Michigan State Basketball Gameday: Spartans face Long Beach State in final game before Christmas by @NINH VUONG TV - Post Details
Michigan State Basketball Gameday: Spartans face Long Beach State in final game before Christmas
GAME INFORMATION Who: No.2 Michigan State (11-1) vs.Long Beach State (5-8) When: 7 p.m. Where: Breslin Center, East Lansing TV: BTN Plus (online-only) Radio: Spartan Sports Network, WJIM-AM (1240)/WMMQ-FM (94.9) in Lansing, WJR-AM (760) in Detroit, SiriusXM Ch.83 Line: Michigan State -29 1/2 Twitter: Follow Kyle Austin * Michigan State's matchup against Long Beach State marks the second game in a five-game homestand and the final game before an eight-game Christmas Break. * LBSU head coach Dan Monson's father, Don, was a member of Jud Heathcote's first coaching staff at Michigan State in 1976, and stayed at the school two seasons.Tom Izzo said on his radio show this week that LBSU planned to wear a patch honoring Heathcote during the game.* Long Beach State is 5-8 on the year with wins over Oregon State and Stanford.The 49ers have two mutual opponents with the Spartans: they lost to Nebraska, 85-80, and Southern Utah, 94-89.* Senior forward Gabe Levin leads Long Beach State with 15.1points and 7.7rebounds per game.Junior guard Bryan Alberts also averages double figures scoring at 14 points per game.* Michigan State's 10-game win streak is the school's longest since it began the 2015-16 by winning 13 consecutive games.Miles Bridges looks back to dominant form in 33-point performance vs.Houston Baptist After 45-point win, Tom Izzo says MSU showed 'we're not the second-best team in the country'.
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Villanova basketball keeps its cool in beating Alabama in NCAA tournament
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Montana Grizzlies outscored by Michigan at NCAA Tournament - KTVQ.com
Montana did so many things well in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday night.But the one thing they didn’t do was too much to overcome.The 14-seed Grizzlies had two long scoring droughts, and shot only 32 percent from the field in a 61-47 loss to 3-seed Michigan.Montana only trailed 31-28 at halftime.But saw Michigan extend the lead slowly in the second half.Jamar Akoh scored a bucket early in the half.The Griz didn’t get another basket until Ahmaad Rorie hit a three-pointer with 9:30 left, a span of nine minutes and 56 seconds.The Wolverines lead hit its highest point at 14 during that stretch.Immediately after Rorie’s three, Michael Oguine threw down a highlight-worthy one-handed dunk.A bucket by Fabijan Krslovic with 5:41 left cut the lead to nine.But Montana’s offense could never make a run, and they never climbed any closer.“It’s Michael and my job to put the ball in the basket when we need some buckets, but the lid wasn’t coming off,” said Rorie, who tied for the team high with 15 points.“It’s tough when that doesn’t happen.And Michigan does pack the lane in so it makes it hard for you to get in there.” “At the end of the day it’s tough to win a game against a team like Michigan if you shoot 32 percent from the field, “added Oguine who also scored 15 points.“So we still have to be better.But at the end of the day, I’m still proud of the way we fought, regardless of the outcome.” Montana had plenty of reasons to hold their heads high despite the off shooting night.The Griz played their usual in-your-face man-to-man defense, and had the usually efficient Wolverines rattled.Michigan committed 14 turnovers, and only dished out 11 assists, uncharacteristic numbers for a team that ranks second in the country in turnovers per game.Montana also only lost the rebounding battle 36-33 against the much bigger Wolverines.And points in the paint were tied 26-26.Montana got off to a fantastic start, unlike their three Big Sky tournament wins where the Griz fell behind early.Oguine scored the first five points of the game.And the Griz took a 10-0 lead at the first timeout after four minutes.Montana’s offense slowed down after that point, but their defense never did.“It was a defensive struggle, and their defense was a little better than ours tonight,” said Griz head coach Travis DeCuire.“But all respect to that team.It’s a very well-coached team, and like I said yesterday, probably one of the better coached teams in the country.They don’t beat themselves.They defend and they don’t take bad shots.So that’s going to be a very difficult team to beat.” Montana’s first scoring drought lasted over four and a half minutes in the middle stages of the first half.And a couple minutes later, Michigan took their first lead with 3:59 left in the half.The Big Ten tournament champs would lead for the rest of the game.Charles Matthews provided a much needed huge boost for the Wolverines.The team’s second-leading scorer totaled 20 points, many on open cuts to
Michigan overcomes slow start to beat Montana in NCAA Tournament opener
WICHITA, Kan.-- Michigan's NCAA Tournament opener involved a lot of waiting.The Wolverines waited a week to learn their opponent and four additional days to take the court, then drew the late tip in Wichita.And to fully test Michigan's patience, Thursday's game with Montana was halted for 10 minutes due to a clock malfunction.All the waiting was worth it.Michigan beat Montana 61-47 to advance to the Tournament's second round, where it will face 6 seed Houston Saturday night.Tip time for that game is not yet known.The No.3 seed in the West Region and a trendy pick to reach the Final Four, Michigan stumbled out of the gate against the 14 seed from the Big Sky Conference.Michigan spotted Montana one point for each day the Wolverines had gone since last playing, and trailed 10-0 at the 15:59 mark.By then, Michigan's starting backcourt was on the bench in foul trouble and its offense looked flustered by Montana's aggressive trapping.But as has been the case so often this season, Michigan's bench provided an early boost, and Montana had no answer for Charles Matthews, who finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, both team highs.Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (11 points) was the only other Wolverine in double figures.Michigan (29-7) once again relied on its stingy defense, limiting the Grizzlies to 32 percent shooting, including just 3-of-15 (20 percent) from 3.Montana's aggressive backcourt of Michael Oguine and Ahmaad Rorie combined for 30 points, but the rest of the Grizzlies were contained.It will take another strong defensive effort to contain Houston's Rob Gray, who poured in 39 points, including the final two, in a 67-65 win over San Diego State earlier Thursday night.It wouldn't hurt Michigan to get off to a better start either.After going 10 days without playing following its March 4 Big Ten Tournament championship win, U-M was out of sorts early.Moritz Wagner fell and traveled trying to retrieve the opening tip, and it only got worse.Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman picked up a foul 11 seconds in and went to the bench.Zavier Simpson was whistled on the next defensive possession and picked up his second at the 15:59 mark, when a Montana basket and free throw made it 10-0 Grizzlies.Matthews finally got Michigan on the board with a strong drive at the 15:43 mark and Michigan found a groove.Jaaron Simmons' drive cut the deficit to 12-8.Michigan made it 17-15 after another Simmons basket and a Jon Teske free throw.Eli Brooks' baseline floater tied the game at 19 with 5:30 left.None of those three Wolverines started the game.Michigan took its first lead, 22-19, on deep Abdur-Rahkman 3 with 3:59 left in the half.The Wolverines exploited Montana's traps by having Wagner at the foul line, feeding Matthews cutting along the baseline.Matthews scored 12 first-half points.Michigan went up 31-25 with just under a minute left but Ahmaad Rorie's 3 made it 31-28 at half.Michigan went up 38-30 on Simpson's 3 with 17:25 left, but a clock malfunction shortly after stopped
Western Michigan-Central Michigan men's basketball game moving to Northwood
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Michigan State not thrilled with play vs. Wisconsin but hopes another close win pays off later
Tom Izzo watched on Wednesday as Villanova escaped with a one-point overtime win on the road at Seton Hall.As he listened to Wildcats coach Jay Wright being interviewed afterward, one comment stuck out.Winning close games this time of year is better than winning in blowouts, since close games are better preparation for the NCAA Tournament, Wright said.Izzo disagreed, enough that he called Wright the next day."I told him he was freaking crazy," Izzo said.But as he thought about it, Izzo said he came to see Wright's point.Wins in the NCAA Tournament rarely come easy, and winning close games gets easier with practice.If that philosophy holds true, then Michigan State is certainly getting plenty of practice of its own in winning close games.The Spartans' 63-60 win over Wisconsin on Friday in the Big Ten tournament was the Spartans' 13th straight win.Of the last eight games in that streak, six have been won by five points or fewer.In games decided by six points or fewer or in overtime this season, Michigan State is 8-0.On Feb.3, Matt McQuaid hit a 3 with 1:08 left to seal a three-point win over Indiana.Three days later, Michigan State came back from eight points on the road to beat Iowa by three.It beat Purdue on a 3-pointer from Miles Bridges on Feb.10.A week later the Spartans came back from 27 points down in the first half to beat Northwestern by five.And on Sunday at Wisconsin, Michigan State went on a late 11-2 run to beat the Badgers by five.At Madison Square Garden on Friday, it was McQuaid again who hit the biggest shot, a 3-pointer with 1:29 left to put Michigan State up by five after a back-and-forth second half."That's why we call him Big Shot Quaido," Bridges said.Those high number of close games hasn't exactly made Michigan State comfortable in the final minutes of a close game, point guard Cassius Winston said.But it has made them calmer and has produced more good plays than bad."I wouldn't say a comfort, but I think we're doing a lot better in those situations," Winston said."We're not panicking, we know the plays we have to make to win those type of games." Izzo said afterward that he was disappointed in his team's play and thought it looked out of sync.But he didn't seem to mind that his team played well once again in the final two minutes to close out a game.He also seemingly referenced the 2016 season, when the Spartans closed the regular season with six double-digit wins and then were upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Middle Tennessee State.Deep down, Izzo may want to see his team winning more comfortably.But if wins like Friday's help him avoid a NCAA Tournament upset, then there's a silver lining."Winning a close game, you know, if we march on any in this tournament or in the next tournament, there's probably going to be a lot of close games," Izzo said."A couple of years ago we won by 15 in a lot of these games and we weren't ready for a close game.
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James averages triple-double for month of February
LeBron James grabs an easy rebound to clinch a triple-double before throwing the ball out of the reach of Larry Nance Jr.for a turnover.(0:19) CLEVELAND -- On the same night LeBron James finished out February by averaging a triple-double for the first time in a calendar month in his fabled 15-year career, James also became the first player in NBA history to tally more than 30,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 8,000 assists."With the long list of so many great players that have come through this league, in the history of this league, for me to be the only [person] in a category, I think it's pretty cool," James said after the Cavaliers' 129-123 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday."It's pretty cool.I take pride in my game.I've always taken pride in being a triple threat since I started playing basketball, and I never wanted to be labeled as a scorer."I always wanted to be labeled as just an all-around basketball player; and I get more gratification out of the assists more than anything, because to get my guys great looks or they're knocking down shots, that means a lot to me." James reflected further on the accomplishment after the game, telling ESPN, "I need my own category," now that he set himself apart with that statistical achievement.He also posted about the feat on Instagram."It's unbelievable," said Cavs forward Larry Nance Jr."It'll never .if that ever gets done again, I'll be shocked.We're in the presence of something special right now and it's an incredible accomplishment, so congrats to him, obviously." Point guard Jordan Clarkson, a recent addition to the Cavs (along with Nance) who hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:04 remaining in Tuesday's contest, was asked what he has learned about James in six games with him as a teammate.LeBron James says the NCAA is "corrupt" and the NBA should shore up its farm system to accommodate kids who want to play but don't think school is the right choice.LeBron James says he's flattered by three billboards in Ohio that are asking him to join the 76ers when he becomes a free agent."That he cool," Clarkson said."He cool.Talking to everybody and he's open.That's definitely cool to have in a superstar player and leader of the team." James had 31 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists against the Nets to give him his 12th triple-double of the season (one off his career high for a campaign, set last season) and the 67th of his career.In 10 games in February, James averaged 27 points on 54.6percent shooting, 10.5rebounds and 10.5assists."I'm just playing some good ball, and the most consistent thing for me right now is I'm available out there on the floor for my teammates," said James, who has played in all 60 of the Cavs' games this season
Isaiah Thomas of Los Angeles Lakers says Cleveland Cavaliers panicking when they traded him
Isaiah Thomas says Cleveland was in "panic mode" when they decided to trade him to the Lakers and clear house ahead of the trade deadline.Tune in March 11th at 9 a.m.ET on ESPN for the full Isaiah Thomas profile.(0:26) Isaiah Thomas says the Cleveland Cavaliers were in "panic mode" when they traded him earlier this month.Lue: LeBron wants to lead by not sitting games LeBron James has played in all 58 of the Cavs' games this season, a feat that coach Tyronn Lue says is due to the four-time MVP's obligation to "lead by example" and help out his newly acquired teammates.Thomas was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb.8 after playing only 15 games for Cleveland."I didn't think they would pull the trigger that fast, 15 games," Thomas told ESPN's E:60 in an interview that will air March 11."But again, it's a business.And the Cavs were, I mean, they were in panic mode.We were losing -- a lot.And I think they felt like they needed to make a move, and they, they basically cleared house." Thomas, after two and a half seasons with the Boston Celtics, was traded to the Cavaliers on Aug.22.He was coming back from a hip injury he suffered in the 2017 postseason that had kept him off the court for seven months.In the 15 games he played for the Cavaliers, the team went 7-8.Thomas, who averaged nearly 29 points per game in his final season in Boston, was averaging 14.7points per game in Cleveland.The Cavs were 31-22 when they traded Thomas and forward Channing Frye to the Lakers for guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr."It was a tough situation I was being put in," Thomas said."It was -- it was different. .It's hard to get acclimated to a team halfway through the season."People don't put in there that we had eight or nine new players.So it was basically a brand new team. .I'm in a new system.New team, new coach, new players.And then I've been off for seven months.So I got to get -- individually, I got to for the most part get my rhythm back, get my timing back." Thomas said he bears no ill will toward the Cavaliers."It just didn't work out," he said."And that just happens." He remains optimistic about his future in Los Angeles."I've been in this situation before when I got traded to Boston," Thomas said, "a team right outside the playoffs, a team that was young, really didn't know how to win.And I just brought a different swagger to that organization.And we took it and ran with it." He added: "I'm coming to an L.A.team that's young, that already has a system.And I just want to help.Hopefully I'm here long term, you know, with me being a free agent this summer.But if I'm not, these last 25 games I'm going to play my heart out and show the Lakers why I should be here long term.