Michigan State Women's Basketball Begins Big Ten Tournament Friday Against Minnesota
SPARTANS FACE MINNESOTA IN BIG TEN TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS
The Michigan State women's basketball team enters the 2008 Big Ten Tournament as a No. 5 seed and will face fourth-seeded Minnesota in the quarterfinals Friday, March 7 at approximately 8:30 p.m. from Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. MSU, at 18-12 overall and 10-8 in the conference, tied for fifth in the Big Ten standings with Indiana, but earned the tiebreaker over the Hoosiers to receive a first-round bye for the sixth consecutive year.
The Spartans ended the regular season winning five of their last six games, including a 54-46 victory over Illinois in their last game Feb. 28 at the Breslin Center. MSU went 7-3 down the stretch to claim at least 10 conference wins for the sixth season in a row.
Michigan State has advanced to at least the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament the past four years. Last year, the Spartans opened tournament action with a 77-68 victory over Minnesota in the quarterfinals before falling to Purdue in the semifinals. MSU won its first and only Big Ten Tournament title in 2005, defeating the Gophers in the championship game, 55-49.
Although MSU has won its previous two meetings over Minnesota at the Big Ten Tournament, the Spartans are still looking for their first win this season over the Gophers. Minnesota opened the Big Ten season with a 74-63 victory over Michigan State at the Breslin Center Dec. 28, and followed with a win against the Green and White Jan. 27 at Williams Arena, 81-69.
Minnesota (20-10) ended the league race tied for third with Purdue at 11-7, but slipped to the fourth seed after the Boilermakers owned the tiebreaker. In their last game, the Gophers won at Michigan, 63-48.
MICHIGAN STATE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• The Spartans are 10-12 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament, which started in 1995.
• Michigan State won its first Big Ten Tournament title in 2005 with a victory over Minnesota. It marked MSU's only appearance in the championship game.
• MSU has won at least one game in the Big Ten Tournament and has advanced to at least the semifinals the past four years. Last year, the Spartans defeated Minnesota in the quarterfinals and fell in the semifinals to Purdue.
• The Spartans have not played in the opening round of the tournament since 2002.
• The only other year MSU was a No. 4 seed arrived in the 2006 tournament. MSU defeated fifth-seeded Iowa in the quarterfinals before falling to top-seeded Ohio State in the semifinals.
• Michigan State is 6-3 in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA
• MSU leads the all-time series over Minnesota, 31-17.
• The Spartans are 2-0 against Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans defeated the Gophers in the 2005 title game and last year in the quarterfinals.
• Minnesota has defeated the Spartans twice this season: 74-63 in East Lansing on Dec. 28, and 81-69 on Jan. 27 in Minneapolis.
• Michigan State has beaten Minnesota at least once every year since the 1999-2000 season.
OF NOTE...
• The Spartans enter the tournament winners of five of their last six games.
• In its final 10 games, MSU finished 7-3.
• The Spartans finished the Big Ten season 10-8, marking the sixth straight season MSU has won 10 or more games during the conference season.
• After starting out the Big Ten season 1-3, the Spartans won nine of their last 14 conference games.
• In her first career Big Ten Tournament game, Allyssa DeHaan scored 27 points against Minnesota last year in the quarterfinals. DeHaan, an all-tournament team selection, scored 43 points (21.5 avg.) in two games at last year's tournament.
Add us as a preferred source on Google