Tag: western michigan basketball

Western Michigan completed the most unbelievable cross-court bounce pass to top Ball State at the buzzer

You HAVE to see this buzzer-beater from Western Michigan.

The Western Michigan men’s basketball team put on an absolute clinic for how you win a road game with a bounce pass and a buzzer-beater on Saturday.

With just 1.6 seconds on the clock, the team was tied at 76 with Ball State with only an inbound pass and possible last-second shot in its back pocket.

Needing to get the ball from one side of the court to the other, Western Michigan’s Ja’Vaughn Hannah completed the most unreal cross-court bounce pass you’ve ever seen to teammate Anthony Crump, who floated the ball right into the hoop as the buzzer expired for the victory.

This is just one of those highlights you have to watch a couple of times to really soak in just how incredible it really is.

We’re really not sure how Western Michigan pulled this off, as it’s such an improbable way to win a basketball game. However, the team found a way, and the ensuing celebration was absolutely deserved for such heroics.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Michigan State basketball assistant Dwayne Stephens gets WMU job

Dwayne Stephens has accepted the head coaching position at Western Michigan

Michigan State basketball assistant coach Dwayne Stephens has reportedly been offered and has accepted the head coaching position at Western Michigan. Stephens has been a member of Tom Izzo’s coaching staff since 2003, being an integral part of the program Izzo has built.

Prior to joining Tom Izzo’s staff, Stephens spent four seasons as an assistant at Marquette and three seasons at Oakland University. Stephens was a member of the Spartans basketball program himself during the 1989-1993 seasons.

This will be Stephens’ first opportunity at a head coaching position in his coaching career.

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Michigan State basketball adds Western Michigan transfer to the roster

Tom Izzo has added a guard transfer from Western Michigan

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Michigan State’s coaching staff has made a sly move to the roster with seemingly very few people noticing. Summer workouts are in full force, as the team prepares for the 2021-22 season, and there is a new face in the group.

The Spartans have added Jason Whitens, a transfer from Western Michigan University, to the roster as a preferred walk-on.

Whitens is a native of the upper peninsula, being from  Powers, Michigan. A 6’4″ guard, Whitens will provide more depth to the wings for MSU.

Whitens has spent the last three seasons as a member of the Bronco program, playing in 67 games, as well as starting in 47 of them, averaging 4.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in his career.

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MSU Basketball vs. Western Michigan: Where to Watch, Game Preview & Prediction

Check out the game details, keys to the match-up, and my game prediction in this Michigan State-Western Michigan preview.

Michigan State basketball returns to the floor on Sunday for their third game of the week, this time against the Western Michigan Broncos. This marks the Spartans’ third match-up against an in-state opponent, with MSU picking up wins against the previous two in Eastern Michigan and Detroit Mercy.

The Spartans are a perfect 4-0 on the season, but that undefeated start to the season was in danger on Friday against Detroit Mercy. MSU needed a late rally to survive the Titans’ upset bid, winning 83-76. Spartans fans will be hoping for a less stressful match-up against Western Michigan on Sunday.

Let’s take a look at this match-up against the Broncos, with game details, things to watch, and last but not least my prediction for this game.

MSU Basketball: Tip-off times, TV details announced for first five games

Michigan State basketball has announced the tip-off times and TV details for the first five games of the regular season.

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Michigan State basketball has announced the tip-off times and TV details for the first five games of the regular season.

The Spartans finally announced the 2020-21 schedule this week, which includes seven non-conference and 20 Big Ten games. The full schedule can be seen here.

Here are the tip times and TV details for the first five games of the season:

  • Nov. 25 – Eastern Michigan (6 p.m. EST / Big Ten Network)
  • Nov. 28 – Notre Dame (6 p.m. or 8 p.m. EST / Big Ten Network)
  • Dec. 1 – Duke (7:30 p.m. EST / ESPN)
  • Dec. 4 – Detroit Mercy (5 p.m. EST / Big Ten Network)
  • Dec. 6 – Western Michigan (6 p.m. EST / Big Ten Network)

The rest of the game times and TV details will be released at a later date.

Read more on my initial thoughts on this year’s schedule here

Read more on each of the Spartans’ non-conference opponents here

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Team-by-team breakdown of MSU Basketball’s non-conference schedule

Take a closer look at each of the Spartans’ non-conference opponents for the upcoming 2020-21 season that tips off next week.

Michigan State basketball will return to the court next week, with the non-conference scheduled officially released on Wednesday.

There had been numerous reports that made it evident what the schedule looked like, but now it’s official that the Spartans will open the season on Nov. 25 against Eastern Michigan. The full seven-game non-conference schedule can be seen in the Spartans’ tweet below:

Game times and television details have yet to be released, but those should be coming out shortly as well.

With the non-conference schedule finally out there, let’s take a look at each of the Spartans’ opponents and how they stack up as we enter the 2020-21 season.

REPORT: MSU Basketball non-conference schedule finalized, including season-opener vs. EMU

We are still awaiting the official announcement, but the Michigan State basketball non-conference schedule appears to be finalized.

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We are still awaiting the official announcement, but the Michigan State basketball non-conference schedule appears to be finalized — and just in time for the season that starts next week.

Kyle Austin of MLive reported on Tuesday that the Spartans will open the season against in-state foe Eastern Michigan on Nov. 25 (the first day games can be played this season). The game will reportedly take place at the Breslin Center, but there are no additional details at this point in time.

With the season-opener officially known, we have what is believed to be the finalized non-conference schedule. Here is the non-conference slate:

  • Nov. 25 – Eastern Michigan
  • Nov. 28 – Notre Dame
  • Dec. 1 – at Duke (part of Champions Classic)
  • Dec. 4 – Detroit
  • Dec. 6 – Western Michigan
  • Dec. 9 – at Virginia (part of ACC-Big Ten Challenge)
  • Dec. 13 – Oakland

Keep in mind that this is based on reports and announcements from other schools since Michigan State has yet to officially post their schedule. The Spartans should be announcing something very soon, based on this tweet from MSU Associate Athletic Director Kevin Pauga:

The Big Ten has yet to reveal the conference slate for the 2020-21 season, but as Austin pointed out in a follow-up tweet, it appears the conference schedule won’t begin until after Dec. 13. In the past two seasons, there were a pair of conference games in the middle of December to break up the non-conference slate, but that won’t be the case this year.

Stay with Spartans Wire for more updates on the MSU Basketball schedule

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REPORT: MSU Basketball to host Western Michigan on Dec. 6

Slowly but surely we are seeing the MSU basketball schedule pieced together, with another non-conference match-up being reported on Thursday

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Slowly but surely we are seeing the Michigan State basketball schedule pieced together, with another non-conference match-up being reported on Thursday afternoon.

Adam Zagoria — a freelance sports journalist for The New York Times — has reported that Michigan State will host in-state foe Western Michigan on Dec. 6 at the Breslin Center. He also reconfirmed an earlier report that the Spartans will play Notre Dame on Nov. 28 — which is looking like the season-opener for MSU.

Michigan State topped Western Michigan last season, 95-62, in the two schools’ first match-up since 1998. MSU is 20-4 all-time against the Broncos.

It was expected that Michigan State would play some regionally close opponents to fill out the rest of the non-conference schedule, so the Broncos traveling to East Lansing makes a lot of sense. Oakland University is another in-state team that many expect to land on the Spartans’ schedule this year.

Head coach Tom Izzo virtually met with the media on Wednesday and hinted at the entire schedule being finalized in the next few days. It was also reported last week by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports that the Big Ten planned on revealing the conference schedule this week, however, there’s been no announcement yet by the league.

Here’s what we currently know about the MSU 2020-21 schedule based on reports and what Michigan State has already confirmed:

  • Nov. 28 – Notre Dame (home non-conference game)
  • Dec. 1 – at Duke (part of Champions Classic)
  • Dec. 6 – Western Michigan (home non-conference game)
  • Dec. 9 – at Virginia (part of ACC-Big Ten Challenge)

Hopefully, we’ll have the rest of the schedule by this time next week, but at the very least we have a snapshot of the non-conference slate.

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