Michigan State claims six football national championships but none since Hall of Fame head coach Duffy Daughtery led the Spartans to a 9-0-1 mark in 1966. They will play at Northeastern next week followed by a neutral-court matchup against Oakland and Big Ten road games against Iowa and Minnesota.
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Senior guard Bryn Forbes led the Spartans with 14 points, and reserve guard Eron Harris had four three-pointers to match his season high with 12 points.
But against this Crimson Tide team, Michigan State has more than the point spread working against it.
The Sooners’ selection came after 2014’s selection that almost sent the Big 12 into a full-on meltdown after TCU fell from No. 3 to No. 6 in the final ranking and a snub for one-loss Baylor, leaving the conference to question whether or not it should add another school for the sake of having a championship game. They rebound, transition offense is great, transition defense is good and theyre very scrappy.
Bovada listed the No. 2 Crimson Tide at 10-11 odds to win the championship.
Michigan State had two chances to tie the score, but Michael Geiger missed one 52-yarder to the left and his second 52-yard attempt when it hit the front of the crossbar and bounced harmlessly into the end zone as the half ended.
Maryland Eastern Shore had no chance at Breslin Center against the Spartans, who were playing their first game since 2013 as the No. 1 team in the nation.
That’s a testament to the strength of Alabama’s team, but if the game gets tight against Michigan State, it’s a bit of mystery how this group of players will respond. They keep coming at you, Elliott said. And he saw everyone contribute to a stingy defensive effort and another awesome display of sharing the ball – MSU had 25 assists on 27 baskets. I would not be surprised to see a few trick plays from MSU in this game, history tells us that Dantonio is not afraid to fake a punt/field goal or go for it on fourth down when he feels it is necessary. I grew up watching them all play.
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The Spartans started the season No. 13 and became the top-ranked team in five weeks, the biggest jump to No. 1 this early in the season since Arizona began the 1997-98 season ranked No. 17 and quickly rose to the top of the poll.
