Archive for the ‘Michigan State Spartans’ tag
Men’s Hoops: Wildcats gear up for date with No. 7 Michigan State
By Adam Fusfeld
After its victory over No. 17 Minnesota, both Tubby Smith and Bill Carmody praised Northwestern for its stifling 1-3-1 zone.
When they visit No. 7 Michigan State Wednesday night, the Wildcats (9-6, 1-4 Big Ten) just want the opportunity to get into that defensive set.
The last time the two squads met in Evanston, NU held a one-point advantage at halftime. However, the Spartans (15-2, 5-0) came out of the locker room looking to run, and beat the Cats down the court on their way to a 77-66 victory.
“They are a fast-paced team, they get the ball out and go,” sophomore guard Michael Thompson said. “We have to get back and stop the ball and make them play against our 1-3-1 zone.”
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Big Ten Insider: Michigan schools make run at Big Ten
By Matt Forman
Since its embarrassing 35-point loss at the hands of then-No. 1 North Carolina, Michigan State’s recent success can be described in one way: Dominant.
The Spartans, ranked 10th in the nation, have gone 9-0 since that loss in early December, winning games by an average margin of 17 points. The closest margin of victory during their current run was a four-point victory over then-No. 5 Texas.
“As I say all the time, you better be bringing your A, A-minus or B-plus game every night or you’re going to be walking away with a loss,” coach Tom Izzo said.
Michigan State, at 3-0, has brought their A-game consistently and is the only team with a perfect record in the conference contests.
The Spartans are off to a 13-2 start, thanks to their multi-faceted style of play. Led by Raymar Morgan (7.1 rebounds per game) and Goran Suton (6.1), Michigan State is out-rebounding opponents by a margin of 16 boards per game.
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Women’s Hoops: DeHaan too tall a task for NU
By Zach Buchanan
Standing at 6-foot-5, Northwestern sophomore center Amy Jaeschke is used to being the tallest player on the court. In Thursday night’s 64-52 loss at Michigan State (10-6, 3-2 Big Ten), Jaeschke more than met her match.
Spartans 6-foot-9 center Alyssa DeHaan dominated the Wildcats in the paint, scoring 19 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Jaeschke and her cousin, senior forward Ellen Jaeschke, found little offensive success against DeHaan, scoring only seven and six points, respectively.
DeHaan, on the other hand, had a field day against NU (5-11, 1-4). Early foul trouble by both Amy and Ellen Jaeschke, the Cats’ two tallest players, landed both players on the bench for significant periods of time.
“What killed us was having our two big kids in foul trouble,” said head coach Jack McKeown. “That gave [DeHaan] a little bit of an opportunity.”
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Women’s Hoops: NU missing leadership this season
By Danny Daly
Most teams, particularly ones as young as Northwestern’s, rely on their seniors to lead them out of tight spots.
Since veteran players have been in the program for four seasons, they know how to react in situations that freshmen might not be as familiar with. In many ways, seniors serve as assistant coaches out on the floor.
But that hierarchy is slightly inverted in the case of this Wildcats’ team due to a new coach and few seniors on the roster who are forced to deal with a losing record. The combination of these factors has made it harder for NU to finish off games, though the victory over Wisconsin suggests that the team is beginning to adjust and gives it a boost of confidence heading into Thursday’s game against Michigan State.
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