Community Picks: Purdue 0% vs Michigan State 0%

Big Ten player of the year Denzel Valentine scored 19 points and Eron Harris added 13 to help No. 2 Michigan State blow out Ohio State 81-54 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night. The Spartans (27-5) have won 11 of 12 and will face either Nebraska or No. 18 Maryland in Saturday's semifinal. JaQuan Lyle had 10 points to lead the Buckeyes (20-13), who have lost three of five and must wait until Sunday to see if they'll get in the NCAA Tournament. Continue to Article

March 11, 2016 8:55:pm EST

The three previous Michigan State teams to enter the Big Ten tournament as the No. 2 seed reached the Final Four, something the Spartans have done seven times since 1999. Coach Tom Izzo has only one national championship to show for it, though, and after the second-ranked Spartans finished routing Ohio State for the second time this season Saturday, senior Denzel Valentine proclaimed he had no plans to leave the program without giving Izzo a second title. The Spartans' postseason journey begins in Friday night's quarterfinals as they look to win a fifth straight meeting with the Buckeyes. Continue to Article

March 10, 2016 10:52:pm EST

Just a couple years ago, putting Valentine in the same sentence with those former Michigan State greats would not have made sense. Valentine plans to follow the Michigan State tradition of kissing the green Spartan head in the middle of the Breslin Center floor Saturday when he plays his last home game for the second-ranked Spartans against Ohio State. "We still have a national championship to win," Valentine said. Continue to Article

March 04, 2016 8:26:pm EST

When his team last took on Rutgers, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo complained about uncharacteristic defensive deficiencies overcome by an outstanding shooting effort. With two games left in the regular season, the second-ranked Spartans will try to win their fifth in a row and deal Rutgers a 32nd straight league defeat Wednesday night at the RAC. Although his team shot 17 for 32 from 3-point range and outrebounded Rutgers 56-27, Izzo wasn't pleased with its defense in a 96-62 home win Jan. 31 even though it held the Scarlet Knights to 36.9 percent shooting. Continue to Article

March 01, 2016 11:47:pm EST

With March Madness right around the corner, The Dagger is picking an all-time starting five from some of college basketball's most tradition-rich programs. Our picks were based on a variety of factors, including stats, tourney success, All-America selections, and of course, our opinions. Next up: Michigan State Spartans. Who was considered from Michigan State: 1. Magic Johnson G, 1977-79 (17.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 7.9 apg) 2. Mateen Cleaves G, 1996-2000 (12.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 6.6 apg) 3. Scott Skiles G, 1982-86 (18.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.5 apg) 4. Steve Smith G, 1987-91 (18.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.7 apg) 5. Greg Kelser F, 1975-79 (17.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg) 6. Shawn Respert G, 1990-95 (21.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.5 apg) 7. Johnny Green C, 1956-59 (16.9 ppg, 16.4 rpg) 8. Mike Robinson G, 1971-74 (24.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg) 9. Mo Peterson F, 1995-2000 (11.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg) 10. Draymond Green F, 2008-12 (10.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg) Continue to Article

February 26, 2016 9:04:pm EST