Fill in what TI said to Martello, and what Phil said in return.

My guess - Izzo - I told you Juwan was an atomic douche bag

Martelli - you got that right! Congrats on the win, are you hiring?

I was thinking back to how great some of those Michigan-Michigan State basketball games were when John Beilein had the Wolverines rolling and when Tom Izzo had the Spartans perennially contending for a Big Ten title.

One guy I've had tremendous respect for because of the job he did and how he handled himself is John Beilein. He always seems like a class act and I respect the heck out of his coaching ability because he really established the Michigan basketball program in the 2010s.

I think we can all agree that while it might be fun seeing Michigan be dead last in the conference, the rivalry was much better when both teams were in the top 25 and contending in the Big Ten.

So, to my question...

What current player/former player/current coach/former coach for Michigan do you really respect?

My answer: John Beilein

Thoughts?

Not many details yet, but Michigan State football announced that it will host its "Spring Showcase" event on April 20, 2024. The exact format of the event (whether it is actual game or an open practice like we saw under Mel Tucker) is unclear as of now.

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Be sure to check out our recap of Michigan State Gymnastics' victory over Iowa Sunday afternoon, including 50+ great photos by Spartans Illustrated's Marvin Hall. It was an historic afternoon with a perfect 10.000 by Nikki Smith on floor exercise.

Check it out:

For our Lions watch party here in the burbs of Atlanta, I am making authentic Detroit Coneys.

I even made my own chili / coney sauce from a replica recipe for Lafayette. I went so far as to drive to the Korean mart off of Buford to find the beef heart (yup, that's right, heart) and beef suet for the recipe.

Here's the bad part. I don't eat yellow mustard. Just never agreed with me. If I put brown mustard on my coney am I a bad Detroiter?

A.J. Hoggard on Tom Izzo’s 700th win:

“There’s no way he wasn’t getting 700 tonight, if I’m being totally honest with you.”

More postgame reaction from Michigan State’s 81-62 win over Michigan:

I would be interested to hear what you all have to say about this analogue team from Tom Izzo's recent past: the 2015 Final Four group. Here's what I wrote on that team and its comparison to this season's group, and as clear-eyed a player-by-player breakdown as I could conjure up...

I have vacillated somewhat over the last few weeks myself in terms of evaluating this group. I do see significant progress from a number of individuals and by the team as a whole in certain facets of the game, but they still have a considerable ways to go... But then I remembered that 2015 Final Four run, and remembered that that group went into the tournament as a 7-seed, ranked No. 18 (in Kenpom) at the start of the NCAA tournament, that they had some mystifying and frustrating non-conference losses, started conference play 4-3 -- that team was 13-7 on January 24, 2015 -- and had moments of bizarre lack-of-focus and defensive intensity issues... sounds pretty familiar...

Read here:

Class of 2025 defensive back Jonathan Rousseau was offered by Michigan State earlier this week.

Michigan State secondary coach Blue Adams stopped by Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Tuesday and offered Rousseau in person. It was the first time that Rousseau was able to speak with Adams.

The 6-foot-1, 183-pound defensive back has a lot of interest in MSU.

Rousseau took some time to discuss the Michigan State offer with Spartans Illustrated and update his recruitment.

"It felt great," Rousseau said about the Michigan State offer. "They’ve sent a lot of players to the league and they’re always contenders in the Big Ten."

His brother, Gregory Rousseau, plays in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills.

More here:

Malik Hall on Tom Izzo’s 700th win, victory over Michigan​

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The rivalry is renewed. Michigan State (12-8, 4-5) hosts Michigan (7-13, 2-7) in an in-state battle.

The game is set to tip off at approximately 9 p.m. and is streaming exclusively on Peacock.

The Spartans are favored by 11.5 points tonight at the Breslin Center.

My score prediction: Michigan State 80, Michigan 67

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The Spartans outscored Michigan by 21 points in the second half, Jaden Akins finished with a career high 23 points and AJ Hoggard became the 56th Spartan to score 1000 points.

MSU has won nine of the last 12 games, don't look now but they're tied for 5th place in the Big Ten.

Just wanted to share some data as I was updating my spreadsheet tracking 2007 born players who have made public commitments to college hockey programs today. For some background, this season (since Aug 1, 2023) has been when 2007 born players have been open to committing. The majority of these players are likely HS Juniors, but in hockey class standing isn't necessarily the indicator of when you will arrive on a college campus. The top players on this list will likely be in college hockey Fall 2026 but many of these plays will be later with them being able to play junior hockey through Fall 2027-Spring 2028, meaning they may enroll in college hockey as late as Fall 2028.

Ok with that background out of the way here is a link to my tweet thread: Login to view embedded media
MSU sits at #4 in the average prospect rankings right now.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball returns to the road to take on Rutgers on Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. at Jersey Mike's Arena. The Spartans will close out January with their fourth road game of the month. Dom Savino and Dominique Patrick will be on the call for Big Ten Plus.

• The Spartans improved to 15-5 overall and 5-4 in B1G play with an 82-61 victory over Michigan on Jan. 27. Michigan State has won two-straight games with home wins last week against Purdue and U-M. Rutgers is 9-16 overall and 0-9 in B1G play. Overall, the Scarlet Knights have lost 11-straight games.

• First-year Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick is the first Spartan head coach to post a Victory for MSU over Michigan in their first meeting since Karen Langeland's first season of 1976-77 in a 63-62 triumph on Jan. 24, 1977. Overall, Fralick is the third MSU head coach to do so, joining inaugural head coach Mikki Baile in the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and Wolverines on Feb. 3, 1973.

• With a win against Michigan, MSU has now won its fifth-straight home game in improving to 10-1 at home this season, moving to one win shy of matching last year's win total of 11 wins in going 11-6 at the Breslin Center.

• Saturday was DeeDee Hagemann's team-leading fourth 20-point game of the season, as MSU is 4-0 this season and 5-0 in her career when she scores 20+ points. The Spartans are also 6-1 when Hagemann leads them in the scoring.

SCOUTING RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights 6-16 overall and 0-9 in Big Ten games. Overall, Rutgers has lost 11-straight games. RU's last win was a 98-67 win over LaSalle at home on Dec. 5. Much like the Spartans, the Scarlet Knights have faced injuries and a short bench this season. Awa Sidibe is out for the season for the season, while Kaylene Smikle has been out since December.

Last time out, Rutgers fell to Wisconsin, 73-62, on Jan. 27, despite a strong fourth-quarter comeback. The Scarlet Knights made a run in the final minutes of the game, coming back from a 19 points to put the game within four points but it wasn't enough as the Badgers ended strong to pull out the victory.

Rutgers is 13th in the Big Ten in scoring offense (67.3) and 12th in scoring defense (71.5). The Scarlet Knights are seventh in rebound margin (+2.64), just ahead of Michigan State.

Individually, Destiny Adams is 15th in the league in scoring, averaging 14.3 ppg. Chyna Cornwell is fifth in rebounding with 8.0 rpg. Antonia Bates is third in the Big Ten in blocks just behind Julia Ayrault, averaging 1.67 bpg.

Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington is in her second season at the helm of the Scarlet Knights, posting a 18-36 record. Overall, Washington is in her 14th season as a collegiate head coach, amassing a 227-205 ledger. She spent 12 season as the head coach at Penn State.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Michigan State holds an 8-6 series lead in the brief history between the two teams. The Spartans have won four of the last four meetings, including the last two. MSU leads the series at home 5-3 in Eat Lansing, while hold a slight edge in Piscataway, 3-3. Last season in East Lansing, Michigan State came out on top, 85-63. The last time the Scarlet Knights won in East Lansing was on Feb. 24, 2021 with a 63-53 win.

LAST TIME VS RUTGERS
With alumni and Title IX trailblazers in the stands, the Michigan State women's basketball team celebrated pioneers with a wire-to-wire win over Rutgers, 85-63, on Jan. 22, 2022 at the Breslin Center.

The Spartans celebrated both Alumni Day and Title IX throughout the game. Michigan State honored all women athletes who set the path for current Spartans, as well as honoring women's basketball alumni during half time.

Michigan State snapped its four-game losing streak with the win. The Spartans got contributions for nearly everyone who played with 11 for the 15 players that saw action scoring at least on three points. Michigan State had four players in double figures led by senior forward Taiyier Parks who scored 14 points with seven rebounds off the bench.

HISTORY HAS ITS EYE ON YOU
First-year Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick is the first Spartan head coach to post a Victory for MSU over Michigan in their first meeting since Karen Langeland's first season of 1976-77 in a 63-62 triumph on Jan. 24, 1977. Overall, Fralick is the third MSU head coach to do so, joining inaugural head coach Mikki Baile in the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and Wolverines on Feb. 3, 1973.

Recap of Michigan game is available here.​

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Here's the unedited video of tonight's celebration following Tom Izzo's 700th win. Best watched full-screen on your phone if you can.

Putting the "Illustrated" in Spartans Illustrated:

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Wife is sick, can't make it. Sec 223, row 3. $80. Will transfer to your phone.

Selling 2 Rutgers tickets for Sunday. Section 223, Row 3, Seats 4/5. Right behind dugout seats. Face is $80. Will sell for $50. Can transfer digitally or meet if you want paper tickets.

Big Ten Conference Announces Future Basketball Scheduling Formats

ROSEMONT, Ill. – As part of ongoing preparations for the addition of four new member institutions during the 2024-25 academic year, the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday announced details regarding future regular- and postseason competition structures for men’s and women’s basketball.

Beginning next season, both the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament fields will expand to 15 teams (from 14), a format that maintains the five-day schedule of the event, provides access to all teams in contention for postseason invitations, and will maintain a double bye for each of the top four seeds while seeds 5-9 will receive a single bye.

Both the men’s and women’s conference schedules will remain at 20 and 18 contests, respectively, for each school. This allows for non-conference scheduling flexibility, is consistent with peer schedule formats and maximizes opportunities for NCAA postseason berths. Single-play home/away locations will rotate annually, and two-play opponents will be determined with consideration for competitive balance, geography and rivalries.

The 2024 Big Ten Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournaments will be hosted at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The women’s event begins on Wednesday, March 6, with the championship game scheduled for Sunday, March 10, and airing on CBS for the first time in its history. The men’s tournament tips off on Wednesday, March 13, with the title being handed out on Sunday, March 17.

Michigan State hosted 2025 three-star tight end Jayden Savoury for an unofficial visit this past weekend, and the fast-rising in-state prospect liked what he saw in East Lansing.

The Orchard Lake St. Mary's tight end made the trip to Michigan State with his father, Mark, and his mother, Lisa.

The visit came after the Spartans offered Savoury a scholarship earlier this month, which Savoury said was "huge" for him.

Following the conclusion of the trip, Savoury spoke with Spartans Illustrated to detail the experience.

"It was great," Savoury said about the visit to Michigan State. "I was impressed with a lot of things and really liked it."

More here:

Michigan State will host a handful of visitors this weekend, including at least one official visitor this weekend (Jan. 26 through Jan. 28, 2024). Some of these visitors may not arrive until Saturday or Sunday, but we will list everybody here is is expected to come to campus at some point this weekend.

The list will be updated as more news names are confirmed.

Official visitors:

• 2024 wide receiver Jaylan Brown
• 2024 defensive tackle Dimitry Nicolas (Auburn commit)
• 2024 defenive tackle Mikeshun Beeler

Unofficial visitors:

• 2025 defensive end Tyrone Burrus
• 2025 tight end Jayden Savoury
• 2024 tight end Charlie Baker
• 2024 linebacker Jadyn Walker (unsigned commit)
• 2024 defensive end Stone Chaney

EAST LANSING, MICH. – 21st ranked Men's Tennis will compete on the road for the first time this spring, taking on UC Santa Barbara on Saturday Jan. 27, at 10 a.m. and Pepperdine on Sunday Jan. 28 at noon Eastern in Malibu, Calif..

The Spartans started the season 2-0 in a home-opening double header on Friday, Jan. 19 with dominant wins over Western Michigan and Brown. MSU dropped just one point of 14, topping the Broncos 6-1 and sweeping the Bears 7-0.

The No. 2 ranked doubles team in the nation, Max Sheldon and Ozan Baris, who are fresh off the program's first national title at the ITA Fall National Championships in early November, are expected to make their season debuts in singles and doubles.

Scouting UC Santa Barbara
Saturday's matchup with MSU will be the season opener for UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos are the defending back-to-back Big West champions, having won the conference title in seven of the last eight seasons.

The Gauchos are led by the No. 19 singles player in the nation, senior Pablo Masjuan who last season racked up five ranked singles victories and played to the quarterfinals of the ITA Fall National Championships in November. The pairing of Masjuan and junior Gianluca Brunkow rank as the No. 37 doubles team nationally.

Series History vs. UC Santa Barbara
This will mark MSU's first ever dual against UC Santa Barbara.

Scouting Pepperdine
The Waves will open their season against Georgia Tech, who received votes in the latest ITA rankings, prior to facing MSU. Pepperdine won the West Coast Conference championship in 2023 and has finished top two in the WCC with eight-win seasons the last three seasons.

Freshman Edward Winter is ranked 23rd nationally in singles and begins his collegiate career already with multiple pro titles to his name. He pairs up with sophomore Maxi Homberg to make the ITA's No. 43 doubles team.

Seniors Guide MSU to 2-0, Sweep of Brown
MSU's seniors boosted the Spartans to 2-0 on the day and a perfect start to the season, aiding in five of the Spartans seven points in the sweep of Brown.

To start the night, graduate student Ronnie Hohmann III and senior Reed Crocker teamed up with younger teammates to win their respective doubles matches, their firsts of the season, and the doubles point for MSU.

In singles play senior Luke Baylis shined in his first match of the year, winning 6-2, 6-1 in straight sets. Senior Graydon Lair's 6-3, 6-3 win would later clinch the Spartan's victory at 4-0 and his 3-0 day. Graduate senior Sebastien Collard, in his fourth match of the day, knocked off his counterpart in three sets to secure the first 7-0 sweep of the young season.

Debutants Lead Spartans to Win in Opener
Four Spartans won in their official debuts in Green and White, including freshmen Taym Alazmeh and Aristotelis Thanos who clinched their first collegiate victories while MSU handled Western Michigan 6-1. Alazmeh was the only Spartan to go 4-0 overall on the weekend.

Graduate transfers Sebastien Collard earned his first victory at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center alongside senior Graydon Lair 6-3, clinching the doubles point for the Spartans. Collard was also an undefeated 3-0 in his first matchday in Green and White.

In a narrow feature match between both sides No. 1s, the nation's No. 12 singles player Hohmann notched his first win as a Spartan, edging the Bronco's Benjamin George 6-7 [5-7], 6-4, 1-0 (10-4), solidifying the season-opening 6-1 victory and his own 2-0 day.

Series History vs. Pepperdine
The Spartans and Waves have met once before, a 0-7 loss in Malibu on March 10, 2024.

Fall Competition Accolades

• 20 total ranked wins
• 7 wins over top-25 opponents
• 15 ranked singles wins between 4 players
• 3 Doubles Titles
• ITA Fall National Championships Doubles Title (Sheldon/Baris, Nov. 5)
• Milwaukee Tennis Classic Doubles Title (Sheldon/Collard, Sep. 24)
• Gamecock Ranked Invite Doubles Title (Baris/Hohmann, Sep. 17)
• Battle in the Bay Singles Title & Runner-Up (Baris & Hohmann, Sep. 24)
• ITA All-American Championships Singles Semifinalist (Baris, Oct. 7)

Beginning the Season with Historic Rankings
Entering the season, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association slotted MSU as the No. 24 team in the nation in the preseason rankings, the first time in program history the Spartans have been named inside the top 25 since the ITA began compiling rankings in 1981. In the first update to the rankings, without having played a match, MSU was bumped up to No. 22, and then after the 2-0 start last weekend, to No. 21.

Not only is the No. 21 team ranking a program-best but entering the season a national-high eight Spartans are ranked in the ITA's singles and doubles rankings. The four ranked doubles teams is also tied for the most in the country from one program.

The No. 2 doubles ranking for Max Sheldon and Ozan Baris is the highest ever for a Spartan duo. Baris and Hohmann's No. 6 and No. 12 singles rankings are also MSU-best individual rankings.

Spartans in ITA DI Men's Tennis Rankings
Singles

• No. 6 – Ozan Baris
• No. 12 – Ronald Hohmann III
• No. 59 – Max Sheldon
• No. 116 – Graydon Lair

Doubles

• No. 2 – Max Sheldon/Ozan Baris
• No. 29 – Sebastien Collard/Max Sheldon
• No. 41 – Ozan Baris/Ronald Hohmann III
• No. 45 – Ronald Hohmann III/Sebastien Collard

Courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Another chapter in one of college basketball’s best rivalries will be written on Tuesday night as Michigan comes to the Breslin Center to take on Michigan State in the first of two matchups this season.

Despite both teams not being as dominant record-wise as in past years, MSU's team and staff are excited about the matchup, as always.

More here:

EAST LANSING, Mich. - After a three-meet road stretch to start the season, No. 14 Michigan State gymnastics (4-3, 1-0 B1G) hosts No. 20 Iowa (2-1, 0-1 B1G) in its home opener on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 1 p.m. in Jenison Field House. Sunday's meet will serve as the Spartans' Alumni Day and 50th Anniversary Celebration.

The meet will stream on B1G+ will live scoring on MSUSpartans.com.

NOTABLES
MSU enters Sunday's meet undefeated in the Big Ten after defeating Penn State, 197.475-195.950, on Jan. 19, posting season-high scores on vault (49.300), beam (49.450) and team overall score (197.475). MSU has faced five ranked opponents, including four top-10 opponents, through its first three meets of the season. Iowa will be the sixth ranked foe for the Spartans in 2024.

After earning 48.800 team scores on beam in the first two meets of the season, the Spartans' 49.450 on beam at Penn State tied for the highest team score on any event for MSU this season. The Spartans also continued their impressive starts to the season on vault and bars (49.400) at Penn State and currently rank 12th and sixth nationally, respectively, on those events.

Individually, junior Skyla Schulte had a spectacular night at Penn State, competing in the all-around for the first time in 2024 and capturing the title with a 39.600. She also won shares of the bars (9.900) and beam (9.950) titles, posting season highs in both events, while winning the floor title outright with a 9.900. Schulte collected Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors earlier in the week after her performance at Penn State.

Freshman Gabi Ortiz joined Schulte in this week's Big Ten weekly awards, earning her first-career Freshman of the Week honor after making her debut in the MSU beam lineup at Penn State and scoring a 9.875.

THE MATCHUP
Sunday's meet will be the third in a seven-day stretch for the Hawkeyes, who fell to Minnesota, 196.850-196.150, in their Big Ten opener on Monday before defeating Southern Utah at home, 195.800-195.425 on Friday. Iowa holds a season average of 196.117 and a season-high 196.400 from its first meet of the season.

The Spartans and Hawkeyes last faced each other in dual meet action on Feb. 11 last season in Iowa City, with Iowa earning a 196.150-195.725 victory. Iowa finished eighth at last year's Big Ten Championships. MSU will look to secure its first regular-season win over Iowa since a tri-meet victory (195.625-194.425) on Jan. 18, 2015 on the road. The Spartans' last home victory over the Hawkeyes came in a 194.150-193.750 win on Feb. 7, 2014.

Iowa head coach Larissa Libby is in her 20th season leading the Hawkeyes.

RAISING THE BAR
MSU has had a stellar start on bars in 2024, earning a spot in the top 10 on the event in each week so far this season in the national rankings. The Spartans currently rank sixth (49.392) in the NCAA after earning No. 5 (Week 1) and No. 6 (Week 2) rankings in the first two weeks of the season. Individually, defending Big Ten bars champion Delanie Harkness ranks 13th in the NCAA with an average of 9.908. The Spartans have not counted a score lower than 9.825 on bars this season.

UP NEXT
MSU travels to Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 4 p.m. The meet air nationally on Big Ten Network.

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.