSU competed in this one and played hard basketball even when they went down double digits, and that was encouraging to see.

In his post game press conference, Tom Izzo said he was proud of the way his team competed, something he didn’t say in the last two losses. You can see some key quotes from that press conference below.

Michigan State women’s basketball beats Illinois on senior night

Michigan State women’s basketball beats Illinois on senior night

It was another storybook night for the Michigan State women’s basketball team, as they celebrated their seniors in perfect fashion on Thursday night, beating Illinois 87 to 70 at home in the Breslin Center.

On a night where Tory Ozment and Moira Joiner said goodbye to the Breslin Center, they scored 15 and 16 points, respectively. Theryn Hallock added 16 as well, and Julia Ayrault added 14.

Michigan State improves to 21-7 and 11-6 in the Big Ten under new head coach Robyn Fralick as they continue their march towards the NCAA tournament.

WATCH: Xavier Booker on being taken out at end of Michigan State basketball’s loss to Ohio State

Xavier Booker answered a question about being being taken out during MSU’s loss to Ohio State

One of the most divisive decisions by the coaching staff in Michigan State basketball’s loss to Ohio State on Sunday was the call in the second half to play Mady Sissoko over Xavier Booker, who had originally started the game.

Booker, who led the team in box score plus-minus, didn’t play the last 15 minutes of the game, and it stuck out as the team had a very hard time scoring after that.

After the game, Tom Izzo gave his thoughts on the decision and why it was made, and Booker himself also commented on it, which you can see below:

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Michigan State basketball fans, media react to loss to Ohio State

Michigan State fans are frustrated following a second straight home loss

It was a frustrating day for Michigan State basketball fans, as they watched their Spartans drop their second straight game at home. MSU was favored in both games.

There was plenty for MSU fans to be upset about. The offense looked completely stagnant in the second half, with the plays not even being setup to be ran until 10 seconds were left on the clock, Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins couldn’t hit a shot, and Xavier Booker inexplicably got benched for Mady Sissoko to close the game despite starting and leading the team in plus-minus on the night.

After the game, MSU fans stormed social media to vent their frustrations about the loss, and you can see some of the more colorful reactions from fans and media members below.

Michigan State women’s basketball blows out Rutgers at home for twentieth win of the season

Michigan State women’s basketball blows out Rutgers at home for twentieth win of the season

Michigan State women’s basketball is ending a strong season on a great note. On Saturday, the Spartans took down Rutgers by a wide margin to earn their twentieth win on the season and extend their winning streak to three.

MSU was led in scoring by Moira Joiner, who scored 22, including six three-pointers. For the second time this season, Abbey Kimball had a big scoring day against Rutgers. She dropped 17 on the day. Julia Ayrault added 17 as well and star point guard DeeDee Hagemann added seven assists and two steals. Jocelyn Tate stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals.

MSU has two more regular season games, with their next one coming up against Illinois on Thursday night.

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Couch: Michigan State basketball freshman Xavier Booker ‘in a really good place’

Couch: Michigan State basketball freshman Xavier Booker ‘in a really good place’

One of the most divisive topics surrounding Michigan State basketball this season has been the play, or lack thereof, of freshman phenom Xavier Booker.

Booker, who was a 5-star recruit coming into the season, has averaged just 8 minutes per game this season, and some fans are getting nervous that this might be giving him cold feet about staying in East Lansing for the long-term. Other fans are frustrated because MSU has had some struggles with their big men this season, and Booker seems like an obvious solution to some.

The one person who hasn’t weighed into this topic too much this season is Xavier Booker, and what little he has said has been very positive about his development, usage, and the coaching staff. That trend seems to be continuing, as Booker spoke to the media on Friday and Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch reported on social media that Booker is ‘in a really good place’ and that Booker and Izzo are ‘in alignment’ on his progress and development.

Here is the full post from Couch, and we will link to his full story on Booker once it drops for the Lansing State Journal:

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LOOK: Jaren Jackson Jr. calls for Michigan State basketball to build Cassius Winston statue

LOOK: Jaren Jackson Jr. calls for Michigan State basketball to build Cassius Winston statue

You could make a strong case that Jaren Jackson Jr. is the best Michigan State basketball player currently playing pro basketball right now, but on Friday, he called for the Spartans to build a statue for another MSU legend.

The College Basketball Report social media account posted highlights from Cassius Winston’s senior season Friday morning, to which JJJ simply said: ‘Statue asap.’

Fans, would you like to see MSU build a Cassius Winston statue? I’d say yes, if it came with plans to build a Mateen Cleaves one as well. It’s only fair.

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NFL Network draft analyst has one Michigan State football player with a ‘draftable grade’

NFL Network draft analyst has one Michigan State football player with a ‘draftable grade’

Michigan State football has had a long history of putting talent into the NFL draft, and while that has dipped slightly the last few years, specifically with the Spartans’ NFL draft streak ending, it looks like MSU will have another player drafted this year.

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said that the Spartans’ lone NFL combine invitee, center Nick Samac, has a ‘late draftable grade’ from him.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.