Spartan Speak

The latest Michigan State news is basketball heavy, as longtime assistant basketball coach Dwayne Stephens is leaving the program to become the head coach last Western Michigan. And last week, freshman Max Christie declared for the NBA draft. Will he change his mind and return to campus? Plus, spring football talk. 

On this week's Spartan Speak podcast, Michigan State beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal sportswriters Graham Couch and Phil Friend discuss the Spartans' second-round loss to Duke in the NCAA tournament, while also looking ahead to next season's squad.  They also talk about Foster Loyer and MSU's win over Davidson, the Big Ten's disappointing performance and more. 

After a decent run in the Big Ten tournament that saw the Michigan State basketball team beat Maryland and Wisconsin before losing a competitive game to Purdue in the semifinals, the Spartans drew a 7-seed in the NCAA tournament, and oh, boy, there are storylines galore.  MSU drew 10-seed Davidson in the first round, and its leading scorer is former Spartan Foster Loyer. And if MSU wins that game, longtime nemesis Duke likely awaits in the second round in Mike Krzyzewski's final season with the Blue Devils.  Then, Chris, Graham and Phil make their Final Four and national title predictions before ending the podcast with a little football talk. 

If you're from Greater Lansing or a Michigan State alum, the new HBO show "Winning Time" has something for everybody. The series debuted on Sunday night and Graham, Chris and Phil give three thumbs up as we open the podcast with a discussion about the show.  We then move on to previewing the Big Ten tournament, debating which teams are in the bubble, discussing the seven-seed Spartans' opener against 10-seed Maryland, predicting who will win the tourney, and then predicting who wins the MSU game.

Things are trending downward for the Michigan State basketball team, which lost at home to Illinois on Saturday and was throttled on the road Tuesday by Iowa. The schedule doesn't get any easier as the Spartans play Purdue, Michigan and Ohio State - two of them ranked in the top 25 - in the next seven days.  Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal sportswriters Graham Couch and Phil Friend try to get to the bottom of the tailspin, while also gauging where MSU stands with an NCAA tournament bid. Plus, predictions for the Purdue and Michigan games. 

Tuesday was, perhaps, an inopportune time for the Michigan State basketball team to blow a 14-point lead against Penn State - a team below them in the Big Ten Conference standings.  The Spartans' loss to the Nittany Lions opened up a whole new set of questions for Tom Izzo's squad, including a look back at the Spartans' recruiting effort in recent years. We then look ahead to Saturday's game against Illinois and Tuesday against Iowa. 

The Michigan State men's basketball team has hit its annual Big Ten swoon, as the 17th-ranked Spartans have lost their last two games, getting blown out Saturday at Rutgers then falling at home Tuesday to Wisconsin.  Graham Couch, Chris Solari and Phil Friend sort through the carnage of those two games, select what changes could (and should) be made to the lineup and preview upcoming games against Indiana and Penn State.  They round out the show with the latest football news, including the commitment of 3-star QB Bo Edmundson and Marco Coleman's hire as the defensive line coach. 

On this week's Spartan Speak podcast, host Phil Friend, Lansing State Journal sports columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari break down the Spartans' last two games, beating Michigan on Saturday and Maryland on Tuesday. Then we preview Saturday's game against Rutgers before talking about signing day, two four-star commits and incoming transfer running back Jarek Broussard. 

We saw the duality of the Michigan State basketball program in its past two games - a romp over No. 8 Wisconsin and a dispiriting performance against No. 23 Illinois, although the Spartans nearly won the game.  So the question is, which MSU team will show up Saturday afternoon at Breslin Center for its game against Michigan? Detroit Free Press Michigan State beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal sportswriters Graham Couch and Phil Friend try to get to the bottom of that question. 

The Michigan State men's basketball team is coming off a 64-62 loss to Northwestern. And the timing couldn't be worse as the Spartans hit the road for ranked opponents Wisconsin on Friday and Illinois on Tuesday.  Lansing State Journal reporters Graham Couch and Phil Friend, and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari, discuss the state of the Spartans, those upcoming games, and make their predictions for those contests.  Then they move to football, where freshman Ma'a Gaoteote has entered the transfer portal and Georgia DB Ameer Speed is transferring in. 

Was Michigan State's last-second win over Minnesota on Wednesday night a sign of a top-10 team showing some mettle? Or a sign that the Spartans may not be as good as their 14-2 record indicates?  Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch, sportswriter Phil Friend and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari dissect the game to kick off the podcast. Then, we move on to discuss: The cancellation of last Saturday's Michigan game MSU basketball 4-star PG commit Jeremy Fears MSU football 4-star WR commit Germie Bernard The return of Jayden Reed MSU 2022 football schedule

Lansing State Journal sportswriters Graham Couch and Phil Friend, along with Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari, have plenty to say following Michigan State's Peach Bowl win over Pitt. That includes roster changes in the days after, as WR Jalen Nailor and OL Kevin Jarvis declare for the NFL draft, Jayden Reed's future, how the team now belongs to Payton Thorne, and when/if Keon Coleman and Maliq Carr will join the basketball team.  That's followed by a discussion on the MSU hoops team, which beat Northwestern on Sunday and had upcoming games against Nebraska and Michigan. 

Lansing State Journal reporters Graham Couch and Phil Friend, along with Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari, tackle the Omicron variant head-on as COVID has already altered bowl season and some facets of Michigan State's Peach Bowl game against Pittsburgh.  The trio also discusses Kenneth Walker and Kenny Pickett's decision to skip the bowl game, the 2022 recruiting class and then shift to basketball to break down the Spartans' nonconference success and Tyson Walker's integral role as the point guard. 

How did Kenneth Walker III go from leading Heisman contender to not even being a finalist for the award in one month's time? The Lansing State Journal's Graham Couch and Phil Friend, along with Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari, are among the befuddled about Walker's omission and break down everything around then.  That's followed by a discussion about MSU football's Peach Bowl opponent, Pitt, and which players have entered the transfer portal. We end the podcast discussing Spartan basketball and its upcoming Big Ten games against Minnesota and Penn State. 

Lansing State Journal sportswriters Graham Couch and Phil Friend, along with Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari, discuss Michigan State football's 30-27 win over Penn State on Saturday, what it means to win 10 games, look at which bowl game the Spartans will play in and Mel Tucker's 10-year, $95 million extension is now official. We spend most of the podcast talking about MSU basketball following its Wednesday night win over Louisville in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. We give flowers to Tyson Walker, AJ Hoggard, Malik Hall, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Jaden Akins, but have a lengthy discussion about Joey Hauser's continued struggles.  We end the show with our College Football Playoff predictions. 

Lansing State Journal sports columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari break down Michigan State's 30-27 win over Penn State on Sunday. 

On this week's podcast, Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and the Lansing State Journal's Graham Couch and Phil Friend just watched the Michigan State basketball team beat Loyola Chicago on a last-minute alley-opp at the Battle 4 Atlantis opener.  Then, we preview Saturday's regular-season finale in football, when the Spartans take on Penn State with a chance for win No. 10 and a New Year's Six bowl bid - followed by predictions. 

The Lansing State Journal's Graham Couch and the Detroit Free Press' Chris Solari and Shawn Windsor break down Michigan State's 56-7 loss to Ohio State on Saturday. 

Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari have been busy this week, thanks in large part to the news that Chris broke regarding Mel Tucker's 10-year, $95 million contract extension.  After that, they preview Saturday's top-10 showdown against Ohio State and then talk a little hoops at the end. 

Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari break down Michigan State's 40-21 win over Maryland on Saturday, with a peek ahead to next weekend's game against No. 4 Ohio State.