MSU Basketball Back On Winning Track

Michigan State men's basketball team has been in a bit of a slump, where they went on a run of three straight losses. The first was to Iowa by 17 points, before back-to-back one point losses against Wisconsin and Nebraska. Bryn Forbes really underperformed during this stretch --- he only scored 2 points against Iowa. Matt Costello picked up an ankle injury against Nebraska and Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. is out indefinitely with plantar fasciitis. It wasn't about to get easier against #7 ranked Maryland, led by star point guard Melo Trimble. ESPN's College Gameday was at Breslin on Saturday morning and they sent their lead announcers there as well. Denzel Valentine had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Bryn Forbes was the leading scorer with 25. Neither was MSU's player of the game. Michigan State center Matt Costello was expected to be limited with his ankle injury, but had 15 points and 12 rebounds, including 6 offensive boards. It was a statement win for the Spartans on the featured national broadcast. They currently sit as a #3 seed, according to the Bracket Matrix, and set #11 in the latest AP poll. The Spartans take on Northwestern next in a very winnable game --- Thursday at 9pm (too late!) on ESPN.

The MSU women's team has been having a strong season as well. They have a 14-4 record and are ranked 21st in the country by the AP writers. Their leading scorer is the senior Aerial Powers with 18.8 ppg. She is also the leading rebounder with 8.8 per game. The Spartan ladies have a big game coming up against #5 Maryland this Monday night at 6pm.