Michigan State Spartans: It was a big weekend to end November

The Michigan State Spartans had a big weekend to end the month of November. Let’s take a look at the weekend that was for the Spartans.

The extended holiday weekend started with the men’s basketball team after coming off of a 20-point victory over No. 17 ranked UCLA the night before, defeated Texas after having to rally to win a 78-68 win to capture the Las Vegas Invitational championship.

On Saturday afternoon, the football team rallied to pull off a 14-10 victory on Senior Day over Rutgers. Saturday night after losing the night before, the hockey team pulled off an upset on the road against Big Ten foe Minnesota thus ending a six-game losing streak.

Then on Sunday, the men’s soccer team fought hard to earn a 1-0 win against 13th-seeded Georgetown Sunday in Washington, D.C. Michigan State’s NCAA tournament success continues as they now have reached the Elite Eight four times in the last six seasons. What does it all mean long term?

First, the men’s basketball team is now 5-1 heading into its Big Ten/ACC Challenge game as they go on the road again to play Louisville on Tuesday night. Tom Izzo has this team playing well and winning back to back games on a neutral court against UCLA and Texas shows that the blowout wins against lesser opponents were no flukes. The only loss the Spartans have is a five-point defeat on a neutral floor to Kansas who is currently ranked No. 2 after remaining undefeated by beating No. 5 Tennessee this weekend.

Michigan State is now ranked No. 8 in the Coaches Poll and No. 9 in the AP poll. They look to add to their resume this week by getting another quality win over ACC foe Louisville and then begin Big Ten play on the road against Rutgers on Friday night.

The football team did not look all that impressive against Rutgers. They won, however, getting themselves to the seven-win mark and likely earning a bowl bid to either the Jan. 1 bowls of the Outback or Gator, according to projections by CbsSports.com, SI.com and ESPN.com, to name a few.

A loss would have been embarrassing and getting the win allows the Spartans to go into bowl preparation without a devastating loss hanging over their head. A win in a bowl game against a team like South Carolina or a Kentucky will help in building the foundation for a special 2019 season.

The hockey team badly needed a victory and getting one on the road against a Big Ten team was greatly necessary moving forward. Ending a losing streak helps with momentum moving forward as the play a home and away against rival Michigan this upcoming weekend. With hopes of turning the program around, a sweep of Michigan would be a great start. Look for the Spartans to pull off an upset or two this weekend.

The men’s soccer team did not end Big Ten play well after losing back to back games against Indiana and Maryland. However, the ironic part is that both the Hoosiers and the Terps are both in the Elite Eight with Michigan State but on the other side of the bracket.

The Spartans lucked out because they play another unseeded team in James Madison allowing them to host their Elite Eight game this upcoming weekend on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. Winning would allow them to reach the Final Four, something they have not been able to do in a long time. Michigan State has a great opportunity waiting for them and a strong possibility of beating James Madison to head to the Final Four.

I know that this past weekend was not perfect for Michigan State athletics and the wins were not flawless by any stretch of the imagination. However, hope is on the horizon to a brighter future and grinding out victories and overcoming obstacles is just part of the long and grueling process. 2019 brings much optimism for those who believe and believing is part of the small steps to success.