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The score is 51-27 and MSU is able to spread the time amongst 7-8 players. Joiner is the leading scorer with 20 points on 6-7 three point shooting. She is the only player in double figures. I hope they maintain this lead and they can give some playing time to subs to rotate and give them some rest for future games. Off to a great start.

Just watched the all-access video of Dean on the MSU athletic site. If you get the chance to watch it. CDL contribution to the program for the last few years has been so important. I remember watching Dean play H S ball at Bay City All Saints. He started coaching college men at Northwood and SVSU and eventually spent several years under Pat Summit at Tennessee. If you enjoy seeing the ladies doing post moves , up & unders, etc. , a lot of the credit goes to CDL. We are very fortunate to have him here. BTW, Coach Fralick's husband played for Dean.

While Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren are still looking to secure a class of 2025 signal-caller, they are already in the process of looking for a quarterback in the 2026 cycle as well. Earlier this week, Lindgren offered 2026 California quarterback Troy Huhn.

Huhn, out of Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, California, already has well over double-digit scholarship offers and is looking forward to learning more about the Spartans as things moves forward.

Following the offer, Huhn spoke with Spartans Illustrated to provide his thoughts on Michigan State and his recruitment.

"Being offered by Michigan State means a lot," Huhn said. 'They are historically a great program. They also develop players to get to that next level."

Much more here on the talented 6-foot-4 QB:

Here is my latest math-based update on where the Spartans stand in the Big Ten race and beyond. I touched on a lot of this information earlier in the week, but I go into a bit more detail here. My key points are:

-MSU is trending as the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament (and maybe that’s OK)
-The metrics for the NCAA Tournament still look really good. My numbers suggest that if anything, some of the current seed projections are too conservative. If MSU can finish strong (say 3-1), a No. 6 seed looks most likely and I think a No. 5 seed is on the table with a few BTT wins.
-If MSU only goes 2-2 down the stretch, then placement on the No. 8/9 line is more likely

Check out the full analysis here:

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State looks to keep its offensive spark alive this weekend when it heads east to play in the Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C. The Spartans will play five games over the weekend which includes games against Elon, Boston University (RV), Villanova and No. 6-ranked Duke. Play gets underway for the Spartans at Duke Softball Stadium at 12 p.m. on Friday, February 23 when MSU meets Elon. Michigan State's weekend concludes on Sunday, February 25 with a 10:30 a.m. game against Elon. All games will have live stats and stream on ACC Network Extra via ESPN+.

ABOUT ELON​

Elon is 4-5 this season, going 1-4 at the Marucci Classic in Raleigh, N.C. last weekend with a win over North Dakota State (7-5, 8 inn.). The Phoenix fell to NDSU, UConn, and NC State (x2).
Elon is led on offense by Mauri Murray who is hitting .440 with four home runs and 12 RBI. Her four long balls ranks No. 11 in DI. Allee Seering is hitting .300 with two home runs and 11 RBI.
As a team the Phoenix are hitting .239 with a 5.89 ERA.
Taylor Cherry leads the team in ERA at 3.91 over 14.1 innings pitched. Opponents have hit .286 off of her in the circle. McKenna McCard leads in innings pitched (16.1) with a 4.29 ERA.

ABOUT BOSTON UNIVERSITY​

Boston is 10-0 and is receiving votes in the NFCA and USA Softball polls. They are ranked No. 25 in the D1Softball poll. Last weekend Boston defeated Queens (x2), Charlotte (x2) and Canisius.
BU's offense is hitting .340 on the season led by Lizzy Avery's .545 average and the .543 average of Lauren Keleher. Keleher has three home runs and 12 RBI, and her 19 hits rank No. 3 in DI.
Kasey Ricard was last week's NFCA DI Pitcher of the Week and enters the weekend with a 0.62 ERA over 33.2 innings pitched. Ricard's 47 strikeouts rank No. 2 nationally and she has thrown four shutouts.
Allison Boaz has posted a 1.14 ERA in the circle over 24.2 innings.

ABOUT VILLANOVA​

Villanova is 3-5 and went 1-2 last weekend with a win over George Mason (10-7) and losses to James Madison and George Mason.
The Wildcats are hitting .233 as a team, but have shown power with 10 home runs in eight games.
Lilly St. Jean leads the team hitting .350 followed by Tess Cites at .346. Brooklyn Ostrowski has hit two home runs to lead the team.
Caroline Pellicano leads Villanova with 20.0 innings pitched along with a 2.45 ERA in five appearances and two complete games. Kat Gallant has pitched 16.2 innings with a 5.46 ERA. Alyssa Seidler owns a 0.70 ERA in a limited 10.0 innings of work.

ABOUT #6/8 DUKE​

Duke is ranked #6 in the USA Softball poll and #8 in the NFCA Coaches Poll this week after going 4-0 at the FIU Invitational with wins over Rutgers, FIU and Army (x2). The Blue Devils outscored opponents 26-1.
Duke is hitting .358 on the season with 12 home runs, led by Kelly Torres hitting .500, Claire Davidson hitting .481 and Aminah Vega hitting .433. Ana Gold is hitting .360 and leads Duke with three home runs and 14 RBI.

In the circle, former Spartan Jala Wright owns a 0.79 ERA over 17.2 innings allowing opponents to hit just .105 against her. As a team, Duke has posted a 1.02 ERA for the season.
Only #1 Oklahoma and Iowa State have scored multiple runs against the Blue Devils.

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Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State wrestling (9-6, 2-6 B1G) prepares for its final dual meet of the 2023-24 season on Fri., February 23 as it hosts in-state rival Central Michigan (8-6, 6-1 MAC) inside Jenison Field House. First whistle is slated for 6:30 p.m. The dual will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.

In addition to MSU's regular season finale, the dual on Friday will serve as the Spartans' Senior Night celebration as the team will honor six individuals: 141-pounder Jordan Hamdan, 141-pounder Blake Noonan, 165-pounder Colton Blaha, 174-pounder Marty Larkin,184-pounder Layne Malczewski and student manager Connor Horton.

MSU Notes | Central Michigan Notes

HEAD COACH ROGER CHANDLER

"There is no doubt that this group of seniors has had a huge impact on Spartan Wrestling. Their work ethic, commitment to be great, and leadership is what makes each of them special. What I am most proud of is how important Spartan Wrestling is to each of them and how each of them has built a bigger foundation for the future."

CELEBRATING THE SENIORS

The Spartans will honor five wrestlers and one student manager before Friday night's dual, including two in MSU's starting lineup. Graduate Malczewski will look to finish his regular season career with his 100th-career victory. The Macomb, Michigan, native sits at 99 wins, his 29 career pins is best for eighth all-time in program history. Hamdan hopes to cap off his final season in East Lansing with a return to the NCAA National Tournament for the second time in his career. As a redshirt freshman, Hamdan made the national tournament in his first season as a starter back in 2021. Larkin has made three dual starts this season and holds a 14-9 record.

MSU's ceremony will also recognize Blaha, who has 15 career wins for the Green and White and is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. Noonan made two career dual starts which included his first career victory over Presbyterian 9-1. The last Spartan is student-manager Horton, who has served the program for the past three years.

KNOW THE FOE: CENTRAL MICHIGAN

At the helm for Central Michigan is 33rd-year head coach Tom Borrelli. The Chippewas enter the week with an 8-6 overall record and a 6-1 mark in the Mid-American Conference which is tied with Northern Illinois in the western division. Three of Central Michigan's loses have come to Top 25 opponents, against No. 11 Oklahoma (29-11), No. 22 North Carolina (25-10) and No. 25 Indiana (25-15).

This will mark the 38th meeting between Michigan State and the Chippewas and the third-straight season going head-to-head. The Green and White have taken three of the last five meetings but trail in the all-time series 17-20. Three Chippewa wrestlers are nationally ranked in their respective weight classes on InterMat: Corbyn Munson (No. 14 | 149), Johnny Lovett (No. 26 | 157) and Alex Cramer (No. 25 | 174).

THE LAST TIME OUT

Last week, Michigan State lost to No. 6-ranked Ohio State 38-7. Seniors 157-pounder Chase Saldate and 165-pounder Caleb Fish each picked up victories. Saldate finished 7-1 in Big Ten duals with five of the victories ended with bonus points. Fish finished the B1G season 5-2 overall.

Release courtesy of MSU Athletics.

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Spartans Place 19 on NFHCA National Academic Squad​

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State field hockey had 19 student-athletes named to the NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad, as announced on Wednesday. To be named to the National Academic Squad, players must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher through the first semester of the 2023-24 academic year.

"Our student athletes do a phenomenal job balancing their academics, training, building relationships and being college students," said Michigan State head coach Helen Knull. "Congratulations to our 19 Spartans who have been putting in the work to be recognized with this accomplishment."

The Spartans 19 representatives ranked second amongst all Big Ten teams. Only Ohio State had more with 21.

Among the 19 were: fifth-year Hannah Jarvie, seniors Lulu Fulton, Ashley Harlock, Eliza Kreske, Emma O'Neill, Kim Smit and Ellie Wheatley; juniors Jillian Bonczewski and Ellie Rutherford; sophomores Gracie Burns, Grace Fronczak, Skylar Santucci and Alexa Shaffer; redshirt freshman Cecily Charles, and true freshmen Katelyn Dulin, Lyra Gavino, Serena Mailhe, Bianca Pizano and Brynn Shaffer.

Several Spartans have earned this honor multiple times in their career. Harlock, Jarvie, Kreske, O'Neill, Smit and Wheatley each earned their fourth National Academic Squad Honors. Bonczewski, Fulton and Rutherford earned their third, Burns, while two-time honorees include Charles, Santucci and Shaffer.

Courtesy of MSU Athletics.

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Nine Spartans Earn NFHCA Scholar of Distinction Honors​

AST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State had nine student-athletes named 2023 Division I Scholars of Distinction by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, as announced on Monday.

The Scholars of Distinction recognizes student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.9 or higher through the first semester of the 2023-24 academic year. The Spartans had nine distinguished student-athletes, tied with Sacred Heart for the most across Division I.

Michigan State's nine representatives are: senior and Big Ten Sportsmanship award winner Ashley Harlock, junior Jillian Bonzewski, sophomore Alexa Shaffer, redshirt freshman Cecily Charles and freshmen Katelyn Dulin, Lyra Gavino, Serena Mailhe, Bianca Pizano and Brynn Shaffer. A total of 260 athletes were recognized throughout Division I field hockey.

Courtesy of MSU Athletics.

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Field Hockey Earns NFHCA Team Academic Award​

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State field hockey has earned more academic recognition, as the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) announced on Wednesday the recipients of the Division I National Academic Team Award.

The prestigious acknowledgment is granted to programs that have achieved a team grade-point average of 3.5 or higher during the fall semester of the current academic year.

The Spartans were one of just 49 teams across Division I to earn the recognition. The program has been garnering many academic awards, with 19 student-athletes named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad last week and nine earned Scholar of Distinction honors on Feb. 20. In addition, 17 student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors this fall.

Courtesy of MSU Athletics.

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Follow along to today's games against Indiana State and Marshall with the preview below!

There's been quite a bit happening in MSU's NIL space lately. In this article, I take a look at a new NIL collective launching soon, a former collective apparently on its way out, and another NIL collective continuing its steady growth. Would love to hear your thoughts.

This was reported previously, but Northwestern officially named Harlon Barnett as assistant head coach/safeties coach on Thursday.

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MSU gymnastics is on the cusp of making history Friday night.

At stake is (1) an outright regular season Big Ten championship, and (2) back-to-back championships, both which would be firsts for MSU gymnastics.

It's our lead story at Spartans Illustrated:

Rutgers is down this year, but they're not terrible. Purdue is not showing lack of effort tonight vs. a decidedly inferior foe. This is what a good team does at home as the season winds down. Painter does not appear to be "searching" for anything with his squad.

This is a veteran team. Thinking back to the preseason, not many thought leadership, passion and overall energy of this team would be a question mark in February, but here we are.

In his postgame press conference, Tom Izzo pointed to the lack of energy as one of the reasons why Michigan State loss.

Fair. I would agree.

But why is a team that is so full of veterans have a lack of energy in a Big Ten game in February?

Think of Izzo's great teams in the past. They always had that guy that wouldn't be afraid to get in people's faces to get the most out of them (Mateen, Green, etc.). I don't think there's any of that with this current team.

Who's the guy on this team that's going to get the team ready for a midweek game at home against an inferior opponent? Who's the guy to get the team fired up and ready to play right from the get go? Who's the guy that helps the team avoid complacency?

From being around the team a lot, I don't have a good answer to those questions. And that's a problem. Right now, my best guess is Davis Smith, who isn't in the rotation. Or maybe A.J. Hoggard but he is inconsistent in that aspect. Hoggard is that guy sometimes. Sometimes he isn't. He needs to be that guy. I just don't think it's going to happen on a consistent basis. That's an issue. And it's not one that can be easily solved. That passion, fire and tenacity is not entirely coachable.

Now, I certainly think there's less passion nowadays in college sports. Maybe a lot of teams are having this issue with their players. I don't know. It could just be the new landscape of college sports and everyone treating it more as a business or it could be a societal thing.

It's been hard to predict games with this team this season. I think that'll continue. They have the potential to make a deep run in March with the talent they have, but they are too inconsistent for me to believe that it will happen. Right now, pending the matchups in tournament play, this looks like a Sweet 16 team at best. I don't think MSU has the ability to play consistent, good basketball on back-to-back weekends.

Let me know your thoughts.

Paul Fanson, Brendan Moore and I get together to break down Michigan State's lackluster performance at home against Iowa and look ahead to the Spartans' game against Ohio State.

Most importantly, Paul gives some numbers about seeding for the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

Watch:

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 8 Michigan State gymnastics (8-3, 5-0 B1G) will look to claim back-to-back Big Ten regular season titles at the Big Five Meet on Friday, Feb. 23, at Penn State's Rec Hall. The Spartans face No. 14 Ohio State (5-2, 4-1 B1G), No. 15 Minnesota (8-1, 4-1), No. 23 Nebraska (5-4, 3-2), and Rutgers (5-9, 0-5) at 6 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

NOTABLES
MSU enters Friday's meet at a program-best No. 8 ranking in the NCAA (197.282 average) after most recently defeating then-No. 25 Maryland, 197.550-195.525, on Feb. 18 in its largest margin of victory this season to remain the only undefeated team in the league. The Spartans' 197.550 was their second-best team score of the season, while MSU also scored a season-high 49.575 on bars.

In the team event rankings, MSU sits in the top 10 on vault (No. 7, 49.321 avg.), bars (No. 6, 49.375) and beam (T-No. 9, 49.214), while ranking 14th on floor (49.371).

Individually, junior Skyla Schulte captured her fourth all-around title in as many all-around appearances this season against Maryland, scoring a season-high 39.600 for the third time this season. Schulte also captured the beam title, tying a career-high 9.950. Freshman MaKayla Tucker won the vault title with a 9.900 against Maryland to earn her first-career event title, while sophomore Sage Kellerman and junior Gabi Stephen tied for the bars title (9.950). Sophomore Nikki Smith earned a share of the floor title (9.900).

Kellerman was named Big Ten Event Specialist for the third time this season this week for her performance against Maryland, earning MSU's fourth Specialist of the Week honor of the season and eighth conference weekly award overall in 2024.

CHASING HISTORY
MSU has won its last two Big Five sessions, scoring a 196.975 in Toledo, Ohio, in 2022, before setting a then-program record of 197.675 at last year's edition of the meet.

With a win on Friday, MSU can earn the outright conference regular season title and become the first team to complete an undefeated Big Ten season since Michigan in 2022. Since the conference began awarding regular season titles in 2013, only Michigan (four times), Minnesota (2016) and Iowa (2021) have gone undefeated in conference action to win the regular season. Michigan (2017-21) and Minnesota (2013-14) are the only teams to win consecutive regular season titles. MSU can also clinch at least of the share of the regular season title on Friday with a second-place finish as the only team without a conference loss heading into the meet.

The Spartans won their first regular season title in program history last season, earning a share of the title with Michigan after posting an 8-1 Big Ten record.

UP NEXT
MSU hosts New Hampshire on Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m. in Jenison Field House for its annual Pink Meet.

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann with her second double-double of the season to lead Spartans to second-straight season sweep.​

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Michigan State women's basketball captured the series sweep against Purdue with a 68-59 win over Purdue on Wednesday evening at Mackey Arena. The Spartans had five players in double figures in the win.

Michigan State has now won two-straight games after earning series sweeps over Michigan and Purdue following Sunday's Victory for MSU at Michigan. The Spartans improve to 19-7 overall and 9-6 in Big Ten play. Purdue falls to 11-15 overall and 4-11 in league action.

The Michigan State bench once again led the way with 29 bench points. Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock topped MSU with 16 points, going 4-for-6 from long range. Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann and graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment both scored 13 points. Hagemann set a new career high with 11 assists to register her second double-double, both coming in the state of Indiana after her first double-double with 19 points and 10 assists at Indiana on Feb. 8. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault scored 12 points, while adding a game-high five blocks. Graduate guard Moira Joiner also added 10 points.

The Spartan offense started cold, missing their first four shots before a Joiner trey got them on the board. Both teams struggled early on as the game was tied 6-6 at the media time out with 4:10 left in the first quarter. MSU used a 9-0 run and kept the Boilermakers off the scoreboard for over four minutes to take a 10-6 lead. After 10 minutes, Michigan State was on top, 16-9.

In the second quarter, the Boilermakers scored six of the first eight of the period. But MSU countered with a spurt of its own and took its first double-digit lead at 29-19 after a Hallock trey. The Spartans ended the half on a 6-0 run to lead at the break, 35-21. Hallock led the Spartans with 11 first-half points, going a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.

Michigan State cooled off early in the third quarter, while Purdue used a 7-0 run near the end of the third quarter to trim the Spartan lead to 10 points, 42-32. MSU went over five minutes without scoring, before a pair of Ozment free throws broke the streak. A long pass from Ayrault to Hallock as time expired put MSU back up by double digits at 46-36, heading in to the fourth period, as Purdue out-scored Michigan State 15-11 in the quarter to close the gap.

The Spartans took as big a lead as 15 points in the fourth quarter, before the Boilermakers went on an 11-0 run to make it a 60-56 game with under two minutes remaining. Ozment once again came up big for the Spartans to stop the Boilermaker streak with 1:35 to go, and Ayrault adding a bucket with 45 seconds left for a 64-56 advantage. After Purdue's Sophie Swanson hit a 3-pointer with 42 ticks, Hagemann went 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the last 20 seconds to secure the Victory for MSU.

Michigan State will now return home to the friendly confines of the Breslin Center to take on Rutgers on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.

Michigan State Women's Basketball Post-Game Notes: at Purdue

• With Wednesday's win, Michigan State improved to 19-7 overall, MSU's most wins since 21 victories in the 2018-19 season

• Michigan State won not just its second-straight game, but completed its second-straight sweep, after winning game two of the season series with Michigan with the Victory for MSU in Ann Arbor Sunday, coupled with Wednesday night's win at Purdue, completing the season sweep over the Boilermakers.

• By winning both regular-season meetings with Purdue this year after the 97-70 win over the Boilermakers on Jan. 24, the Spartans swept the season series for the second time in the last four seasons, also doing so in 2020-21 season, which was also the last season that MSU and PUR played each other twice during the regular season.

• Michigan State won its fourth-straight game at Mackey Arena, as the Spartans' last loss at West Lafayette was in 2017 ... Michigan State has won five of the last seven overall meetings with Purdue, trimming the Boilermakers' overall series lead to 44-39, and 23-12 in West Lafayette.

• MSU's 68 points were its season-low in a win for the second-straight game after the 70 winning points in the 70-66 triumph at Michigan on Sunday, becoming the first time Michigan State has won when scoring under 70 points, now 1-3.

• The Spartan defense held Purdue to just 58 points, which is a season-low in a B1G game for the MSU defense ... Michigan State is now 5-0 when holding the opposition under 60 points.

• Michigan State's starting five for Wednesday's game made up of junior guard DeeDee Hagemann, sophomore guard Abbey Kimball junior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate, graduate guard Moira Joiner and graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault was MSU's 17th-consecutive game with those five Spartans on the court for tip-off ... Michigan State has started a total of 23 games this season with that starting five, improving to 16-7 on the season.

• MSU's bench out-scored Purdue's reserves, 29-19, doing so with only three players in sophomore guard Theryn Hallock with a team-high 16 points, graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment with 13 points and junior guard Lauren Ross, who didn't score in three minutes of action ... the Spartans improved to 16-5 when having more bench points.

• Along with Hallock and Ozment's 16 and 13 points, respectively, junior guard DeeDeeHagemann added 13 points, while graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault added 12 points and graduate guard Moira Joiner tossed in 10 points.

• The five Spartans in double-figures moved MSU to 8-2 when five or more net double-digit points.

• Hallock's 16 points was boosted by a career-high tying four 3-pointers, and her career-best in a B1G game, matching her career-high four triples vs. DePaul (11/30/23) ... the four treys Wednesday was her eighth game this season with multiple triples.

• The 16 points was Hallock's sixth-straight double-digit scoring outing for her 14th game with double-figures.

• Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann registered her second career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 11 assists ... both of Hagemann's double-doubles have come in the state of Indiana and in the month of February, joining her 19 points and 10 assists outing at Indiana (2/8/24).

• Hagemann's 11 assists marks her top three career assists marks have come on the road ... Wednesday's 11 assists tops her, which also came on the road, at Oakland on Nov. 26, 2021, during her freshman season.

• With 13 points, Hagemann recorded her fifth-consecutive game in double-figures, marking the 18th time this season and 40th of her career, second-most among active Spartans behind Joiner who posted double-figures for the 52nd time of her career Wednesday.

• Ozment's 13 points was her second game in a row with double-figures for her first back-to-back games in double-digits since Jan. 14 and 17 vs. Ohio State and Northwestern, respectively ... Wednesday was Ozment's 13th double-figure scoring game this season and 27th of her career.

• Ayrault stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds, five blocks, four assists and one steal in just over 31 minutes of playing time, finishing with a game-best +20 for the night.

• The 12 points was Ayrault's eighth game in a row in double-figure points and her 20th this season and 33rd of her career, third among active Spartans behind Joiner (52) and Hagemann (40).

• Ayrault's five blocks tied her second-most this season, behind her career-best seven swats vs. Evansville (11/19/23).

• The five blocks gives Ayrault 58 rejections this season, which are the most by a Spartan in a single-season since 2009-10 when Allyssa DeHaan had 101 rejections ... with the 58 blocks, Ayrault vaults up to sole possession of the No. 5 spot on MSU's single-season blocks list, pulling away from a tie for No. 6 with Kristen Rasmussen (1999-2000) with 53 rejections, and passing Rasmussen at the No. 5 spot with 57 in the 1998-98 season.

• With five blocks Wednesday, Ayrault now has 129 blocks, also No. 5 on the Spartans' career blocks list and just five shy of the No. 4 spot held by Kelli Roehrig (2001-05) with 134 blocks.

• The team-high eight rebounds was Ayrault's team-leading 15th game leading the Spartans on the glass, as MSU moves to 9-6 when she leads the squad in boards.

• Joiner's 10 points snapped a streak of two games in single-digits, marking her first back-to-back games without scoring 10+ points ... the 10 points Wednesday was her 23rd double-figure outing this season and leads all active Spartans with 52 career games in double-digits.

• The 10 points by Joiner gives her 1,094 career points, moving up to No. 26 on MSU's career scoring list, passing Bella Engen (1994-98) with 1,088 points, and just four points from Jenna Allen (2015-19) with 1,098 for the No. 25 spot and 14 from the No. 24 spot held by Becky Cummins (1997-2001) with 1,108 points.

• Joiner netted two 3-pointers for her second multiple triple outing in the last three games and the 16th game this season with multi treys.

• The two 3-pointers gives Joiner 189 for her career, just 11 shy of becoming the fourth Spartan women's basketball player with 200 career 3-pointers ... Joiner is holding the No. 5 spot on MSU's career 3-pointers list, just 29 from the No. 4 spot held by Maxann Reese (1996-2000).

Recap courtesy of MSU Athletics.

MSU defeated the Boilermakers in East Lansing earlier this season.​

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EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball will conclude its two-game road swing, traveling to Purdue on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. This is the second meeting between the Spartans and the Boilermakers with MSU winning in East Lansing, 97-70 on Jan. 24. JJ Palmer and Alex Brophy will be on the call for the BTN Plus.

• The Spartans returned to the winning column with a 70-66 win over Michigan on the road on Feb. 18. MSU is now 18-7 overall and 8-6 in Big Ten play. This is the first time since the 2018-19 season that the Spartans have reached the 18-win mark.

• Purdue is 11-14 this season and holds a 4-10 record in league play. The Boilermakers are 2-2 in their last four games, falling to Nebraska 77-65 at home on Feb. 17.

• For the first time since the 2018-19 season, Michigan State swept the season series with Michigan. In that season, MSU defeated Michigan 77-73 on Jan. 27 in Ann Arbor. The Spartans completed the sweep at home, 74-64, in East Lansing on Feb. 24. Prior to the win in East Lansing this season on Jan. 27, Michigan had won six of the last seven in the series. The win on Sunday was the 100th meeting of the two in-state rivals with MSU leading the series 75-25.

• Against Michigan on Feb. 18, graduate guard Moira Joiner tied her career high with six steals against Michigan on Sunday. She previously had six steals against Michigan on Feb. 5, 2023.

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SCOUTING PURDUE
This is the second meeting of the season between the Boilermakers and the Spartans. Michigan State took the first meeting 97-70 on Jan. 24. Purdue stands 11-14 overall and 4-10 in league contests.

The Boilermakers are 2-2 in their last four games with wins against Illinois and at Northwestern. Purdue has losses at Indiana and at home against Nebraska.

Purdue is second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.778) and seventh in assists (7.48 apg). The Boilermakers are 11th in scoring offense (68.2 ppg), while standing ninth in scoring defense (69.5 ppg).

Jeanae Terry is tied with Julia Ayrault for eighth in the league in rebounding, averaging 7.1 rpg. Terry is also second in assists with 6.2 apg.

Head coach Katie Gearlds is in her third season at Purdue, leading the Boilermakers to back-to-back postseason bids, including the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017. She holds and overall record of 275-90. During her three seasons at Purdue she has a record of 47-40.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BOILERMAKERS
Purdue leads the overall series with Michigan State 44-38. The Spartans are on top of the series in the Breslin Center 25-16, while the Boilermakers are on top 23-11 in West Lafayette. On neutral ground, Purdue leads 5-2. The Boilermakers have won the two of the last meetings in East Lansing, before MSU's dominating 97-70 win on Jan. 24. The Spartans have won three-straight games in West Lafayette with their last win coming on Jan. 3, 2021 by a score of 71-64.

LAST TIME VS PURDUE
Graduate guard Moira Joiner became the 30th member of the Michigan State women's basketball 1,000-point club early in the first quarter, as the Spartans rolled past Purdue, 97-70 on Jan. 24 at the Breslin Center.

Overall, five Spartans reached double figures in the win. Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock set a new career high with 24 points off the bench, going 10-for-12 from the field. Graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment also set a new career high with 23 points off the bench, also adding eight rebounds. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault was just shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore guard Abbey Kimball scored 10 points in the victory.

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Perhaps the tight end prospect in the 2025 class that has seen the biggest uptick in his recruitment as of late is three-star Georgia product Hayden Bradley.

Currently with 35 scholarship offers to his name and counting, with the majority of those coming in after the calendar changed to 2024, Bradley has caught the attention of many schools and is quickly rising through the ranks.

Michigan State is the latest program to offer Bradley. The Buford High School standout is intrigued by the Spartans under head coach Jonathan Smith, tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator Brian Wozniak and the rest of the staff.

He also has another connection to MSU as he played with current Spartan safety Malik Spencer at Buford for one year.

"Awesome school and it has a nice tight end record," Bradley said with excitement. "Also, my guy Malik Spencer is there and would be cool playing with him.
"My freshman year I got to play with Malik Spencer and he took me under his wing and we formed a great bond," Bradley noted. "He was a true leader on and off the field and now is balling over at MSU."

More here:

A.J. Hoggard on the loss:

“I don’t like losing, especially when we were on the up that we were on. And knowing what these games mean, every game is a big game, especially toward the end. It’s depressing. It’s draining.”

More from Hoggard, Tyson Walker and Malik Hall:

Via Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports

Michigan State (17-9, 9-6) is back in action as the Spartans host Iowa (15-11, 7-8) at the Breslin Center.

MSU is coming off two straight road wins against Penn State and Michigan. The Hawkeyes just beat Wisconsin in Iowa City.

Tip off is set for approximately 7 p.m. on Peacock.

@KLuce98 and I will be in East Lansing for this one.
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Glad to hear he got the LB coaching job at Notre Dame. He will be a future DC. Does anyone know why he was suspended for the Rose Bowl game?

It's funny, really, how the math works out sometime. Back on Jan. 13, following the loss at Illinois, I wrote the following:

"I am here to tell you that there is no need to panic, at least not yet. The primary reason that I enjoy tinkering with sports-related numbers is that they help me to put the results that I see on the hardwood (or gridiron) into context. They also help to remove the emotional component of the game. Numbers are a tool that help us to understand the past and to predict the future. These numbers tell me that the Michigan State men's basketball team is going to be just fine...

"Starting on Sunday (with the home game against Rutgers), the Spartans' schedule gets much easier. Michigan State should be favored in every game except the road game at Wisconsin, with the home game against Illinois being a toss-up. My calculations say that the Spartans should go at least 8-4 in that stretch, which would get the Green and White back over .500 with three games remaining. But that assumes that the Spartans' luck will continue to be poor. If the bad luck starts to reverse, Michigan State could easily go 10-2 in that stretch (or better) and find itself sitting at 11-6 (or better) as the calendar turns to March with some serious momentum."

Well, well, well, it seems that the math might have known something after all. The Spartans did, in fact go 8-2 in the first ten games of the 12-game series mentioned above. The Spartans will be heavy favorites in the two home games against Iowa and Ohio State to complete the series.

But now that my mid-January prediction has come true, what does it mean for the rest of the season?

Following the win over the Wolverines, the Spartans actually have a slightly better chance to finish 13-7 than 12-8. MSU has passed Wisconsin to sit in third place in expected wins. There is even a VERY narrow path to get back into the Big Ten race (with a little help from Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa).

And then there is the NCAA Tournament. Not long ago, a lot of fans were very nervous about even keeping the current streak alive. Today, MSU looks very safe. I estimate about a 99% chance that MSU will make the Big Dance. Furthermore, the data that I use suggests that MSU's potential seed is much higher than the No. 8 or No. 9 seed that many are now predicting. Believe it or not, I have MSU as a No. 5 seed, right now. This is not a homer pick, either, it is 100% based on #math. As we have seen, the math is often pretty accurate.

Anyway, check out my latest update here:

Softball Earns Sweep on Day One of Maverick Invitational​

ARLINGTON, Texas – Michigan State softball put a pair of wins in the record book on Friday afternoon at the Maverick Invitational, defeating DePaul (8-0) and Kansas City (13-2). MSU racked up 16 hits in game two against Kansas City, a program-best during the Coach Sho era.

Several Spartans turned in impressive performances on Friday. Senior Collette Allen went 5-for-6 with two home runs, a double, a walk and five RBI. Freshman Jaeya Butler was 4-for-5 at the plate with a home run, a double and an RBI. Sophomore's Sydney Doloszycki and Britain Beshears each hit a pair of home runs with two RBI. Senior Alexis Ross and junior Macy Lee both finished the day with three hits.

In the circle, senior Liv Grey pitched five shutout innings and struck out nine while earning the first win of her Spartan career.

Game One – Michigan State 8, DePaul 0​

Senior Liv Grey (1-3) started in the circle and tossed a gem allowing just two hits and striking out a season-high nine batters through five innings. Grey was relieved by senior Ashlyn Roberts who pitched a 1-2-3 sixth frame.

MSU collected six hits in the contest and drew a trio of walks. Senior Collette Allen turned in a multi-hit performance with a two-run home run and an RBI single. Freshman Jaeya Butler, sophomore Sydney Doloszycki, sophomore Britain Beshears and junior Macy Lee all collected base knocks. Doloszycki, Butler and Beshears all homered for the Spartans. Senior AJ Militello drove in the run-ruling RBI on a sac fly.

Butler got the scoring started with a first pitch swinging solo home run to dead center field to lead off the second inning. A single through the left side of the infield by Lee put one on base for Allen, who followed up with her first Spartan home run beyond the right field fence, putting MSU ahead 3-0.

Michigan State continued to extend its lead in the third when Doloszycki hit her first career long ball, a solo shot to left. Beshears extended MSU's advantage in the fourth with her second home run of the season as the Spartans continued to show off their strength.

A three-run sixth inning concluded game one by run rule as Allen tallied her third RBI of the morning on a single to shortstop to put MSU ahead 6-0. A bases loaded wild pitch score Lee from third before a Militello sac fly ended things.

Game Two – Michigan State 13, Kansas City 2​

Junior Madison Taylor (1-1) took the ball in game two tossing 4.2 innings, allowing one earned run and striking out three. Fellow junior Faith Guidry made her way to the circle in relief pitching 1.1 innings, striking out two and earning her third career save.

Butler kept her day going in game two with a first inning RBI single that scored Ross. Kansas City was quick to tie things up in the home half of the first using a pair of Spartan errors to their advantage.

Michigan State added to its tally with a three-run fourth. A two-out, two-run Beshears homer to center started the rally for MSU before Militello doubled to the wall in right-center to score Allen from first.

Kansas City cut MSU's advantage to two in the fourth after a double down the left field line plated one Roo runner.

After back-to-back base hits to lead off the inning, a timely two-out bases loaded single by Conroy in the fifth pushed Michigan State's lead back to three. It was the first RBI of Conroy's career. Kansas City looked to do some damage in the home half of the fifth, but Guidry induced a weak pop out to end a bases loaded threat.

A Hawley single started an eight-run Spartan rally in the sixth as walks from Butler and Lee loaded the bases. Hawley came around to score on a passed ball before a Beshears ground out plated Butler. With two down, Allen slugged her second home run of the day to right, putting MSU ahead 9-2. Things started to spiral for Kansas City after Militello reached on a two-out error. Ross drove in one on a single to right before Doloszycki unloaded on a ball to deep left that cleared the outfield berm. The three-run homer was Doloszycki's second of the day and the second of her career.

Long Ball Paces Softball to Two Wins Saturday​

ARLINGTON, Texas – Michigan State softball's offense was rolling for the second-straight day on Saturday as the Spartans took down Boise State (8-5) and UT Arlington (9-1) on day two of the Maverick Invitational.

MSU is now 4-0 on the weekend and improves to 4-5 overall on the season. Michigan State's offense hit .354 on the day (22-for-62) with six home runs. The Spartans have now hit 13 home runs this weekend.

Game One – Michigan State 8, Boise State 5​

Junior Madison Taylor started in the circle and took a no decision, striking out three in 3.1 innings of work. Earning the win was junior Faith Guidry (1-1) who struck out two and allowed just one hit over 3.2 frames. Senior Ashlyn Roberts also pitched in relief.

Michigan State posted another big offensive performance with 12 hits and eight runs going against the reigning National Pitcher of the Week, Taylor Caudill. Senior Alexis Ross led the Spartans with three hits, while sophomore Hannah Hawley, freshman Jaeya Butler and junior Macy Lee each added two. Butler and Lee homered, with Ross, Hawley and sophomore Sydney Doloszycki reaching on doubles. Freshman Payton Conroy put herself on base twice with a single and a walk.

Taylor staved off several Bronco threats early on, including a bases loaded situation in the first that ended in a Taylor strikeout. Boise State broke through first however, scoring on a single to short in the third inning.

A Conroy walk and a perfectly placed bunt single by Ross put two runners on with two outs for Hawley in the home half of the third. Hawley came through in the clutch for MSU rocketing a single up the middle to score both runners and give the Spartans a 2-1 lead. Hawley's two RBI on Saturday ties her career best.

Boise State gained an advantage in the fourth scoring four runs to lead Michigan State, 5-2.

The top of MSU's batting order continued to do work in the fifth, with base hits by Ross and Hawley setting the stage for Butler. Butler sent an 0-1 pitch over the center field fence to tie the game at 5-5, her second home run of the weekend.

Guidry settled in and pitched scoreless fifth, sixth and seventh frames to hold the Broncos at bay while the Spartan offense heated up. Doloszycki led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to put one runner in scoring position for MSU. Butler later drew an intentional walk due to her continued strong performance this weekend.

With two on in the bottom of the seventh, Lee powered a ball over the center field fence to walk it off with a three-run shot. It was Lee's first home run of the season and the third of her career. Her three RBI on Saturday is a new personal best.

Game Two – Michigan State 9, UT Arlington 1​

Senior Liv Grey (2-3) made her second start of the weekend in game two and struck out nine in six innings. Grey threw five scoreless frames, allowing just one earned run on four hits. Junior Madison Taylor relieved Grey in the seventh and struck out a pair of Maverick batters.

Michigan State's offense kept up the momentum from game one, scoring nine runs on 10 hits (six extra-base). Sophomore's Hannah Hawley and Britain Beshears each finished the game with three hits. Hawley doubled and homered, while Beshears hit a pair of home runs for the second straight day. Freshman Payton Conroy hit her first career home run late and was second on the team with three RBI to Beshears' four. Also with hits were freshman Jaeya Butler, junior Macy Lee and senior Collette Allen.

Beshears broke the scoreless stretch in the fourth, slugging her third home run of the weekend to put MSU up 2-0. UTA got one back in the bottom of the fourth after a trio of singles pushed a run across.

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A two-out rally saw the Spartans take a 5-1 lead in the sixth. Allen drew and walk and senior AJ Militello was hit by a pitch to put Conroy up to bat. Conroy unloaded on the first pitch she saw and placed it over the center field fence for her first career home run.

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Another big inning saw Michigan State extend its lead to 9-1 in the seventh. Hawley hit a homer of the solo variety to start things. After a double by Butler, Lee singled down the left field line to put another run on the board. With one on after the Lee single, Beshears smashed her second home run of the game to extend MSU's advantage.

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Coming in to close things out, Taylor induced a weak grounder before striking out the final two batters of the game.

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Softball Drops Maverick Invitational Finale in Low-Scoring Affair​

ARLINGTON, Texas – One run was the difference in Michigan State softball's 4-3 loss to Boise State to wrap up play at the Maverick Invitational on Sunday. The Spartans took a 3-0 lead early, but Boise State scored four unanswered to earn the victory.

Michigan State finishes the weekend 4-1 and moves to 4-6 overall. Boise State, who is receiving votes in this week's NFCA Coaches Poll, improves to 6-2.

Senior Liv Grey made her second start of the weekend and struck out five batters through 2.2 innings in the circle. Grey allowed two earned runs before being relieved by junior Faith Guidry. Guidry (1-2) pitched 3.0 innings, striking out one and allowing one earned run. Junior Madison Taylor recorded the final out on the visiting side of the scoreboard.

Sophomore Hannah Hawley paced the MSU offense with three hits, including an RBI double in the second inning. Also with an RBI double was sophomore Sydney Doloszycki who drew a walk in the seventh. Junior Macy Lee and senior Collette Allen each tallied one base knock. As a team Michigan State out-hit Boise State, 6-5.

Two-out hitting continued to be a strong-suit of the Spartans early and that was evident in the second inning. Allen led-off the inning with an infield single before moving to third on a sac bunt and a wild pitch. After freshman Payton Conroy drew a walk on a pitch clock violation, Allen stole home on a double-steal situation for MSU's first run of the contest.

With Conroy on second and two outs, Doloszycki doubled her home and Hawley later traded places with her to put three on the board for Michigan State. Hawley's double to right hit the top of the fence and bounced back into play.

Boise State got one run back in the bottom of the second on a solo shot to right-center, and later tied the game in the third on a two-run homer to left. The Broncos used a two-out double to take a 4-3 lead over MSU in the fourth.

Down to its final out in the seventh, Michigan State put two runners on after Doloszycki walked and Hawley singled through the left side. There were no late-inning heroics on Sunday however as a fly out ended things.

Up Next
Michigan State starts its spring break trek through North and South Carolina next weekend when it heads to Durham, N.C. for the Duke Invitational on Feb. 23-25. The Spartans will also make single-game stops at Campbell (Feb. 27) and UNC Wilmington (Feb. 28). MSU concludes its trip at the Chanticleer Showdown in Conway, S.C. on March 1-3.

Recap courtesy of MSU Athletics.