Quick update, but I have gotten word on what a few of the Michigan State football assistant coaches have been up to during the bye week. As expected, many are on the road recruiting.

-Assistant head coach/co-special teams coordinator/running backs coach Keith Bhonapha traveled to Chicago yesterday

-Wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins has been in New Jersey/out on the East Coast and offering some prospects out that way.

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-Cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin is in his home state of California and offered a plethora of Tustin High School prospects.

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Earlier this week, tight ends coach Brian Wozniak was in North Carolina and offered 2026 tight end/athlete William Vaughn

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I believe some coaches stayed in state and will be checking out their commits/prospects of interest in the Michigan playoffs.

Thursday night was a long time coming for junior forward/center Jaxon Kohler. A preseason foot injury derailed his sophomore campaign. He still played in 21 games during the 2023-2024 season, but Kohler did not live up to pre-injury expectations, through no fault of his own.

After an offseason full of putting on more mass and working on his game ahead of the 2024-2025 campaign, Kohler was the standout performer in Michigan State’s 96-60 win over Niagara on Thursday night.

Kohler recorded career-highs in both points, with 20, and rebounds, with 13, against the Purple Eagles. He shot 8-for-12 from the field and only played 18 minutes. It was his second career double-double.

“On the court, it felt great,” Kohler said after the win over Niagara. “On the court, it felt like I finally got to show people what I’m capable of. It’s been a weird, difficult road and (on Thursday night) I felt like I really showed people what I could do. Not only that, but I can do more in the future.”

More:

It's very early on in the recruiting process for 2028 cornerback/athlete, but he has already received 12 scholarship offers. Michigan State is the latest program to offer and he looks forward to taking a visit in the future.

Rutgers, Penn State and others are standing out in the early going for him.

"It felt great to get a Michigan State offer," Evans said. "I was excited to get another Big Ten offer."

More here:

This is the second meeting of the season between the two teams.​

EAST LANSING, Mich. - No. 5-seeded Michigan State men's soccer will take on No. 4-seeded Washington in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. ET. The quarterfinals and semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament will be held at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.

The Spartans ended the regular season with a 5-7-4 overall record and an even 4-4-2 mark in Big Ten action. Last time out, MSU fell to Rutgers, 1-0, in the home finale on Nov. 3.

Dean Linke and Patrick Doody will be on the call for the Big Ten Plus.

TOURNEY TIDBITS
Michigan State is the No. 5 seed in the tournament, facing No. 4-seeded Washington. This is the Huskies inaugural appearance in the B1G Tournament. Last season as the No. 3 seed, the Spartans fell to No. 6 Ohio State, 1-0 at DeMartin Stadium in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament

After a scoreless first half, OSU netted the match's lone goal in the 54th minute and withstood a late MSU rally. Michigan State is seeking its first Big Ten Tournament win since 2016.

WINDY CITY MAGIC
The game against the No. 4-seeded Huskies is MSU's first in Illinois since winning the 2012 Big Ten Tournament in Evanston. In that game, the Spartans defeated Michigan, 2-1 in overtime. The 97th minutes golden goal from Sean Conerty gave the Spartans their third Big Ten Tournament title.

LOOKING AT THE HUSKIES
Washington heads into the Big Ten Tournament on a hot streak, winning four-straight games. UW has moved up to No. 19 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches poll. The Huskies earned the No. 4 seed on the last day of the season with a 1-0 road win over UCLA on Nov. 3.

Charlie Kosakoff and Peter Kingston are tied for seventh in the Big Ten in points scored with 14 points. Kosakoff is tied for eighth in the league with five goals scored. Jadon Bowton has played 17 games in goal for the Huskies. He has allowed only 17 goals for a 1.00 GAA.

SERIES HISTORY
Michigan State won its first-ever game against Washington on Sept. 13. Behind a goal from Jonathan Stout, the Spartans captured a 1-0 win at DeMartin Stadium. The Huskies still lead the overall series 2-1-1. The teams met in Seattle in 2022 when the Huskies came out on top 4-1. In 2019 in East Lansing, UW edged MSU, 1-0. In the 2014 NCAA Tournament in East Lansing, the teams tied 2-2 with MSU advancing on penalty kicks, 4-3.

DID YOU KNOW?
The Buckeyes were the first No. 1 team that MSU has faced since falling to No. 1 Creighton on Sept. 13, 2015.

LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State men's soccer was nipped by Rutgers, 1-0, on Spartan Senior Celebration Day, presented by HAP, on a Sunday afternoon at DeMartin Stadium.

Rutgers scored in the 83rd minute to take the lead, but Michigan State had several late chances including a penalty kick with 43 seconds left that went wide to deny the draw and spoil the Spartans' Senior Day festivities.

After the match, Michigan State men's soccer celebrated Zack Babiak, Efosa Emovon, Levin Gerhardt, Sean Kerrigan and Shion Soga in their final regular-season matches at DeMartin Stadium in the Green & White.

FINDING THE W
The Spartans are looking for their first win since a 2-0 win over Wisconsin on Oct. 11. Since that game, MSU has gone 0-2-2.

FINDING HIS GROOVE
Junior midfielder Jonathan Stout leads the team in scoring with four goals and two assist for 10 points. He now has points in four of the Spartans' last nine games. Stout has now reached double figures in scoring all three seasons that he has been at Michigan State with 12 as a freshman and 10 as a sophomore.

Sophomore forward Richie Ludwig, senior midfielder Sean Kerrigan, junior midfielder Jack Guggemos, sophomore defender Will Eby and freshman forward Mohamed Saad have also found the back of the net this season. Junior midfielder Cristiano Bruletti scored his first goal as a Spartan against Indiana on Oct. 18 on a penalty kick.

WRACKING UP THE CLEAN SHEETS
Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Zac Kelly has earned six shutouts this season, including five in Big Ten play. He now has 11 career shutouts in two complete seasons for the Spartans. He has a 1.14 GAA this season and a 1.04 career GAA. The six shutouts were the most since Jimmy Hague had nine in 2018.

PUTTING UP THE POINTS
Against No. 1 Ohio State, senior midfielder Seam Kerrigan added a goal and an assist in the tie against the Buckeyes. Kerrigan is second on the team in scoring behind Jonathan Stout with four goals and one assist for nine points. He is first on the team in shots on goal with 13. In his two seasons at MSU, he has scored 10 goals with one assist for 21 points. For his career, he has 35 goals with 12 assists for 82 points.

FRESHMAN FRENZY
Freshman defender Brandon Munson has made the most of his brief time as a Spartan. He has played in all 14 games, starting 12. Against Washington on Sept. 13, his bicycle kick back save prevented the Huskies from scoring and was the No. 1 play on ESPN SportsCenter. Fellow freshman forward Mohamed Saad has also played in all 13 games, starting five. He has scored one goal this season against Oregon State. Munson has missed the last two games with injury.

PACKING THE STANDS
Michigan State is 11h in the nation in attendance this season, averaging 1,805 fans per game this season. That stands third in the Big Ten behind Indiana (2,774), which is third and Maryland (2,237), which is sixth.

GETTING IN THE LINEUP
Through 16 games this season, MSU has used 10 different starting lineups. In the first 16 games, three Spartans have started every in Zac Kelly, Cristiano Bruletti and Josh Adam. Kelly and Adam are the only Spartans with over 1,400 minutes played. Cristiano Bruletti (1,266) and Will Eby (1,226)stand second and third, respectively in minutes played.

PLAY THE BEST TO BE THE BEST
Michigan State's tie against No. 1 Ohio State was the Spartans' sixth game against a ranked team. MSU is 2-2-2 against ranked teams this season with a wins against No. 15 UCLA and No. 25 Wisconsin. MSU has losses against No. 12/7 Maryland and No. 5 Oregon State. To open the season, the Spartans tied No. 25 SIUE, 1-1. Washington is currently ranked No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.

HERMANN TROPHY
Junior midfielder Jonathan Stout was named to the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List. The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year. Stout is the first Spartan to make the list since Giuseppe Barone and Patrick Nielsen were named to the Hermann Watch List in 2019.

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

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EAST LANSING, Mich. – After placing fourth at the Big Ten Championships, Michigan State's Rachel Forsyth was named the Big Ten Women's Cross Country Freshman of the Year, the conference office announced Thursday.

The Big Ten Conference also announced that MSU senior Taylor Ewert and sophomore Parker Lambers were the Spartan women's and men's recipients of the B1G Sportsmanship Awards, respectively.

Finishing fourth in the Big Ten Championship, Forsyth also garnered first-team All-Big Ten honors. Her time of 19:26.2 was a Michigan State Big Ten Championship record, just besting All-American Leah O'Connor who won the 2014 title with a time of 19:26.3. At the Big Ten Championship, Forsyth improved upon her 6k time of 20:16.0 set at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals on Oct. 19.

The Ann Arbor native becomes the first Spartan to win the award since Kaitlyn Hynes in 2021 and Maggie Farrell in 2017. She is only the sixth Michigan State woman to be named the top Big Ten rookie in program history.

Ewert, a senior from Beavercreek, Ohio, had the fourth-best finish for the MSU women at the conference championships. The Arkansas transfer set an MSU personal-best time of 20:15.8 to finish 48th. She has been a solid performer all season for the MSU women competing in both the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals (20:39.5 - 6k) and the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational (17:04.4 - 5k).

Lambers has had a breakout season for the Spartans. A native of Holland, Michigan, Lambers scored in the Big Ten Championships with a time of 23:32.3 in the 8k race. Earlier this season, he set a personal best at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational with a time of 23:20.0.

Michigan State continues postseason action on Friday, Nov. 15 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals in Norton, Ohio.

Release courtesy of MSU Athletics.

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Michigan State's rotation goes 10, 11 or 12 deep. Keeping guys fresh and wearing down opponents is a method that will be replicable for the Spartans throughout the season.

“We have guys coming off the bench, we have the starters — everyone can do a little bit of everything, and when we have our rotations and our next guys coming in, there’s no drop off."

Read here:

How Bill Self and Kansas rebuilt from their worst season​

Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self is determined to put last season behind him and live up to the expectations of being the No. 1 team again in 2024-25. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

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  Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff WriterNov 8, 2024, 08:00 AM ET

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- In retrospect, even Bill Self admits the timing wasn't ideal. Less than an hour after Kansas' 2023-24 season ended in an 89-68 second-round NCAA tournament defeat to Gonzaga, Self was asked how long the loss would stick with him.

"I think for the last month, I've been thinking about next season, to be honest," the Kansas coach said.

The wheels had long since fallen off for Kansas, which opened last season at No. 1 and still sat at No. 4 in early February. After opening the season with 13 wins in their first 14 games, the Jayhawks went 10-10, including 5-7 in their final 12 games. Their 23-11 overall record and 10-8 record in the Big 12 were the program's worst since Self took over in 2003.

Self looking ahead to more hopeful days wasn't a surprise. But saying it right after a 21-point tournament loss raised some eyebrows.

​

"If you sit in our meetings, 50 percent of the time what we're talking about isn't this year's team," Self told ESPN in late October. "It's who we're going to recruit. Portal, money, what can we afford? Salary cap, roster management. That's what we talk about all the time. Now, the timing of saying it right after the game ..." ... But what I said was actually 100 percent accurate."

Self's post-game comments set the tone for Kansas' off-season. After a hyper-aggressive portal push in which the Jayhawks signed five perimeter players, Kansas finds itself in a familiar position as the 2024-25 college basketball season begins: No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.


After two exhibition games that included a loss at Arkansas and a win over Washburn, the regular season started off with an 87-57 win over Howard. Now, the difficult part: living up to the expectations, avoiding a repeat of last season's collapse. And it starts with Friday's blue-blood showdown against No. 9 North Carolina (7 p.m. EST, ESPN) -- the first heavyweight team on a schedule that also includes Michigan State, Duke and Creighton before Big 12 play begins.
"There's definitely a different mindset and a different kind of motivation," center Hunter Dickinson said. "We're going to need everybody we've got."

---

Lost in the analysis of Kansas' second-half struggles last season was that the Jayhawks were one of the best teams in the country through the first two months. At full strength, they beat UConn, Tennessee and Kentucky. The losses in February and March coincided with the health of All-American forward Kevin McCullar Jr., who sat out eight games because of a bone bruise and was hampered for the final two months of the season.

Without him, Self had to rely on a shortened rotation that included his starters routinely playing 35-plus minutes per game.
"I actually thought last year we played to that ranking early in the season," he said. "But when it counted the most, we didn't sniff playing to that ranking. There were reasons why, but you can't make excuses.

"If a pro goes down, if the wrong guy goes down, it's going to hurt your team regardless. But we didn't have a way to combat that with depth."

So by the round-of-32 loss to Gonzaga, Self already had a reloading plan in mind. In Dajuan Harris Jr., KJ Adams Jr. and Dickinson, he had three veteran anchors around whom to build. Five-star freshman Flory Bidunga, ranked No. 18 in the ESPN 100, was coming in to provide depth behind Dickinson.
What was left to add? Guards and wings. Shooters and athletes with length. Kansas ranked 11th in the Big 12 last season in 3-point shooting and the Jayhawks consistently had trouble creating their own shots and defending teams who could attack aggressively off the dribble.

"I told my staff, we got to get guys that are good enough -- eight starters that can play meaningful starter minutes at Kansas if something happens," Self said. "And I think that we did that for the most part."

South Dakota State transfer Zeke Mayo was the first one, picking the Jayhawks on April 2. Florida transfer Riley Kugel committed one day later, followed by AJ Storr (Wisconsin) and Rylan Griffen (Alabama) later in April. Mississippi State transfer Shakeel Moore arrived in June and Northern Illinois transfer David Coit in August.

All of these players bring plenty to Lawrence, but most importantly: They can shoot. Mayo and Griffen each shot better than 39% from 3 last season; Storr and Coit are both above 35% for their careers. Moore was above 36% last season, too.

Another newcomer is ESPN 100 freshman Rakease Passmore, who signed last fall and maintained his commitment despite the influx of talent.
"I think coming in they probably thought he would redshirt or were expecting him to, but I think he's one of our better perimeter defenders and he makes an impact when he is out there," Dickinson said of Passmore. "So I feel like it's going to be hard for him not to be on the floor sometimes."
Zeke Mayo was a 39% 3-point shooter last season at South Dakota State and should get heavy minutes on a deep roster at Kansas. Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
When the dust settled, the Jayhawks brought in six new perimeter players with whom to surround Harris, Adams and Dickinson.
"I feel like the athleticism is definitely different than last year," Dickinson said. "We got a lot more athletes on the team. Like last year, our best warmup dunker was a walk-on. The warmup lines will look way different this year."

As Kansas kept adding more players, from the outside it looked congested. But then Kugel and high school recruit Labaron Philon decommitted, and Elmarko Jackson, who started 16 games last season, sustained a season-ending injury. The bodies -- and competition for minutes -- now seemed necessary.
"At some point in our careers, everybody's going to face adversity for whatever reason," Storr said. "If that's playing time, fighting to get on a roster -- this is just preparation for that. I understand it's going to be somebody different every night."

And there are signs Kansas' offseason roster approach is working. Against Howard, the Jayhawks shot 50% from 3-point range and made 11 3s; they made more than 11 3s only once last season and hit the 50% mark only twice. They also played 10 players at least 14 minutes; only seven players averaged more than eight minutes last season.

"Everything is interchangeable," Self said. "How do we address length? How do we address perimeter shooting? Nobody's going to beat KJ out, but if we're going to play KJ, we need to put shooters around him. ...Our house looks crowded, but after you watch us practice, it's not near as crowded as what people think."

---

Despite most of the newcomers arriving in Lawrence with plenty of college experience, playing at Kansas -- and alongside so many proven producers -- requires a change in approach. Not only do most have to prepare for a diminished role on offense, but some have to alter their team vs. individual perspective.
"It's not been a change with my game, necessarily. I would say mindset," Storr said.

Dickinson went through a similar process when he arrived from Michigan, where he earned All-American honors, in the spring of 2023.
After the Wolverines earned a Big Ten title and 1-seed in 2021, they went a combined 37-31 in Dickinson's final two seasons at Michigan. As the losses piled up in his final season under coach Juwan Howard, Dickinson made headlines for the wrong reasons: calling Wisconsin "scumbags" on a podcast and wearing a ski mask while walking into a game against the Badgers.

Hunter Dickinson puts in the hook shot and lets the crowd hear it. Then Kobe Bufkin hits a three to end the half, and Dickinson eggs on the crowd more.
Upon arriving at Kansas, he shifted his motivation from his individual game to winning at the highest level -- and that hunger for titles brought a tweak in his personality.

"I probably have dialed it back a little bit in what I say and stuff. Just coming to Kansas, I was trying to mature a little bit," Dickinson said. "I know how much winning means and especially winning at a place like this, what it can do for your basketball career, for your life in general. ... Other people offered me more NIL money, but I knew if I didn't win, there was no point in going to those schools because it wasn't going to help me get to where I really wanted to go."
As a freshman at St. John's, Storr's team went 18-15 and missed the NCAA tournament. Last season at Wisconsin, the Badgers went 22-14 and lost to 12-seed James Madison in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

"UConn got four guys drafted and, statistically, some of those guys' numbers weren't as good as other players out there. But they're the ones that got drafted because they won a national championship," Storr said. "Winning is the main thing I'm focused on right now. I'm going to develop, regardless. When you're winning, you're developing."

On a couple of unseasonably warm October days that turn Allen Fieldhouse into a sauna, Self spends long stretches in practice trying to instill aggressiveness into his newcomers. Though Mayo and Storr were go-to guys at their previous schools, and Griffen might be the team's best pure scorer, all three have gone through bouts of uncertainty in the preseason.

In the days following Kansas' exhibition loss to Arkansas, Self told reporters Mayo played too cautiously, and that he has "AJ messed up at the moment because he doesn't know what aggressive looks like," but acknowledges "that's not on him as much as it is on us." He reiterated that Storr and Griffen need to play to their ceiling if Kansas is going to compete for a national championship.

At practice before the exhibition against Washburn, Self urges Storr to get open and cut harder off the ball. He implores Griffen to take a shot when he instead passes to a teammate.

When Storr finally drives to the rim off a screen and finishes with a dunk, Self is encouraged.
"That's much better!"

Michigan State (1-0) is back in action tonight against the Niagara Purple Eagles (1-0).

Tonight's game will tip off at approximately 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

Stay tuned in this thread for updates from the Breslin Center and game discussion!

@jacobcotsonika, @DavidHarns and I are in EL tonight!

Michigan State recently extended an offer to class of 2025 DB Evan Young, who was thrilled to receive the offer from the Spartans:

"When I got the news, I just smiled and hugged all of my coaches," Young said. "It felt surreal.

Story on Young’s offer and where his recruitment stands:

Tom Izzo:
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Michigan State improves to 2-0 on the season as the Spartans down Niagara 96-60.Jaxon Kohler's career-high 20 points helped lead MSU to the win.

Full game recap by @CarterElliott:

Leading his East Carolina team in a beat down of Florida Atlantic that we struggled to beat 16-10. I know most Spartans don't care, but he was one of ours at one time. Good for him.

He's thrown 3 TD's so far. They lead 35-7 half way through the 3rd quarter.

Oops, make that 4 TD passes. Just tossed another while I was typing this. 42-7 now.

The Burlsworth Trophy is awarded to the nation's most outstanding player that began his career as a walk-on.

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Bryan Porter (Class of 2027)





Bryan Porter @bryan_porter08
·
I am extremely blessed and honored to receive an offer from Michigan State University. @bccoachvito @BCBROTHERHOOD @CoachHawk_5 @RivalsFriedman @ChadSimmons_ @TomLoy247 @MSU_Football @Coach_Smith

Last night the CF playoff committee released their first official poll and therefore bracket of the year. As someone that loves tournament and brackets, I can honestly say... that I could care less about the result.

I understand why they do it this way for football (and it rhymes with "honey") but it is still stupid. The NCAA Basketball Tournament is WAY better. They just issue one bracket, the final one, and that's it. That is the way that it should be done. Publishing these rankings is a cute novelty, but the season is only ~75% complete. The current rankings are largely irrelevant. While I can get some insight into the balance that the committee will make between predictive metrics and results-based metrics, any bracket released in the month of November is essentially for entertainment purposes only.

That said, here is what the bracket would look like based on last night's initial rankings:



This bracket includes:
Four Big Teams
Four SEC Teams
Plus Notre Dame, Boise State (G5), BYU, and Miami.

I have been pretty vocal historically about my disdain for conference and regular season rematches in the the playoffs. I even had a chance to challenge Rich Clark, the executive director of the College Football Playoff, on during a media webinar on the playoff procedure. I will absolutely die on the hill that minimizing rematched in tournaments should be a very high priority in setting up the bracket. This bracket is exhibit No. 1 as to why.

Note that three of the four Big Ten teama are located on the same side of the bracket and three of the four SEC teams are on the same side of the bracket. Also, Texas playing Alabama in the first round is not ideal (even if they did not face each other in the regular season.) There is also a very obvious fix to this problem: switch No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Texas. This has the added benefit of balancing the bracket by putting the teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the CFP poll (Oregon and Ohio State) on opposite sides of the bracket.

Based on the current CFP seeding rules, this kind of swap is not supposed to happen. But it is 100,000% what the cmmittee SHOULD do in practise.

But this bracket doesn't matter. Instead, wanted to comment on what might happen going forward. Consider the following end-of-season scenario, which is what my computer tells me is the single most likely scenario:

-Miami (13-0) runs the table and beats SMU (11-2) in the ACC Title game
-Iowa State (12-1) uosets BYU (12-1) in the Big 12 Title Game
-Ohio State (12-1) upsets Oregon (12-1) in the Big Ten Title Game
-The SEC ends with Texas at 7-1 and a SIX way tie for second place between Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss. In this scenarion, Alabama (11-2) wins the tiebreaker and upsets Texas (11-2) in the SEC Title game

With Miami as the only undefeated team, I could justify making them the No. 1 team (despite Tuesday's rankings). That would also solve some obviously bracketing issues Overall, I would set up the bracket as follows:

No. 1 Miami (13-0)
---No. 8 Georgia (10-2)
---No. 9 Indiana (11-1)
No. 4 Iowa State (12-1)
---No. 5 Oregon (12-1)
---No. 12 Boise State (12-1)
No. 3 Alabama (11-2)
---No. 6 Penn State (11-1)
---No. 11 BYU (12-1)
No. 2 Ohio State (12-1)
---No. 7 Texas (11-2)
---No 10 Notre Dame (11-1)

One could make the argument for Tennessee (10-2) over BYU (12-1), but I project BYU with a slightly better strength of resume at the end of the year.

That is my current CFP projections for this week.

Niagara coach Greg Paulus brings an entirely new roster to East Lansing
Kevin Thomas
Guest Writer

Greg Paulus, a former basketball player for Coach K at Duke, is the head coach for Niagara. After going 16-15 last season, he has had to rebuild his entire roster from a year ago.

There are other storylines worth mentioning:

- Frankie Fidler will go against one of his former teammates from Omaha, Jaeden Marshall
- Paulus added a freshman from the state of Michigan, Landon Williams.

We'll get into all three of these shortly. But first, a bit about the coach.

GREG PAULUS AS A PLAYER
Former Duke player and current Niagara head coach Greg Paulus had a successful four-year playing career at Duke (2005-09).
A three-year starter and two-time captain, he played on three ACC Championship teams and four NCAA Tournament teams, helping Duke to a combined 112-28 record while leading the team in assists in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

GREG PAULUS AS AN ASSISTANT COACH
Paulus was on the staff at George Washington for the 2018-19 season and spent the 2017-18 season at Louisville, where he helped the Cardinals to an NIT Quarterfinals appearance and helped develop two NBA players, Deng Adel and Ray Spalding.
No stranger to the Big Ten, he also coached at Ohio State from 2013-2017.

GREG PAULUS, AS A HEAD COACH AT NIAGARA
Paulus has improved yearly at Niagara despite constant roster turnover.
2019-20: (12-20, 9-11 MAAC)
2020-21: (9-11, 7-9 MAAC)
2021-22: (14-16, 9-11 MAAC)
2022-23: (16-15, 10-10 MAAC)

Gone are the 12 players that played for Niagara last year
- Braxton Bayless (11.5 points)
- Ahmad Henderson (11.2)
- Harlan Obioha (10.3)
- Yaw Obeng-Mensah (10.0)
- Luke Bumbalough (8.9)
- Dre Bullock (8.5)
- Kwane Marble (8.0)
- Malik Edwards (3.6)
- Randy Tucker (2.9)
- Aime Rutayisire (2.1)
- Lance Irving (1.4)
- Jalen Brown (0.6)

THE NEWCOMERS
Olumide Adelodun
Senior | Wing | 6-5 | Winona State
He averaged 13.6 points and 6.8 points per game. Paulus: "His ability to shoot the ball and guard multiple positions allows him to stretch the defense."

Josiah Davis
Junior | Guard | 6-3 | Tennessee Tech
He averaged 12.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per contest and shot 50.3 percent from the field. Paulus: "He is a tough and physical two-way player who puts a lot of pressure on defenses with his ability to get the ball to the paint."

James Henderson Jr.
Junior | Center | 6-9 | Bethune-Cookman
He averaged 1.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per contest while shooting over 50.0 percent from the field. Paulus: "A physical big whose energy is contagious."

Jaeden Marshall
Senior | Wing | 6-4 | Omaha
Two seasons at Omaha. Marshall played in 49 games, making 20 starts and averaging 7.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Paulus: "Brings experience and defense." (Marshall was a teammate of Frankie Fidler at Omaha).

Jhaylon Martinez
Grad Student Center | 6-11 | UC Riverside
Martinez spent the last three seasons at UC Riverside, appearing in 94 games for the Highlanders, averaging 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Paulus: "Dynamic around the rim."

Damondre McKnight
Sophomore | Guard | 6-2 Paris (NJCAA)
McKnight, averaging 15.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per contest. Paulus: "Versatile and can score in a multiple of ways."

Justin Page
Sophomore | Guard | 6-5 | Cal Poly
Page tallied 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. Paulus: "Justin has great size for a versatile guard. He can create opportunities for himself and others."

Zion Russell
Redshirt Junior | Guard | 6-2 | NIU
Russell played the last three seasons at Northern Illinois (NIU), appearing in 64 games, including 14 starts. As a Huskie, Russell averaged 3.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game. Paulus: "He brings quickness and energy to the court."

Justice Smith
Graduate Student | Wing | 6-6 | East Tennessee State
Smith played two seasons at East Tennessee State. In 2023-24, he appeared in 13 games and averaged 4.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game. In 2022-23, he played in all 32 games, averaging 7.4 points and 3.5 rebounds. Paulus says he is a "two-way player with the ability to make plays at multiple positions."

Jahari Williamson
Sophomore | Guard | 6-1 | Valparasio
Williamson played his freshman campaign at Valpo, averaging 7.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while dishing out 28 assists and 17 steals. Paulus: "Jahari is a quick guard and excellent passer."

Will Shortt
Freshman | Forward | 6-8 | IMG Academy
Shortt is a 6-foot-8 forward from Aukland, New Zealand, who played basketball at IMG Academy in Florida. Paulus: "He is a tough and physical player who loves to compete."

Landon Williams
Freshman | Guard | 6-4 | Farmington Hills, MI

Williams is from the state of Michigan. Farmington head coach Todd Negoshian said Williams' upside is huge, and he'll be playing his best basketball when he's in college. He has a very high basketball IQ, and he's crafty. On the court, he's a second coach and a natural leader. Central Michigan came in with Williams' first DI offer back in June.

AJ McBride
Freshman | Wing | 6-5 | Cincinnati, OH

--
Niagara's first game was a 100-65 victory over Houghton, in which Niagara had seven players in double figures:
- Jahari Williamson: 16 points
- Olumide Adelodum: 15 points
- Justin Page: 12 points
- Josiah Davis: 11 points
- Jhaylon Martinez: 11 points/nine rebounds
- Justice Smith: 11 points
- Jaeden Marshall: 10 points

AS A TEAM
Niagara had 22 assists and 10 steals but added 14 turnovers, while shooting 57.4% from the field and 44.4% from 3-point land.

CONCLUSION
Niagara has more athleticism than a year ago but has yet to gain much experience playing together. It will be an interesting game to watch.

While Niagara is not a great rebounding team, they can shoot the ball. We will see how Coach Izzo and MSU counter a team that has put little on tape so far this year.

The Michigan State men's basketball team returns to action on Thursday night, as the Spartans welcome the Niagara Purple Eagles into the Breslin Center for their second game on the 2024-2025 season.

We preview the matchup here:

LOL ... American upgraded me to 1A on my cross country flight, which is the worst upgrade to get. Not as much leg and leg stretch room. Anyway, I watched Deadpool & Wolverine and did some work as well, then put on Twisters close to landing at EWR. I put my laptop in the little magazine holder in front of me and left it on the plane!!!! I arrived close to midnight and it was too late to go back and get it. I immediately reported it lost on the AA website. I drove to EWR this morning and Lost & Found did not have it, they told me to go upstairs, so I did. When I got there, I spoke with an agent and she was exceptionally helpful and kind, she called the gate, checked to see if the plane was still at the airport, and made several other calls. During that time, I noticed that my MacBook moved to another section of the airport. I went back down to Lost & Found and lo and behold, it was there!!!!! I was so happy! I have theft and loss insurance, but that would've brought so many headaches. After I retrieved it, I walked back upstairs and tried to hand the AA agent $50 to treat her for lunch, but she politely declined. Such a nice experience and restoring my faith in humanity.

Check out our episode this week, as we break down our thoughts from Monday night's win versus Monmouth! Would love your feedback and if you have time would a follow, rating, like, subscription!

GMA is in town to tell a Spartan story.

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Senior guard Jaden Akins is stepping into a leadership role for Michigan State as the 2024-2025 season is now underway.

Akins led the Spartans with 23 points in MSU’s season-opening win over Monmouth on Monday.

“I feel like I had good looks (on Monday) that (felt) good," Akins said. "That's all I can ask for."

More here, via @SydneyPadgett:

East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State freshman Carmen Pucheta (Cordoba, Argentina) has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, as announced by the Conference office on Wednesday.

Pucheta was not only the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, but also earned a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team as well as a on the All-Freshman Team. She is the first Spartan in program history to earn a spot on the First Team and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season.

In addition to Pucheta's honors, senior Ellie Wheatley (Louisville, Ky.) has been selected as the team's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner. Sportsmanship Award winners have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior, are in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

Pucheta joins Emma Fernandez (1994), Bridget Cooper (1998) and Jantine Steinmetz (2007) as MSU's Big Ten Freshmen of the Year honorees. While the Freshman of the Year has been awarded in the conference since 1992, 2024 is the first time that the coaches have selected an All-Freshman Team.

She is also the first MSU player to earn a spot on the First Team since 2017, when Simone Vagnoni earned the honor for the second consecutive season. (The Spartans have had six players earn Second Team kudos from 2017-2023). Steinmetz earned First Team All-Big Ten honors in 2010 after her Freshman of the Year honor in 2007.

Pucheta started all 18 games for MSU one of eight Spartans and three freshmen to do so. She was a force both offensively and defensively for the Spartans throughout the season – compiled a 4-2-10 scoring line (tied with Lilian Knorr as the team's top-scoring first-year player) but her presence was felt far more than just on the scoreboard.

"We knew Carmen was an exceptionally talented hockey player when we recruited her and were excited when she came to MSU," said head coach Helen Knull. "Receiving First Team accolades as well as being selected the Big Ten Freshman of the Year is an incredible honor and well-deserved accomplishment considering the talent and level of play in our league. We're thankful that she's been recognized by the coaches in the Conference – all of NCAA field hockey will see what an incredible player she is and how much of an asset she is to our program.


Ellie has been an incredible part of our program for five years," continued Knull. "She has represented the Spartan culture both on and off the field. As a captain and mainstay in our defensive unit, this recognition is well earned for her as well. She's been an impressive representative of our program in the classroom, too – she will leave MSU as both a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a member of the NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad."


2024 Big Ten Post-Season Field Hockey Honors

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Maddie Zimmer, Sr., M, Northwestern

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ashley Sessa, So., F, Northwestern

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Josie Hollamon, So., B, Maryland

GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Annabel Skubisz, Gr., GK, Northwestern

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Carmen Pucheta, Fr., M, Michigan State

COACH OF THE YEAR
Tracey Fuchs, Northwestern


FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG TEN (+ - unanimous selection)
Inés Garcia Prado (So. , M, Indiana)
Emma Deberdine (Gr. , M, Maryland)
Josie Hollamon (So. , B, Maryland)
Hope Rose + (Sr. , M, Maryland)
Lora Clarke (Gr. , M, Michigan)
Abby Tamer + (Jr. , F, Michigan)
Carmen Pucheta (Fr. , M, Michigan State)
Ashley Sessa + (So. , F, Northwestern)
Annabel Skubisz + (Gr. , G, Northwestern)
Ilse Tromp (So. , B, Northwestern)
Lauren Wadas + (Gr. , M, Northwestern)
Maddie Zimmer + (Sr. , M, Northwestern)
Katie Fichtner (Jr. , B, Ohio State)
Makenna Webster + (Gr. , F, Ohio State)
Sophia Gladieux + (Sr. , F, Penn State)
Paulina Niklaus (Sr. , B, Rutgers)

SECOND TEAM ALL-BIG TEN
Sofia Arrebola Garcia (Sr. , M, Indiana)
Yip van Wonderen (Sr. , B, Indiana)
Milly Short (Jr. , B, Iowa)
Dionne van Aalsum (So. , F, Iowa)
Gia Whalen (So. , M, Iowa)
Ella Gaitan (Fr. , F, Maryland)
Alyssa Klebasko (So. , GK, Maryland)
Annemijn Klijnhout (Fr. , F, Maryland)
Rayne Wright (5th , B, Maryland)
Kate McLaughlin (Gr. , F, Michigan)
Erin Reilly (So. , M, Michigan)
Olivia Bent-Cole (So. , F, Northwestern)
Greta Hinke (Jr. , M, Northwestern)
Anne Marie Krebs (So. , M, Ohio State)
Guillermina Causarano (Sr. , F, Rutgers)
Puck Winter (Jr. , B, Rutgers)

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Sadie Canelli (Fr. , GK, Indiana)
Sabrina McGroarty (Fr. , M, Iowa)
Ella Gaitan (Fr. , F, Maryland)
Annemijn Klijnhout (Fr. , F, Maryland)
Anjolie Northon (Fr. , B, Michigan)
Carmen Pucheta (Fr. , M, Michigan State)
Emilie Kirschner R-(Fr. , M, Northwestern)
Nadia Nemeth (Fr. , F, Northwestern)
Laura Salamanca (Fr. , M, Northwestern)
Cam Standish R-(Fr. , M, Ohio State)
Anna Cogdell (Fr. , B, Rutgers)

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARDS
Meredith Lee (Sr. , F, Indiana)
Mia Magnotta (Sr. , GK, Iowa)
Kylee Niswonger (Sr. , M, Maryland)
Lindsey Stagg (Gr. , B, Michigan)
Ellie Wheatley (Gr. , B, Michigan State)
Lane Herbert (Sr. , F, Northwestern)
Cameryn Forgash (Sr. , F, Ohio State)
Julia Lamb (5th , M, Penn State)
Vicky Jure (Sr. , M, Rutgers)

Release courtesy of MSU Athletics.

With MSU on a bye week, this one is short and sweet.

Big Ten action is pretty light and my computer doesn't even have a lot of advice, but the action in the rest of the country is pretty interesting. We should see a bit more separation in the SEC and Big 12 in particular this week.

Also, Indiana will very likely destroy Michigan, so that should be fun.

Enjoy this week's dose of Bad Betting Advice:

This is the second-straigh season that the Spartans have opened with the Grizzlies​

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball open's the 2024-25 season against Oakland on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Breslin Center. This is the second-straight season that the Spartans and the Golden Grizzlies have met in MSU's season opener. Marin Klein and Charlie Schmidgall will be on the call for B1G+.

• MSU head coach Robyn Fralick enters her second season at the helm of the Spartans, leading MSU to a 22-9 record in her first year in East Lansing.

• Oakland ended the 2023-24 season with a 12-17 overall record and was 8-12 in Horizon League action. In their only exhibition, the Grizzlies defeated Rochester University, 91-66.

• The Spartans return two All-Big Ten selections in first-team All-Big Ten guard/forward Julia Ayrault and Sixth Player of the Year guard Theryn Hallock. Ayrault was first on the team in scoring last season, averaging 15.4 ppg, while Hallock was fourth with 11.2 ppg. MSU returns three starters in Ayrault, junior guard Abbey Kimball and senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate.

• Michigan State opens the season with four-straight home games. Overall, the Spartans will play five home games in the Breslin Center in November. The Spartans have been strong at home, holding a 13-2 record at the Breslin Center last season.

SCOUTING OAKLAND
Oakland will be the Spartans' season opener for the second-straight season. The Golden Grizzlies ended last season with an 12-16 overall record and a 8-12 mark in the Horizon League. In their only exhibition, OU defeated Rochester University, 91-66 on Oct. 26.

There is a very familiar face on the Grizzlies bench in junior guard Maddy Skorupski, who played her freshman season at MSU. She scored 14 points against MSU in the season opener last year.

Head coach Jeff Tungate is in his 13th season at the helm of the Golden Grizzlies. He holds a career record of 142-182. Tungate returns to the sidelines this season after missing much of last season on medical leave.

SERIES HISTORY VS. GOLDEN GRIZZLIES
Michigan State leads the all-time series against Oakland 20-4. The Spartans have dominated the series of late, winning the last 16. Four of the last five wins have come in East Lansing. Overall, the Spartans hold and 13-2 advantage at home. The last win for the Golden Grizzlies came on Feb. 9, 1982 with Oakland coming away with a 76-57 victory.

Last season in East Lansing, junior guard DeeDee Hagemann helped open the Robyn Fralick era with a bang, leading the Michigan State to an 87-62 win over Oakland in the season opener at the Breslin Center on Nov. 8, 2023.

Fralick became the fourth Spartan women's basketball head coach to win their opening game as MSU head coach, joining Dominic Marino in 1975-76, who also won his opener over Oakland; Joanne P. McCallie in 2000-01 and Suzy Merchant in 2007.

DID YOU KNOW??
The Spartans have won 10-straight season openers.

LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State opened the 2024-25 season with a dominating 101-40 exhibition win over Wayne State on Oct. 28 at the Breslin Center.

The game was a reunion for the Ayrault family as graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault took on her sister sophomore guard Annabel Ayrault. The players' father, Andy, is an assistant coach for the Warriors.

The Spartans had six players in double figures, led by 16 points from both junior guard Theryn Hallock and junior forward Grace VanSlooten. In her first game since transferring from Oregon, VanSlooten added six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Freshman center Inés Sotelo added 13 points in her Spartan debut. Senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate, redshirt-freshman guard Kennedy Blair and graduate guard Jaddan Simmons all added 11 points. Ayrault scored eight points with a game-high eight assists and four blocks.

VANSLOOTEN NAMED TO WATCH LIST
Michigan State Women's Basketball junior forward Grace VanSlooten was named to the Cheryl Miller Award preseason watch list, as announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

She is one of five Big Ten players on the list along with Indiana's Yarden Garzon, Maryland's Saylor Poffenbarger, Ohio State's Cotie McMahon and UCLA's Angela Dugalić. The award honors the nation's top small forwards.

VanSlooten is in her first season at Michigan State after transferring from Oregon. She averaged 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in two season with the Ducks. In the Spartans 101-40 exhibition win over Wayne State on Oct. 28, Van Slooten tied a team high with 16 points in just 18 minutes.

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.

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
Michigan State will play seven teams that are ranked in the preseason top 25 polls (AP/Coaches Poll), led by No. 3/3 USC (Feb. 16) and No. 5/6 UCLA (Feb. 19). At the West Palm Beach Classic, the Spartans will take on No. 24/25 Alabama. Big Ten teams Ohio State (No. 14/14), Maryland (No. 18/18), Nebraska (No. 23/23) and Indiana (No. 25/24) are all ranked in the preseason polls.

BRINGING THE EXPERIENCE
Michigan State adds four transfers with a wealth of experience. Graduate Nyla Hampton comes to MSU very familiar with Coach Fralick and the Spartan coaching staff. She was at Bowling Green for three seasons before playing last season at Ball State. Graduate guard Jaddan Simmons played four seasons at Arizona State. MSU also welcomes juniors Grace VanSlooten from Oregon and Emma Shumate from Ohio State.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick has announced guard/forward Julia Ayrault and guard Nyla Hampton as team captains, as voted on by the players on the 2024-25 women's basketball team.

This is Ayrault's second season as a captain for the Spartans. She is the first Spartan to be a captain in back-to-back seasons since Jenna Allen during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

Hampton is in her first season with the Spartans, but is familiar with head coach Robyn Fralick. She played three seasons with Bowling Green before transferring to Ball State last season.

GUESS WHO'S BACK
Despite losing two of its top three scorers, Michigan State still returns a quite potent offense. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault led the team in scoring with 15.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Off the bench, junior guard Theryn Hallock scored 12.3 ppg, which was fourth on the team. MSU lost second-leading scorer Moira Joiner (14.7 ppg) to graduation and third-leading scorer DeeDee Hagemann (12.3 ppg) to transfer.

LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE
For the fourth-straight season, the Big Ten Conference will play an 18-game schedule. MSU also played an 18-game schedule in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. The conference additionally had 18-game schedules in both 2015-16 and 2014-15. This season, the B1G adds four additional teams in Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.

Nine of the Spartans' 2024-25 regular-season opponents competed in the NCAA Tournament last season, as MSU will take on either Arizona or Vanderbilt in the Acrisure Classic. From the Big Ten portion of the schedule, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, UCLA and USC reached the NCAA Tournament.

COASTAL ADVENTURES
The Spartans will play in two tournaments this season. Over Thanksgiving, Michigan State will head to Palm Springs, California for the Acrisure Classic. The Spartans will take on California in their first game on Nov. 26 before facing either Arizona or Vanderbilt in their second game on Nov. 27. Before the Holiday break, MSU will play West Palm Beach Classic. MSU will take on Montana on Dec. 19 and Alabama on Dec. 20.

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.