Michigan State Spartans InsiderMSU Sports News, Notes and Tipsnoemail@noemail.org (MLive.com)Thu, 8 May 2008 21:15:42 GMTMovable Type Enterprise 4.29-advance http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/http://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/en-usnoMSU Sports News, Notes and Tipsnoemail@noemail.orgUpdate your RSS feedshttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/04/update_your_rss_feeds.htmlnoemail@noemail.org (MLive.com)Tue, 1 Apr 2008 20:47:41 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.845158This blog has moved. The Spartans Insider is now a part of MLive's Michigan State Spartans page. Please look for Steve Grinczel's blog entries at http://www.mlive.com/spartans. If you are subscribed to the RSS feed from this blog you'll want to...Five steps to Michigan State becoming 'super-elite'http://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/03/wrapping_the_spartans_in_saran.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:59:30 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.841607AP PhotoMichigan State captain Travis Walton promises to drive the Spartans' effort to be a stronger team, both mentally and physically, during his senior year. HOUSTON — Michigan State junior guard Travis Walton spoke in a pained but passionate tone....Spartans resplendent in t-shirt de corpshttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/03/spartans_resplendent_in_tshirt.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:04:18 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.836063HOUSTON -- Michigan State's basketball players have been modeling the latest line of Spartan tournament t-shirt wear for spring....MSU-Memphis Sweet 16 scouting reporthttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/03/msumemphis_sweet_16_scouting_r.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:29:31 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.834841AP PhotoMemphis forward Joey Dorsey dunks against Texas-Arlington in the first round of the NCAA tournament. HOUSTON — You would think that a team that boasts the Goran of Suton, the Marquise de Gray and Idong king of Ibok would...Don't look for Spartans to Hack-a-Tiger vs. Memphishttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/03/when.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:11:25 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.829019EAST LANSING -- No team in America is better equipped to beat formerly No. 1-ranked Memphis than Michigan State. Look at the numbers, for cripe's sake. The Spartans have committed 40 more fouls than their apparents this season, and the...MSU-Pittsburgh NCAA tournament second round scouting reporthttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/03/msupittsburgh_ncaa_tournament.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Sat, 22 Mar 2008 10:10:04 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.820908AP PhotoPittsburgh guard Keith Benjamin, front, is fouled as he goes up for a shot by Oral Roberts forward Moses Ehambe, during the first half his team's 82-63 first-round win. DENVER — Boxing analogies are the most overused tool in...MSU-Temple NCAA Tournament scouting reporthttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/03/msutemple_ncaa_tournament_scou.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:04:00 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.814926DENVER -- The 10:30 a.m. tipoff time (12:30 p.m ET) will have absolutely no bearing on the outcome of today's Michigan State-Temple game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, although coach Tom Izzo said the Spartans would skip...The last word on those Izzo to Indiana rumorshttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/03/the_last_word_on_those_izzo_to.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:54:49 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.813863DENVER -- You won't hear Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis reprise the immortal words of one of his predecessors, Clarence Underwood, who tried to keep potential suitors away from Spartan coach Tom Izzo by saying: "Leave Coach Izzo alone."...MSU gets motivational boost for NCAA opener from unusual source -- CBS' Seth Davishttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/03/msu_gets_motivational_boost_fo.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:43:30 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.806372EAST LANSING – Michigan State got an unexpected dose of incentive while watching the NCAA Tournament selection show Sunday evening. The entire team gathered in the new players' lounge where the players watched the proceedings on a giant flat-screen TV...Something's rotten in Big Ten basketballhttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/03/somethings_rotten_in_big_ten_b.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:34:03 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.804946INDIANAPOLIS -- My sports editor once scolded me for blaming a Michigan State loss on questionable officiating and told me to never, ever, do that again....Spartans should go for broke in Big Ten Tourneyhttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/03/spartans_should_go_for_broke_i.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:19:55 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.800386INDIANAPOLIS -- If Michigan State could guarantee it would win the Big Ten Tournament by agreeing to take a loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament would you take it?...Neitzel earns first-team All-Big Ten honors, three other Spartans honoredhttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/03/neitzel_earns_firstteam_allbig.htmlcat:Basketballcat:Breaking Newsnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:07:10 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.791359EAST LANSING -- Michigan State senior guard Drew Neitzel may not have had the year he envisioned, but it was good enough to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors....Izzo goes 'Einsteinic' on MSU naysayershttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/03/izzo_goes_einsteinic_on_msu_cr.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Wed, 5 Mar 2008 02:34:13 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.776207AP PhotoMichigan State senior Drew Naymick, right, and coach Tom Izzo embrace after Naymick left his final home game during the second half of Sunday's 103-74 win over Indiana. Izzo defended his team's record during his weekly press conference Tuesday....Hubbub over Izzo's Big Ten Network comments, transcripthttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/02/hubbub_over_izzos_big_ten_netw.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:23:32 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.743478MADISON, Wis. -- Depending on who you listen to, Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo is getting praised or criticized for voicing his frustration over the fledgling Big Ten Network's limited reach....Six degrees of separation between Indiana's decision and MSUhttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/02/indianas_decision_michigan_sta.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:10:22 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.730637EAST LANSING -- The curious case of Indiana basketball is more evidence that sports never lacks for nasty fastballs loaded up with irony. Oh, there are plenty of curves and change-ups too, like Villanova making 79 percent of its shots...MSU's Mike Kebler has it better than the Keebler elveshttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/02/msus_mike_kebler_has_it_better.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:59:41 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.728089EAST LANSING -- From a public relations standpoint, few athletes have it better than the No. 2 quarterback of the Detroit Lions, the Red Wings' backup goalie or the 13th man on the Michigan State basketball team's bench. In years...Michigan State looking to put passion back in playhttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/02/michigan_state_looking_to_put.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:53:53 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.720475EAST LANSING -- Without passion, a love affair becomes a like affair....Rodriguez revisitedhttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/02/rodriguez_revisited.htmlcat:Footballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Tue, 19 Feb 2008 04:00:00 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.715694EAST LANSING -- Wow, it appears no good deed goes unpunished around these parts. I'm letting this blog serve as a follow-up explanation to everybody who didn't quite get the gist of what I intended to express about new Michigan...Magic visits with Spartans after Monday's practicehttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/02/magic_visits_with_spartans_aft.htmlcat:Basketballcat:Breaking Newsnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:53:22 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.715243EAST LANSING -- It wouldn't be the first time Earvin Johnson has come to Michigan State's rescue. Of course Magic pulled the Spartans out of the fire on numerous occasions as a player from 1977-79, but he has also waved...The trouble with Michigan State basketballhttp://blog.mlive.com/spartansinsider/2008/02/the_trouble_with_michigan_stat.htmlcat:Basketballnoemail@noemail.org (Steve Grinczel)Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:55:15 GMTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/spartansinsider//1338.714659EAST LANSING -- Had Michigan State just lost at league-leading Purdue and at Indiana -- in one of the most super-charged arenas I've ever been in -- to drop to 10-2, Spartan fans wouldn't be ducking for cover to avoid...