MSU hockey recruit Brooks Cullen is playing with Moorhead HS in the semi finals of the Minnesota State Hockey tournament. Brooks is a part of a very talented hockey playing family, with his younger brother Max being highly sought after, and on this Moorhead roster as well.

Spartans Illustrated can confirm MSU HC Adam Nightingale and AC Mike Towns are in attendance tonight at the XCel Energy Center to see Moorhead battle Edina.

Yesterday was great with PSU beating scum and ND beating Minnesota. Can they do it again?

I don't think Michigan is going to win another game this year.

Tomorrow at the Breslin Center is going to be a blood bath. On paper, the game doesn't mean much, but for Izzo, it's still the Super Bowl. He is going to break them. Wolverine fans are trying to float that idea that MSU should rest their starters. This is yet another pathetic ploy to try to load the dice in their favor. They will be lucky to stay with 20 points of MSU.

In the Big 10 Tournament, it looks like they are going to draw Purdue first, most likely. On a neutral court, Purdue will destroy them.

Then, to start the real Tournament, they will be like a 5 or 6 seed. That means they draw a good mid-major or one of the SEC bubble team like Arkansas or Oklahoma that they already lost to.

They're f***ed.

Sunday's regular season finale between the Spartans and Wolverines means little in the grand scheme of the 2025 season. Even so, Michigan State looks to secure bragging rights over their biggest rival. Check out the game preview here from Guest Writer @Kevin Thomas

2024-25 Michigan State Men’s Basketball Schedule



Sunday Oct. 13 at Northern Michigan (exhibition) Marquette, Mich. 1 p.m. MSU 70 NMU 53 W
Tuesday Oct. 29 FERRIS STATE (exhibition) East Lansing, Mich. MSU 85 Ferris State 67 W

Monday Nov. 4 MONMOUTH East Lansing, Mich. MSU 81 Monmouth 57 W (1-0)
Thursday Nov. 7 NIAGARA East Lansing, Mich. 8pm MSU 96 Niagara 60 W (2-0)
Tuesday Nov. 12 vs. Kansas (Champions Classic) Atlanta, Ga. MSU 69 Kansas 77 L (2-1)
Saturday Nov. 16 BOWLING GREEN East Lansing, Mich. MSU 86 Bowling Green 72 W (3-1)
Tuesday Nov. 19 SAMFORD East Lansing, Mich. MSU 82 Samford 75 W (4-1)

Monday Nov. 25 vs. Colorado (Maui Invite) Maui, Hawaii MSU 72 Colorado 56 W (5-1)
Tuesday Nov. 26 vs Memphis (Maui Invite) Maui, Hawaii MSU 63 Memphis 71 L (5-2)
Wednesday Nov. 27 vs UNC (Maui Invite Maui, Hawaii MSU 94 North Carolina 91 (6-2)

Wednesday Dec. 4 at Minnesota * Minneapolis, Minn. MSU 90 Minnesota 72 (7-2)
Saturday Dec. 7 NEBRASKA * East Lansing, Mich. MSU 89 Nebraska 52 (8-2)

Tuesday Dec. 17 at Oakland Detroit, Mich. MSU 77 Oakland 58 (9-2)
Saturday Dec. 21 FLORIDA ATLANTIC East Lansing, Mich. 2 pm MSU 86 FAU 69 (10-2)
Monday Dec. 30 WESTERN MICHIGAN East Lansing, Mich. MSU 80- WMU 62 (11-2)

Friday Jan. 3 at Ohio State * Columbus, Ohio MSU 69 Ohio State 62 (12-2)
Thursday Jan. 9 WASHINGTON * East Lansing, Mich. MSU 88 Washington 54 (13-2)
Sunday Jan. 12 at Northwestern * Evanston, Ill. MSU 78 Northwestern 68 (14-2)
Wednesday Jan. 15 PENN STATE * East Lansing, Mich. MSU 90 PSU 85 (15-2)
Sunday Jan. 19 ILLINOIS * East Lansing, Mich. MSU 80 Illinois 78 (16-2)
Saturday Jan. 25 at Rutgers (MSG) MSU 81 Rutgers 74 (17-2)
Tuesday Jan. 28 MINNESOTA * East Lansing, Mich. MSU 73 Minnesota 51 (18-2)

Saturday Feb. 1 at USC * Los Angeles, Calif. MSU 64 USC 70 L (18-3)
Tuesday Feb. 4 at UCLA * Los Angeles, Calif. MSU 61 UCLA 63 L (18-4)
Saturday Feb. 8 OREGON* East Lansing, Mich. MSU 86-74 W (19-4)
Tuesday Feb. 11 INDIANA * East Lansing, Mich. MSU 67-Indiana 71 L (19-5)
Saturday Feb. 15 at Illinois * Champaign, Ill. MSU 79 Illinois 65 W (20-5) Izzo's 354th Big Ten Win.
Tuesday Feb. 18 PURDUE * East Lansing, Mich. MSU 75 Purdue 66 W (21-5)
Friday Feb. 21 at Michigan * Ann Arbor, Mich. MSU 75 UM 62 W (22-6)
Wednesday Feb. 26 at Maryland * College Park, Md. MSU 58 Maryland 55 W (23-6)

Sunday March 2 WISCONSIN * East Lansing, Mich. MSU 71 Wisconsin 61 W (24-6)
Thursday March 6 at Iowa * Iowa City, Iowa MSU 91 Iowa 84 W (25-5) Spartans win Outright Championship
Sunday March 9 MICHIGAN * East Lansing, Mich.


Wed. – Sun. March 12-16 Big Ten Tournament Indianapolis, Ind.
Tues. – Wed. March 18-19 NCAA Tournament – First Four Dayton, Ohio
Thurs. – Sun. March 20-23 NCAA Tournament – First & Second Rounds Multiple Locations
Thurs. – Sun. March 27-29 NCAA Tournament – Regionals Multiple Locations
Sat. – Mon. April 5&7 NCAA Final Four San Antonio, Texas


The full Big Ten men's basketball TV schedule:

Michigan State will have six games that will be exclusively on Peacock:
vs. Samford 11/19
vs. Minnesota 1/28
at USC 2/1
at UCLA 2/4
vs. Indiana 2/11
vs. Purdue 2/18

MSU will have nine games on FOX or CBS:
at Ohio State 1/3 FOX
at Northwestern 1/12 FOX
vs. Illinois 1/19 CBS
at Rutgers 1/25 CBS
vs. Oregon 2/8 FOX
at Illinois 2/15 FOX
at Michigan 2/21 FOX
vs. Wisconsin 3/2 CBS
vs. Michigan 3/9 CBS

With Maryland's win over Michigan on Wednesday night, the Michigan State Spartans locked up both a share of the regular season Big Ten title as well as the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Coach Tom Izzo has now tied the all-time record with his 11th regular season title.

Michigan State can earn an outright title with either a win at Iowa tonight or a win over Michigan on Sunday. With the Spartans' place in the title hunt now settled, it is time to shift focus the to post-season, starting with the Big Ten Tournament.

Let's take a look at the possible scenarios for seeding after the Michigan State Spartans.

If Michigan is able to upset the Spartans in the regular season finale, the Wolverines would claim the No. 2 seed. But if the Spartans prevail as expected, there is the possibility for a multiple team tie for second place at 14-6 between Michigan, Maryland, Purdue, and Wisconsin.

The key remaining games other than the one in East Lansing are:

• Northwestern at Maryland (-9.5)
• Penn State at Wisconsin (-13)
• Purdue at Illinois (-2.5)

In the case where Maryland, Wisconsin, and Purdue all win, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, which would award Maryland (2-1) the No. 2 seed and Wisconsin (1-2) the No. 5 seed. Michigan (2-2) and Purdue (2-2) would still be tied.

The tie is broken by going down the standing to 8th place Illinois, which would give Purdue the No. 3 seed and Michigan the No. 4 seed.

Of the three non-Michigan based contenders for the top four seeds, Purdue is the most likely to lose at Illinois. In this scenario, the Boilermakers would slide to the No. 5 seed and the relative position of the other three teams would be the same as in the four-way tie. Maryland would get the No. 2 seed, Michigan would get the No. 3 seed, and Wisconsin would get the No. 4 seed.

For the top five seeds, there are only five remaining games that will impact seeding. This means there are only 32 different scenarios. I have calculated the tiebreakers and odds for all 32 scenarios here:



I performed a similar analysis on the middle of the bracket. It turns out that five games and 32 scenarios also covers all of the cases for seeds No. 6 to No. 10. The scenarios and odds are shown below



Michigan State has already claimed the No. 1 seed, and on Friday they will face the winner of the game between the No. 8 seed and the No. 9 seed. The scenario for the No. 9 seed is simple: it will be the winner of the game on Saturday between Ohio State and Indiana (-1).

As for the No. 8 seed, Oregon lands in that spot in most cases. However, if Oregon beats Washington and if Purdue beats Illinois, the Fighting Illini will end up as the No. 8 seed.

Finally, table below shows the 32 scenarios that fully define the odds for seeds No. 11 to No. 15.



The bottom of the bracket is quite messy. The most notable feature is that Iowa can still make the Big Ten Tournament, even if they get blown out by Michigan State tonight.

I will update these tables as the results come in over the next few days.

Michigan State football is moving its 2025 season finale to Ford Field in Detroit, the program announced on Wednesday. The contest is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 29, and kickoff time for the game will be announced at a later date.

This marks the second time in three seasons that MSU will move its season finale from Spartan Stadium in East Lansing to Ford Field in Detroit, as the Spartans also did so in 2023 against Penn State (a 42-0 loss).

The game between the Spartans and Terrapins is part of an extended weekend of football at Ford Field, which also includes the Detroit Lions' Thanksgiving Day game on Thursday and the MHSAA (Michigan High School Athletic Association) State Championship games on Friday and Sunday.

“Playing at Ford Field is an exciting opportunity for Spartan football,” MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller said in a statement. “The 2023 game proved that this can be a successful and enjoyable venture. I heard from fans, donors, students and media, all of whom universally raved about their experience at Ford Field. We witnessed what the Detroit Lions experience every game, that Ford Field can be a tremendous home field advantage. Our student-athletes dream of playing in the NFL and to have the opportunity to play in that stadium is a thrill for them as well.

More here:

We have been tracking class of 2026 Michigan State official visitors (and spring visitors) already here, but I wanted to create a more organized thread that was specific to the official visitors coming to East Lansing this summer.

Below is the full list of prospects expected to come to MSU for an official visit. As always, this is a running list and it will be updated as we confirm more official visitors or if any visits get canceled or rescheduled.

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Michigan State begins spring football on March 18. The Spartans will host several prospects throughout spring practices (and before and after).

While we have already been tracking some of Michigan State's spring unofficial visitors here, I wanted to put together the full list (thus far). As usual, this is a running list that will be constantly updated as more news comes in.

We are also tracking Michigan State's class of 2026 official visitors here.

Here are the confirmed names that plan to visit East Lansing:

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A lion in winter vs. the rabbit chaser: As Tom Izzo reinforces his greatness at 70, new rival Dusty May hunts​

Michigan State is again king of the Big Ten. Can Dusty May one day do for Michigan what Tom Izzo has for MSU? An under-appreciated rivalry gets a compelling reboot​

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Hunched over, head bobbing at a quarter-note rhythm, jaw slightly dropped, eyes in constant scan. His hands clenched, tugging on the knees of his polyester pants. A whistle dangles around his neck.

Tom Izzo is exactly where he wants to be at 70 years old: overseeing yet another Michigan State practice.

Eventually, there's an inevitable mistake from one of his players. Izzo doesn't even think to use his whistle; he reflexively barks, and in a beat, the Hall-of-Famer is hoofing downcourt. It's two days before MSU's big road game against first-place Michigan and Izzo isn't satisfied by the lack of physicality in the painted area.

One of his guys backed off under the boards during a drill. I'm sitting too far away to hear Izzo's initial verbiage as he approaches the perpetrator, but after some quick one-sided discourse Izzo's final six words are enunciated loud and clear and they reverberate across the practice gym.

"KNOCK SOMEBODY ON THEIR F---ING ASS!!!"

If the point wasn't direct enough, about 25 minutes later Izzo scolds the same six words again to another player, only more drawn out and a little louder this time, to make sure the message is effectively punctuated — and no longer ignored.

These are portraits of Izzo as you likely imagine him, but it's also important to note that there are many encouraging moments over the course of a two-hour Michigan State practice. He smiles plenty, he loves on his guys. But, yeah, he's an absolute red ass. These are the times and spaces wherein Izzo's players are hardened and sharpened. At one point he gets on one of his guards with comical exasperation: "One good game? One good game and now you're going to take a week off? One good game?!"

For Izzo, coaching has meant "living my dream." It took three years for a young Izzo to convince Jud Heathcote to hire him as a low-level grunt guy on a $4,800 salary. He arrived in East Lansing with a broken jaw (softball injury) in 1983 and never left. Few have been able to do what Izzo has done in this regard: He walks the line of being so consistently, publicly fiery about the performance of his players while being lauded by some for the big-hearted intentions that embolden his oft-incandescent behavior.

For all that comes with being the coach of one of the biggest programs in the sport — and how that job has changed, drastically, as Izzo's gotten older — the guy from Iron Mountain, Michigan, has kept his motivations simple.

It's about winning.

That bore you? Too bad. Sounds cliche? There's the door. Doesn't inspire you? Then you're nobody Izzo wants to spend time with, let alone coach or work alongside.

"There's a lot of ways to win games. I don't think there's a lot of ways to win championships," Izzo told CBS Sports. "It's hard for winning to be number one for a lot of players. And what winning usually brings is all those other things they want."

The outcome of every game, every practice drill, every day on the job, every facet to why he still devotes the majority of his life to the vocation comes back to the fundamental charge of beating the other guy. While it is not the only reason he is still doing this into his eighth decade on Earth, it is far and away the biggest. Few coaches have soldered their identity of What It Takes To Win, down to the mitochondrial level, like Izzo.

"Over the last five years, (the) whole world has changed — unaccountability and everything — I've had to adjust to that," Izzo said. "People perceive me as a guy that's getting on somebody, and I never understood that, I really didn't. I mean my own kids, they don't do what they're supposed to do, my job's to hold them accountable. I don't look at players any different."

This approach to coaching, whatever you want to call it, just don't use "old school." Izzo hates that.


"It irritates me, because old school means you don't want to adjust or change," he said. "I want to adjust and change. I just don't want to lose the principles of what I know it takes to be great."

Get Izzo going on those principles and he's in fifth gear in seconds. His decades-long friendship with Nick Saban is well known at this point. Even more than a year after Saban retired, Izzo still leans on those philosophies that turned Saban into a mythical-type figure in the annals of American sports coaches.

"I heard everybody say, he's never happy. I heard everybody say, he's hard to play for. Heard everybody say he's hard to work for. Yeah, you idiots. That's because he's trying to do something that only one half of 1% of the world can do," Izzo said. "The biggest thing that I hear now that bothers me — and I'll never change it, I'll never not let it bother me — is winning AS important, or are all these other things more important than winning? And when I figure out that they are?"

Izzo takes his right hand, lifts it to his forehead and salutes.

"Sayonara."

In the past couple of years there had been murmurs in college basketball that maybe retirement was coming for Izzo the way it caught coaches older and younger than he: Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim, Mike Krzyzewski, Jay Wright and Tony Bennett. He reiterated in a two-hour sit-down with CBS Sports that retirement isn't around the corner.

"The truth of the matter is, I think I'm healthier than I was five years ago," Izzo said. "They say that you'll know when it's time. It doesn't feel like it's time, not for me."

Izzo semi-regularly receives calls from a few guys — some active, some retired — who tell him he can't quit. The game needs him.

"I don't think anybody understands what it's like, day to day, to think somebody's calling your kid, and all of a sudden he turns into an asshole in practice, and for just no reason," Izzo said. "I've said these kids can't play at this level half pregnant. You're either in or you're out, man. Not even if you want to win a championship, but if you want to just ... exist and win games."

Michigan State has had a lot of turnover as a university, and yet Izzo's still there. He is the embodiment of, and really the spokesperson for, that place more than probably anyone ever. He's outlasted multiple iterations of athletic directors, presidents, vice presidents, football coaches, you name it. He remains invested because, over the past year or so, he's come to terms with letting go on some issues in college sports that he'd like to see fixed, but doesn't believe will be by the end of the decade.

"I've found a way to say I'm going to try to adjust," he said. "I'm going to try to do the best job I can for my players, but I'm not going to fixate over it every day. ... I'm passionate about it. I'm not obsessed with it anymore. I know I can't change it."

What he does fixate on are the practice plans, the game tape he watches in the office — then at his house every night, often well past midnight. When his players are enjoying college life away from the facility, Izzo is thinking about how he can make them better.

MSU (25-5) is really good yet again. Maybe even great. This doesn't just magically occur because a well-known coach who's made every single NCAA Tournament since 1998 happens to be walking the halls. It's thousands of hours every year devoted to working, wanting, willing winning seasons into existence.

Four months ago, MSU received the seventh-most votes among Big Ten teams in the preseason AP poll; the Spartans were unranked. Over the past three months they have wormed their way up in the rankings. This week they sit at No. 8, and on Thursday night clinched clinched the standalone regular season Big Ten championship with a 91-84 road win at Iowa. It's Izzo's 11th regular-season Big Ten crown, tying him with Bob Knight and Ward "Piggy" Lambert for most in Big Ten history.
The Spartans didn't even give Michigan hope for a share of the title when the teams meet Sunday. Izzo cannot stand losing to Michigan, and for most of his career he's avoided the feeling, owning a 35-16 record against the Wolverines.

Remarkably, this year marks the 22nd time in 30 seasons that Izzo's Spartans will finish above the Wolverines in the Big Ten.

It's astounding what this team has done over the last month, staring down the toughest schedule in the Big Ten and refusing to blink. MSU responded to an unexpected home loss to Indiana on Feb. 11 with five straight wins, all of them against top 25-level teams: Illinois (road), Purdue, Michigan (road), Maryland (road), Wisconsin. Iowa isn't in that class, but it was another road game and it went MSU's way in tidal wave fashion after the Spartans hung 61 second half points on the Hawkeyes.

What awaits at the Breslin Center on Sunday? The stakes may be lowered, but you'd be a fool to think Dusty May isn't champing at the bit to exact revenge and send MSU into the Big Ten Tournament with a loss, solidifying Michigan as the clear-cut No. 2 team in the league in the process.

1. Spartans sweep the Wolverines - dropping a deuce on UM - two losses!
2. MSU is the top seed in the BTT - oops, they already are.
3. MSU sets the record for regular season conference wins at 17.
4. MSU picks up its 7th straight Quad One win, and 12th Q1 win overall
5. Spartans win their first outright BT championship in a while.
6. MSU draws closer to a 1 seed or a high 2
7. Goldin files for social security - oh he cannot because he is not a US Citizen
8. Somewhere Dug McDaniel will be laughing his ass off while Hunter Dickenson is counting his money as his draft stock plunges
9. The cameraman will cut to Jason Richardson multiple times celebrating and the announcers will refer to his son as Jason instead of Jace
10. RodMSU will call for a conclave to appoint Izzo as the next Pope

All of it could happen, which makes it an exciting weekend in Beast Lansing even with the conference title wrapped up.

There are a handful of 2026 recruits that this piece will look at closer before their scheduled official visits start to take place this spring. Fans should familiarize themselves with these athletes we take a quick look at, as there is good reason to believe their recruiting journey with the Spartans has positively developed continuously thus far for these interested prospects and the coaching staff.

2025 Big Ten tournament: Bracket, schedule, game times for men's basketball​

2025 Big Ten tournament schedule, game times​

All times ET


Wednesday, March 12 — First Round


Game 1: No. 12 seed vs. No. 13 seed | 3:30 p.m. on Peacock
Game 2: No. 10 seed vs. No. 15 seed | 25 minutes after Game 1 on Peacock
Game 3: No. 11 seed vs. No. 14 seed | 25 minutes after Game 2 on Peacock

Thursday, March 13 — Second Round


Game 4: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed | 12 p.m. on Big Ten Network
Game 5: No. 5 seed vs. Game 1 winner | 25 minutes after Game 4 on Big Ten Network
Game 6: No. 7 seed vs. Game 2 winner | 6:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network
Game 7: No. 6 seed vs. Game 3 winner | 25 minutes after Game 6 on Big Ten Network

Friday, March 14 — Quarterfinals


Game 8: No. 1 seed vs. Game 4 winner | 12 p.m. on Big Ten Network
Game 9: No. 4 seed vs. Game 5 winner | 25 minutes after Game 8 on Big Ten Network
Game 10: No. 2 seed vs. Game 6 winner | 6:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network
Game 11: No. 3 seed vs. Game 7 winner | 25 minutes after Game 10 on Big Ten Network

Saturday, March 15 — Semifinals

Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner | 1 p.m. on CBS
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner | 25 minutes after Game 12 on CBS

Sunday, March 16 — Championship

Game 14: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner | 3:30 p.m. on CBS

The New and Official 2025 Detroit Lions Thread

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@Sam Tyler - TillTheBitterEnd explains how the 2024-2025 Michigan State men's basketball team established its identity, and the clear path the Spartans have to make a potential deep tournament run.

Michigan State has won 11 Big Ten titles in 30 seasons with Tom Izzo at the helm. Of those 11, I think the argument should be made that Izzo's latest conference title is his best one.

Read why below: https://michiganstate.rivals.com/news/opinion-tom-izzo-s-11th-big-ten-title-at-michigan-state-is-his-best-one

I was confident that the Spartans could handle the Boilermakers at home this week and it feels really good to be right. The updated Big Ten odds following Tuesday night's action are shown below. The data and stats tracker has also been fully updated:



As expected, Michigan still has a lead (67%) and Michigan State and Wisconsin are truly in a dead heat with the second best odds (34.2%). Maryland (6.2%) now has better odds than Purdue (4.1%) and in Big Ten after dark action, Minnesota upset UCLA on the road, which effectively knocks the Bruins out of the race entirely. I technically have their odds at 1-in-4,000.

The numbers are also looking good once again for the Spartans to finish in the top four with a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament. I calculate those odds at 84%. The Spartans will most likely be joined in the top four by Michigan and Wisconsin with Purdue and Maryland fighting for the final double bye.

Going forward, here are the odds and projected spreads for MSU's five remaining games.



The Spartans continue to control their own destiney, but next up are two tough road games where MSU will likely be slight underdog. Beating Michigan on Friday would be HUGE, as Michigan State would still control their own destiney and could even lose one of the three following games (at Maryland, versus Wisconsin, or at Iowa) and still control their own destiney.

Here is another way to look at things. If MSU can run the table (only a 4% chance) and finish 17-3, they would win a solo Big Ten title

If MSU loses just one more game to finish at 16-4 (a 19% chance) a Big Ten title is very likely (93%). The only scenario where MSU does NOT earn a Big Ten title is if the Spartans split with Michigan and the Wolverines win all four or their other remaining games (at Nebraska, Rutgers, Illinois, and Maryland), which only has a 17% chance.

But if the Spartans only win three of their final five games to finish at 15-5 (a 34% chance) things get really dicey. In the unlikely scenario that MSU beats Wisconsin and Michigan twice, but loses at Maryland and at Iowa, MSU would still at least share a title as long as Michigan loses on additional game (83% odds, as mentioned above).

If Michigan State were to lose to Wisconsin (in addition to one other game, such as at Maryland), the Badgers would control their destiney and would just need to win out. The problem is that Wisconsin has the easiest remaining Big Ten schedule (Oregon, Washington, at Minnesota, Penn State). I give them a 58% chance to finish at 16-4 IF they beat MSU.

If MSU were to split with Michigan and then lose another game (such as at Maryland), Michigan would need to drop at least two of their non-MSU remaining games. Oddly, I calculate the odds for Michigan to go 3-1 or better in these four games to be equal to Wisconsin's odds to run the table: 58%.

If MSU splits with Michigan and loses to Wisconsin, it is the worst of both of the scenarios above. Wisconsin would need to drop at least one other game (42% odds) and Michigan would need to drop at least two other games (42% odds). Simple math says that there is just an 18% chance that both of these things occur.

The bottom line is that MSU still needs to finish strong and win at least four of the last five to have a good chance to hang a banner.

Things were relatively business-like for MSU after clinching an outright Big Ten title over Iowa on Thursday night. That's because it's just the first step of the team's vision for this season.

"Our goals aren’t really done. This is just one of four goals that we have all season."

Read: https://michiganstate.rivals.com/ne...step-one-for-michigan-state-after-win-at-iowa

I wrote a national article today on class of 2026 Rivals250 linebacker Nick Abrams II, who visited Michigan State for the Spartans' victory over Iowa this past season. He has set a commitment date of July 16 and has MSU in his top-10, along with Alabama, Duke, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Texas A&M, USC and Vanderbilt.

The competition is tough here, but he enjoyed the atmosphere in East Lansing and has a strong relationship with Joe Rossi. He is taking several visits this spring, but not have a return trip booked to MSU as of yet.

"At first they recruited me as a rush end, but then after watching my tape again, they are recruiting me at linebacker," Abrams said about Michigan State. "(Defensive coordinator/linebackers) Coach (Joe) Rossi visited me twice and they’ve been really consistent. I loved the atmosphere they had on the game-day visit against Iowa (last October)."

23 runs in ONE inning of play.

Is there a one inning mercy rule?

Sixth-Seeded Spartans Open Big Ten Tournament Thursday​

The B1G Tournament returns to Indianapolis.​

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - No. 6-seeded Michigan State women's basketball will open action in the TIAA Big Ten Tournament second round on Thursday, March 6 at 9 p.m. in Indianapolis. The Spartans will face the winner of the game between No. 11-seeded Iowa and No. 14-seeded Wisconsin. Sloane Martin and Christy Winters Scott will be on the call for the Big Ten Network.

• Michigan State concluded the regular season with a 73-58 win over Minnesota on March 1. The Spartans are now 21-8 overall and 11-7 in Big Ten play.

• The Spartans landed three players on the All-Big Ten team. Julia Ayrault and Grace VanSlooten both earned second-team honors. Theryn Hallock was named to the honorable mention team for the first time.

• MSU is just 13 steals away from tying the single-season record for steals. Through 29 games, Michigan State has 362 steals. The school record is 375 set by the 2004-05 in 37 games.

• This is only the third time that the Spartans have been the No. 6 seed. The last time that MSU earned the sixth seed was in 2017. That season, the Spartans fell to Maryland in the semifinals. The last time MSU faced Iowa was in the 2021 tournament in Indianapolis. The Hawkeyes stopped the Spartans, 82-72. MSU last faced Wisconsin in 2017, winning in the second round, 70-63.
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MICHIGAN STATE POSSIBLE OPPONENTS

SCOUTING IOWA
Iowa has won the last two games of the regular season, including an 81-66 win at home against its first round opponent Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes enter the B1G Tournament with a 20-9 overall record and 10-8 in league play.

Lucy Olsen was named to the first team by the coaches and the second team by the media. Hannah Stuelke was named to the All-Big Ten second team by the media and second team by the coaches. Olsen leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.0 ppg, while Stuelke is second with 13.0 ppg.

Jan Jensen is in her first season at the helm of the Hawkeyes. She took over for longtime coaching legend Lisa Bluder. Jensen holds a 20-9 record as Iowa's head coach.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE HAWKEYES
Iowa leads the overall series with Michigan State 43-31. With the Spartans win in East Lansing on Dec. 15, MSU snapped a four-game losing streak against the Hawkeyes. In the game on Dec. 15, MSU trailed by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter, but came away with a 68-66 win. MSU was led by 19 points from graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault.

In East Lansing, MSU leads in the series 18-16. Iowa is on top of the series in Iowa City, 24-10. On neutral ground, the series is tied 3-3.

AGAINST IOWA IN B1G TOURNAMENT
The last time MSU faced Iowa was in the 2021 tournament in Indianapolis. The No. 6-seeded Hawkeyes stopped the No. 7-seeded Spartans, 82-72. Overall, Michigan State is 2-2 against Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament. MSU won the first two games on 2004 and 2005, while Iowa has won the last two in 2010 and 2021.

SCOUTING WISCONSIN
The Badgers have lost two-straight games, including their season finale on the road to Iowa, 81-66. Wisconsin is 13-16 overall and 4-14 in league play.

Serah Williams was named first-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and the media. She also earned a spot on the All-Defensive team by both the coaches and the media. Williams leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.1 ppg.
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Wisconsin head coach Marisa Moseley is in her fourth season leading the Badgers with a record of 47-74 record. Overall, she is in her seventh season as a head coach also spending three seasons at her alma mater Boston University. She has an overall coaching record of 92-103 in seven seasons.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BADGERS
Michigan State holds the series lead over Wisconsin, 51-27. The Spartans have won seven of the last eight meetings, including the last three. On Feb. 12, the Spartans defeated Wisconsin, 91-71, in East Lansing.

In East Lansing, the Spartans lead the series 28-7. In Madison, the series is much tighter with MSU on top 20-19. On neutral ground, MSU leads 3-1. Last season, MSU ended the regular season with a commanding 78-52 win in Madison.

AGAINST WISCONSIN IN B1G TOURNEY
The last time that MSU has faced Wisconsin in the 2017 Big Ten Tournament, winning in the second round, 87-79. Overall, the Spartans are 2-1 against the Badgers in the B1G Tournament, including a win in the first Big Ten Tourney in 1995. MSU's only loss came in the quarterfinals in 2009, 56-50.

TOURNEY NOTES
This is only the third time that the Spartans have been the No. 6 seed. The last time that the Spartans earned the sixth seed was in 2017. That season, the Spartans fell to Maryland in the semifinals. Michigan State was the sixth seed in the first Big Ten Tournament in 1995. MSU reached the semifinals that season, losing to Ohio State in the semifinals, 70-63.

Last season, No. 4-seeded MSU fell in the quarterfinals to No. 5-seeded Nebraska, 73-61, in Minneapolis on March 8.

After last season's Big Ten Tournament, MSU stands 26-28 in the tournament.

PLAYING THE BEST
MSU's battle with No. 12/12 Ohio State on Feb. 26 was the Spartans' third ranked opponent in their last four games as well as all in the Top 12 and all three on the road, along with at No. 1/1 UCLA (2/16/25) and at No. 4/4 USC (2/19/25). Overall, it was MSU's seventh game against a Big Ten foe that was ranked or receiving votes, as part of the ninth overall game this season against a ranked opponent, and MSU is 3-5 against the eight ranked/receiving votes opponents and 3-6 overall against ranked/receiving votes opponents.
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VANSLOOTEN'S VERY GOOD STRETCH
Despite going 2-3 over the last five games, junior forward Grace VanSlooten has been exceptional during the five-game stretch. She has surpassed 20 points twice in that span. Against No. 4/4 USC, she tied her career-high with 29 points, including going 11-for-12 from the charity stripe. Against Wisconsin, she played 22 points. In the five-game stretch, VanSlooten has averaged 19.2 points per game.

HOW JADDAN GOT HER GROOVE BACK
Graduate guard Jaddan Simmons reached double figures for the first time in seven games, scoring 11 points against Indiana on Feb. 23. It was her first double-digit outing since scoring 11 at Michigan on Jan. 25. She added 10 points against No. 12/12 Ohio State and 11 against Minnesota on March 1. Overall, she has scored in double figures six times this season with her season high of 18 coming against DePaul on Dec. 8. Michigan State is 5-1 when Simmons reached double-figures in scoring.

ENDURANCE IS KEY
Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault played in her 136th career game at Michigan State in the win against Minnesota on March 1. She is currently tied for first with Branndais Agee (2013-18), Kalisha Keane (2007-11) and Allyssa DeHaan (2006-10). With her next game, she will stand alone in first in games played with 137.

NO CHARITY HERE
Graduate guard Jaddan Simmons was the first Spartans to make 10 free throws since All-American Nia Clouden against Ohio State on Feb. 27, 2022. Clouden was 10-for-12 from the line in that game, while Simmons was a perfect 10-for-10. She tied the school record, which was last set by Matilda Ekh against Minnesota on Feb. 22, 2023.

QUITE THE TRIO
With 1,323 points, 738 rebounds and 177 blocks, graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault joins a very small club. She is one of only three Spartans with over 1,300 points, 700 rebounds and 150 blocks. All-American Allyssa DeHaan ended her Spartan career with 1,649 points, 919 rebounds and 504 blocks. Kristen Rasmussen finished with 1,493 points, 964 rebounds and 194 blocks.
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SIMMONS CLIMBING THE CHART
Graduate guard Jaddan Simmons is climbing the chart for single-season assist-to-turnover ratio. DeeDee Hagemann set the new school record last season (2.84). Simmons has a team-high 93 assists and 43 turnovers for a 2.16 assist-to-turnover ratio, which currently stands sixth in the single-season record book. She is currently third in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio.

TATE JOINS THE 1K CLUB
With six points against No. 4/4 USC on Feb. 19, senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate joined the 1,000-point club. She is now the fifth current Spartan with 1,021 points, joining Grace VanSlooten (1,323), graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault (1,323 points), graduate guard Jaddan Simmons (1,327 points) and graduate guard Nyla Hampton (1,307 points). Tate is the third of that quintet to reach 1,000 career points this season, joining Ayrault and VanSlooten, and all three netted their 1,000th career point in California, as Ayrault and VanSlooten reached the 1,000-point plateau in successive days when MSU played at the Acrisure Classic in Palm Springs, California, with Ayrault scoring hers against Cal on Nov. 26, and VanSlooten followed the next day against Vanderbilt.

NET RANKINGS
In the current women's basketball NET ranking, the Spartans stand No. 21. They are fourth among Big Ten schools behind No. 5 UCLA, No. 6 USC and No. 18 Ohio State. UConn stands No. 1. The Big Ten has five schools in the top 25 in NET rankings with Maryland standing No. 25.

RANKED BIG TEN TEAMS
Five different Big Ten teams are ranked or receiving votes in the AP top 25 poll. USC leads the way at No. 2, followed by No. 4 UCLA, No. 13 Ohio State, No. 15 Maryland and No. 24 Michigan State. Iowa is receiving votes in this week's poll.

AYRAULT ASCENDS THE CHARTS
With her 13 points Saturday against Minnesota, Ayrault now has 1,323 career points, becoming the 14th MSU women's basketball player in program history to reach 1,300 career points. Ayrault is holding solid at No. 14 on MSU's career scoring list. Next up at the No. 13 spot is Kelli Roehrig (2013-18) with 1,370 points.
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With nine boards against Minnesota, Ayrault's career total to 738 rebounds, remaining in the No. 12 spot on MSU's career rebounding list. She is now 27 boards from tying Tori Jankoska (2013-17) for the No. 10 spot.

With three triples Saturday, Ayrault now has 128 career 3-pointers, pulling away from a tie at the No. 13 spot on MSU's career 3-pointers list with Branndais Agee (2013-18), and now has sole possession of the No. 13 spot on the list, where she will have solid hold on for awhile, as next up is a tie for the No. 11 spot with 138 3-pointers by former teammate Matilda Ekh (2022-23) and former strength & conditioning coach and former Spartan Annalise Pickrel (2010-14).

BY THE NUMBERS VS. MINNESOTA
• Michigan State improved to 4-0 when five people score in double figures. The Spartans were led by 15 points from junior forward Grace VanSlooten, while freshman Inés Sotelo and graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault both scored 13 points. Graduate guard Jaddan Simmons and Nyla Hampton scored 11 and 10 points, respectively

• The Spartan bench out-scored the Gophers, 29-4. Inés Sotelo led the way with 13 off the bench, while Nyla Hampton added 10. Michigan State improved to 20-3 when its bench out-scored its opponents.

BALANCED ATTACK
Seven different Spartans have led the team in scoring. Grace VanSlooten has led the team in scoring 13 times. Julia Ayrault has led the team in scoring nine times and Theryn Hallock has been the leading scorer seven times, while Jocelyn Tate, Jaddan Simmons, Emma Shumate and Juliann Woodard have led once.

YOUR STARTING FIVE
Michigan State used the same starting line for the eighth game in a row, with graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault, graduate guard Jaddan Simmons, senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate, junior guard Theryn Hallock and junior forward Grace VanSlooten. Saturday was the 10th game overall this season with that starting five and MSU is now 5-5 with that starting five for the opening tip.

AROUND THE BIG TEN
Michigan State is fourth in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 80.1 points per game. The Spartans are also fourth in scoring margin (+16.5). MSU is tied for third in the league in blocks (5.2 bpg). MSU is second for first in steals behind Ohio State with 12.5 spg and second in assists with 18.3 apg. The Spartans are second in turnover margin (+7.4).

Individually, junior forward Grace VanSlooten is fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.533) and is tied for 14th in scoring, averaging 15.6 ppg. Graduate guard Jaddan Simmons is third in the Big Ten assist/turnover ratio (2.16). Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault is tied for seventh in the league in blocks, averaging 1.46 bpg. Senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate is third in the league in steals (2.28 spg). Graduate guard Nyla Hampton is seventh in steals (2.07 spg).
AROUND THE NATION
After 29 games, the Spartans are 16th in the nation scoring offense, averaging 80.1 ppg. Michigan State is 11th in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten in steals per game with 12.5 spg. MSU is 10th in the nation in assists with 18.3 apg and 14th in turnover margin (+7.4).

PACKING THE BREZ
Sunday's attendance of 11,043 against Michigan was the 18th-best in MSU women's basketball history, including the sixth-best when playing Michigan. It was the largest crowd since Feb. 23, 2020 vs. Michigan when 11,462 were in attendance.

BRINGING THE BOOM
For the 2024-25 season, Michigan State women's introduced its new student section - the Breslin Boom. First introduced by Coach Fralick at Michigan State Madness, Spartan students will be encouraged to yell "BOOM" on any big MSU plays.

LOCKED IN DEFENSE
Senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate is third in the Big Ten in steals, averaging 2.28 spg. Graduate guard Nyla Hampton is seventh (2.07 spg), while graduate guard Jaddan Simmons is ninth in the Big Ten in steals, averaging 1.86 spg. The MSU defense has been tough all season. Twice this year the Spartans have tallied 22 steals in a game: against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 20 and against Oakland on Nov. 5. The only team in the Big Ten with more steals in a game is USC with 28 against CSUN on Nov. 12. The Spartans are second in the B1G in steals, averaging 12.6 spg. MSU is also second in the Big Ten with 362 steals this season.


LAST TIME OUT
Five Spartans hit the double-figure mark as the No. 23/22 Michigan State women's basketball team defeated Minnesota, 73-58, Saturday on Senior Day at the Breslin Center.

Following the game, Michigan State celebrated its four seniors Julia Ayrault, Nyla Hampton, Jaddan Simmons and Jocelyn Tate.

Three of the four Spartan seniors reached double figures in scoring, while five total scored at least 10 points. Once again, Michigan State was led by 15 points and eight rebounds from junior forward Grace VanSlooten. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault, who tied the school record for career games played with 136, scored 13 points with nine boards. Graduate guards Jaddan Simmons and Nyla Hampton scored 11 and 10, respectively. Freshman center Inés Sotelo came up big for MSU with 13 points.

THREE SPARTANS EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault was named to second team by both the coaches and the media. Junior forward Grace VanSlooten joined Ayrault with second-team honors by both the coaches and the media, while junior guard Theryn Hallock earned honorable mention honors by both the coaches and the media.

Ayrault, a native of Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, earned her second All-Big Ten accolade during her sixth season with the Spartans. She captured second-team honors after being named to the first team last season. Ayrault is second on MSU in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game. She also tied for seventh in blocks, averaging 1.46 bpg. Ayrault has scored in double figures 26 times this season.

VanSlooten, a native of Toledo, Ohio, captured her first All-Big Ten honor when she was named to the second team. She garnered All-Pac 12 honorable mention honors as both a freshman and a sophomore while at Oregon. VanSlooten currently leads the Spartans in scoring, averaging 15.6 ppg. She is currently fourth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.533). VanSlooten has played in 28 games this season, starting 20.

Hallock, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, earned her first All-B1G honor with honorable mention honors this season. She is currently third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 ppg. Hallock has played in all 29 games this season, starting 25. Last season, Hallock became just the second Spartan to earn Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year honors after All-American Kalisha Keane was voted Sixth Player of the Year during the 2009-10 season.

Graduate guard Nyla Hampton was MSU's representative for the Big Ten Sportsmanship award.

Release courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Michigan State hosted several Northeast prospects for its junior day event on Sunday, Jan. 19.

The Spartans put an emphasis on class of 2026 pass rushers from the region, as defensive end/rush end Ashton Blatt (Pennsylvania), defensive end Anthony Charles (Pennsylvania), three-star outside linebacker/rush end Joshua Pittman (Virginia) and three-star outside linebacker/rush end Terry Wiggins (Pennsylvania) were all in East Lansing over the weekend.

Additionally, the Spartans hosted 2026 New Jersey cornerback Mekhi Armour, who has been in contact with MSU for several months.

While on campus, the prospects were able to connect with the coaches, tour the facilities, watch Michigan State men's basketball's victory over Illinois in a top-20 contest and more.

Many of the recruits out of the Mid-Atlantic spoke to Rivals.com.

"The visit went great," Armour said about Michigan State. "(There is) a lot of chemistry between the players and the coaches. The '26 class going be special (for MSU)."

More reactions here:

Michigan State (24-5, 15-3) is looking to clinch its first outright Big Ten title since 2018, with only Iowa (15-14, 6-12) standing in the way.

Game time is set for 8 p.m. EST or 7 p.m. CST.

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MSU , down by 7 at half time. Izzo in the locker room…’perfect, we’ve got them right where we want them’!