Welcome Back to Spartans Daily!
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Tue, 08/25/2009 - 16:34Welcome back! As the fall quickly approaches, Spartans Daily returns to keep you posted on all things MSU. Let’s kick off the season with some quick hits on what’s been happening.
Many Shining Moments…
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 22:36
Preface: Before posting this article, I must first preface with the fact that I had to wait until now (2:00 P.M. EST) to write my recap of the National Championship Game. I wanted my writing to be fully filtered from the lingering emotions of last night. With that said, I still failed to do so.
Well over 72,000 college basketball fans packed themselves into the narrow concourse hallways of Ford Field last night. The rich, the poor, the young, the old, the famous, and the average, all found a way to get what was probably the hottest sports ticket in Detroit since the World Series, and maybe even a bit hotter.
Spartans Carry Heavy Load into Final
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Mon, 04/06/2009 - 16:46
The hopes and dreams of 16 young men have now been compounded by the hopes and dreams thousands of Michigan State University fans. This team now carries the weight of a depleted city and a downtrodden state on its back. OK, it doesn’t really carry that load, but in a way it does.
This year has been hard for America, and it has been nearly detrimental to the State of Michigan. Political scandals made the headlines in Detroit, unemployment is at an all-time high, and attending a Detroit city council meeting is like attending a Barnum and Bailey’s circus act. My point: this town, this state, this community, needs the Spartans to win tonight.
Speedy Spartans Cruise Past UConn in the Motor City
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Sun, 04/05/2009 - 11:36
If you didn’t know it before, the Michigan State Spartans are for real. The Spartans brought their lock-down defense and high-powered offense (when it’s needed) to Ford Field on Saturday night, and defeated yet another #1 seed en route to knocking off the Huskies 82-73.
In the Midst of the Madness
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Fri, 04/03/2009 - 18:59
Another winter has basically come and gone-well, except for the expected snowfall on Monday- and here we are in a wonderfully familiar spot: the Final Four. Except this time the Spartans will play in front of what will hopefully be a mostly Spartan friendly crowd. And as I sit here on the eve of one of the biggest sporting events in the country, I can’t help but to revel in this year’s success and appreciate just how much these Spartans earned this spot-no matter what tomorrow’s outcome.
When we look at the adversity that this team faced: an injury plagued Suton; an unhealthy Morgan; a blue chip freshman that needed severe knee surgery, and another near brutal non-conference schedule, we can see just how hard coach Izzo and his team worked this year.
Under Appreciated Spartans Head to Ford Field
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 07:47
“Ford Field.” Those were the two words that Tom Izzo wrote on the white board at practice at the beginning of the season. The words were small, but the meaning was immense: play hard all season, and we can make a Final Four appearance in our own backyard. Today, the Spartans accomplished that goal.
As I was driving back from Indy (with an enormous smile on my face) I couldn’t help but think about all of the Talking Heads around the nation that didn’t give MSU a fighting chance to win this game. “They’re not as talented.” “They can’t keep up.” “They won’t be able to control the ball with Louisville’s pressure defense.” These were all statements that I heard from some of the most renowned “analysts” yesterday and this morning.
Lucas, Morgan Need to Play Big
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Thu, 03/26/2009 - 11:08Sure, Kalin Lucas was the Big Ten Player of the Year. Yes, he averages 14.6 points per game and 4.5 assists per game. There’s no doubt: Kalin Lucas is a budding star in college basketball. However, he will need to play even bigger on Friday night if the Spartans look to defeat an improved Jayhawks squad and head into the Elite Eight.
Walton Carries Spartans into Sweet Sixteen
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Sun, 03/22/2009 - 21:44
It was a tight game as many expected, but the #2 seeded Michigan State Spartans were able to pull off a tough victory in Minneapolis Sunday afternoon, which propelled them to their eighth Sweet Sixteen appearance in the last twelve years.
The story of the night, however, was the leadership shown by senior guard Travis Walton. Walton, the only four year Spartan that has never reached a Final Four under Tom Izzo, picked up the Spartans at various times throughout the game with big buckets, all adding up to a career high 18 points. His intensity on the floor was only matched by his shot making ability on an afternoon in which starting forward Raymar Morgan was only able to muster 3 points.
The Spartans also received big games from a multitude of players: Goran Suton picked up four fouls which limited his playing time; however, he played shut down defense while on the court and still managed 7 points and 10 boards.
Spartans Road to Detroit Starts with Robert Morris
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 17:10At this point, we all know who the Spartans are tipping off against in the NCAA tournament. However, the casual fan may be sitting at home wondering, who the hell is RobertMorrisUniversity? So I thought we’d take a look at just who the Spartans will be playing in the first round.
Big Ten Tourney Preview
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Mon, 03/09/2009 - 17:20
With the Big Ten regular season at a close, many mid-westerners will find themselves flocking to Indianapolis this weekend for the Big Ten Tournament. Before play begins, I thought we’d take a look at Thursday’s matchups:
Game One:
Time: Noon Location: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Participants: #8 Minnesota v. #9 Northwestern.
