Re: tOfficial '23-'24 Michigan State Hoops Thread

[NigelUno]

[tw]1743357918408253553?s=46&t=o_-92Ldle66XHQBlJVUMFQ[/tw]

How to share minutes is a good problem to have.

[Turtleneck]

No GreenWay jokes please. Please respect my buddy.

Couch: How much older is Big Ten basketball? A lot. And Michigan State leads the way

Four of MSU's starters will be well past their 23rd birthday by this season's NCAA tournament. The only one who won't is Jaden Akins, who will have just turned 21. Hall and Tyson Walker are both fifth-year guys. A.J. Hoggard and Mady Sissoko are regular fourth-year seniors, part of the last class with another year of eligibility left.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/columnists/graham-couch/2024/01/06/msu-basketball-is-at-the-top-of-a-big-ten-full-of-old-teams/72115809007/

[Turtleneck]

Tonight feels like a must win.

Michigan State hopes defense travels as it heads to Illinois

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/michigan-state-hopes-defense-travels-as-it-heads-to-illinois/ar-AA1mNXNX

[Turtleneck]

Not the kind of roster I thought would break the streak. It looked like they found their way, but I guess not. I'm worried, Bob. Last night was a one possession loss to a top 10 team on the road, so maybe I'm just overeating. Yet it's the worst start in conference play in Izzo's career.

Looking at the rest of the schedule, they absolutely have to take care of business at home, which I think they can do. Still though, I think 10 losses minimum. That would put them in the Tournament, but 12-13 would cutting it close. I feel like I'm being generous below.

Home

Rutgers W
Minnesota W
UM W
Maryland W
Illinois ?
Iowa W
Ohio State W
Northwestern ?

Away

Maryland ?
Wisconsin L
Minnesota ?
Penn State W
Michigan W
Purdue L
Indiana ?

Michigan State basketball frozen out on final 3-point attempts in 71-68 loss to Illinois
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2024/01/11/michigan-state-basketball-gmae-score-recap-illinois-aj-hoggard/72196501007/

[Turtleneck]

Sorry, Nigel. I didn't look at last night's game thread before posting.

[Turtleneck]

But the women's team is playing pretty well.

Julia Ayrault playing free and delivering big results for MSU women's basketball
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/college/msu/womens-basketball/2024/01/12/michigan-state-womens-basketball-julia-ayrault-career-season/72183993007/

[Turtleneck]

Women at #17 OSU at 4pm. This is a big test and would be a great win for Fralick, maybe even break into the top 25.

https://www.landgrantholyland.com/2024/1/14/24037466/game-preview-ohio-state-womens-basketball-michigan-state-spartans-hoops-analysis-big-ten

[Turtleneck]

Michigan State playing with its ‘backs against the wall’ after slow start to season

https://www.mlive.com/spartans/2024/01/michigan-state-playing-with-its-backs-against-the-wall-after-slow-start-to-season.html

[Pervis Muldoon]

Michigan State playing with its ‘backs against the wall’ after slow start to season

https://www.mlive.com/spartans/2024/01/michigan-state-playing-with-its-backs-against-the-wall-after-slow-start-to-season.html

I love hearing Izzo talk about the white elephant in the room. I'm hoping one day he says one of his bigs was rebounding like a red bull in a china shop.

[Floyd Robertson]

Michigan State playing with its ‘backs against the wall’ after slow start to season

https://www.mlive.com/spartans/2024/01/michigan-state-playing-with-its-backs-against-the-wall-after-slow-start-to-season.html

I love hearing Izzo talk about the white elephant in the room. I'm hoping one day he says one of his bigs was rebounding like a red bull in a china shop.

Hopefully he never recruits a yellow snake in the grass PG.

[Turtleneck]

Michigan State's Tom Izzo isn't retiring but will go out like Nick Saban — not Mike Krzyzewski | Report

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/2024/01/16/if-tom-izzo-retires-michigan-state-coach-will-go-out-like-nick-saban/72244605007/

It is interesting that Saban retired without any "I'm the main character" energy.

[Turtleneck]

I guess they are all must win here on out.

Dawson Garcia leads Minnesota against Michigan State

https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/dawson-garcia-leads-minnesota-against-michigan-state/

[Trapper Gus]

https://www.mlive.com/spartans/2024/01/michigan-state-guard-atop-an-ncaa-leaderboard-entering-matchup-vs-hometown-team.html

EAST LANSING – Tre Holloman became one of Michigan State’s most reliable players this season by not being flashy and instead always making the smart and simple play.

For the season, Holloman has recorded 57 assists against 10 turnovers. That 5.7 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best in college basketball by a significant margin. The next-best player, Utah State’s Darius Brown II, is at 4.8.

[Turtleneck]

https://www.mlive.com/spartans/2024/01/michigan-state-guard-atop-an-ncaa-leaderboard-entering-matchup-vs-hometown-team.html

EAST LANSING – Tre Holloman became one of Michigan State’s most reliable players this season by not being flashy and instead always making the smart and simple play.

For the season, Holloman has recorded 57 assists against 10 turnovers. That 5.7 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best in college basketball by a significant margin. The next-best player, Utah State’s Darius Brown II, is at 4.8.

Holloman's development has been great. One of this season's brightspots.

[Turtleneck]

Good stuff on the women's team. They are playing well. They had a narrow road loss to a ranked OSU last weekend, but I expect them to get back on track tonight.

Couch: Michigan State's women's basketball team is playing with a style and joy that's worth seeing

Their NET ranking, which influences NCAA tournament seeding, speaks of a team that should be in the postseason. They entered Tuesday night ranked 17th nationally in the NET, with an offensive rating among the top 10 teams in the country. They’re averaging 88.4 points per game, second in the Big Ten only to Iowa. Some of that was beating up on lesser competition. In the Big Ten thus far — playing mostly the top of the league — they’ve been averaging about 11 points less.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnists/graham-couch/2024/01/16/michigan-state-basketball-spartan-women-playing-with-a-style-joy-worth-seeing/72231204007/

[Floyd Robertson]

91-72 final for the women's team over Northwestern.

[Floyd Robertson]

91-72 final for the women's team over Northwestern.

Six Spartans in double figures last night. Fun for everyone.

[Trapper Gus]

EAST LANSING – Tyson Walker is on pace to record the highest-scoring season in Tom Izzo’s quarter-century as Michigan State’s head coach, averaging just shy of 20 points per game. He’s playing a team-high 31.2 minutes per game and has taken nearly 100 more shots than any other player on the team.

So what does the Spartans head coach still want from his senior guard?


More, of course.

“He’s good, I need him to be great,” Izzo said of Walker on Tuesday.

https://www.mlive.com/spartans/2024/01/michigan-state-looks-for-even-more-from-tyson-walker-as-minnesota-visits.html

[Turtleneck]

Tyson Walker, Tre Holloman and Michigan State basketball's guards key to Spartans' success

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2024/01/18/michigan-state-basketball-tyson-walker-tre-holloman-tom-izzo-minnesota-preview/72261902007/

[Trapper Gus]

Izzo, for his part, was more worried about the quiet 36 minutes Walker had before that late-game burst, both on offense and on defense – a stretch he likely won’t be able to get away with in other games this season.

“He was just existing out there,” Izzo said. “What I said a few weeks ago that he has a whole another notch defensively, you saw it in the last seven minutes. Why? I don’t know.”

https://www.mlive.com/spartans/2024/01/tom-izzo-disappointed-as-michigan-state-grinds-out-win-against-minnesota.html

[AvgMSUJoe]

Izzo, for his part, was more worried about the quiet 36 minutes Walker had before that late-game burst, both on offense and on defense – a stretch he likely won’t be able to get away with in other games this season.

“He was just existing out there,” Izzo said. “What I said a few weeks ago that he has a whole another notch defensively, you saw it in the last seven minutes. Why? I don’t know.”

https://www.mlive.com/spartans/2024/01/tom-izzo-disappointed-as-michigan-state-grinds-out-win-against-minnesota.html

Feels like this entire team has this. They NEED to realize, no more bad losses... no need to be a bubble team and they don't have the overwhelming talent to just will their way to the tournament.

[Turtleneck]

3:25. Fralick can also coach CBs if needed.


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[Turtleneck]

[tw]1748408233247584520?s=20[/tw]

Can this be translated into more wins please?

[Nordic]

I had a dream last night that we won the natty. Jogged with Izzo on campus after.

[DWags]

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[NigelUno]

[tw]1748408233247584520?s=20[/tw]

Can this be translated into more wins please?

Yes.

I think that stat correlates with Natty winners also. Like...you have to be Top 25 in both. Something like that.

[NigelUno]

Girls getting punked in Minnesota.

56-38 at end of 3.

[Nordic]

[tw]1748720045906157659?s=46&t=o_-92Ldle66XHQBlJVUMFQ[/tw]

I go to one game a year. When we started pulling away I had a gut feeling we were going to witness history.

You couldn't script it any better. Been three years in the waiting, he fucking did a freaky crossover, he was coming right at us in section 133, it looked good, the crowd started to go nuts, then it looked like it was going to bounce out, the crowd started to pucker, and then it was good! The Brez went nuts. The players dog pilled him.

I was blind snapping photos while watching.

[Nordic]

Full sequence. That was a helluva crossover!

[Wally Fairway]

Just sayin' - Steven is a better college player than Lebron or Kobe, I'm not the only one who noticed
[tw]1746618067046527487[/tw]

[DWags]

[tw]1749456475288973794?s=46&t=o_-92Ldle66XHQBlJVUMFQ[/tw]

[DWags]

Solari, Michigan State starting to develop an identity

Something is beginning to form, an identity Tom Izzo sees cutting through some of the inconsistency Michigan State basketball continues to push through.

A team showing toughness and tenacity through the turbulence.

Tyson Walker’s step-back 3-pointer gave the Spartans a four-point lead with less than a minute to play Sunday. Maryland’s Jahmir Young, with his toe on the arc, answered with his own step-back shot at the other end, just over Tre Holloman’s outstretched arm — so close to a block that Young’s follow-through gave his defender a high-five.

During the ensuing stoppage with 36.3 seconds left, as referees examined the replay to determine how much Young’s shot was worth, A.J. Hoggard looked at Holloman as they huddled. The senior saw frustration in Holloman’s eyes as they huddled after the sophomore gave up a long jumper.

“It kind of drained him a little bit,” Hoggard said of his sophomore backcourt mate. “And I just told him, ‘Bro, he took a tough shot. Don't put your head down.’ I think that was in the back of his mind.”

An opportunity for atonement awaited.

Walker’s jumper hit back-iron with 8 seconds left. Young grabbed the rebound. Holloman slowed him up just past midcourt. The Terrapins' fifth-year senior dribbled to the same spot he’d just scored from.

Hoggard said he knew if Holloman got another chance, he’d be thinking, “I'm not letting him tie it up or win the game on me right here.' ”

He was right.

Holloman made sure Young didn’t get a second chance to score. As Young started a crossover dribble, Holloman poked the ball away. Malik Hall dove on it in front of the Maryland bench.

Buzzer.

Game.

A first true road win of the season for MSU, 61-59.

https://www.freep.com/sports/spartans/

[Turtleneck]

MSU women's basketball dominates Purdue 97-70 at home

https://statenews.com/article/2024/01/msu-womens-basketball-dominates-purdue-97-70-at-home

Michigan State basketball mailbag: the Spartans’ ceiling, scholarship situation

https://www.mlive.com/spartans/2024/01/michigan-state-basketball-mailbag-the-spartans-ceiling-scholarship-situation.html

[DWags]

Turn on the LSU South Carolina game. These women are bringing the smoke.

67-65 LSU 4:39 left.

[DWags]

Angel Reese just fouled out. Tied 67-67

[DWags]

70-70 1:30 left. That Van Lith transfer from UL just tied it on a big 3.

[DWags]

76-70. SC. Man these women can play. That was fun. Full house.

[NigelUno]

76-70. SC. Man these women can play. That was fun. Full house.

Good game. I like the contrast between the coaches.

[NigelUno]

Last game vs. Wisconsin:

Hall 2 points
Akins 2 points
Mady 2 points
Cooper 3 points

That's not gonna work tonight.

[NigelUno]

MSU is 4-1 in the last 5 games in Madison.

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