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FINAL: MSU downs No. 4 Kentucky 86-77 in double overtime at Champions Classic

Michigan State entered Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday night ready to bring the heat and hungry for redemption from last Friday’s loss.

MSU outplayed No. 4 Kentucky 86-77, making it certain that it belongs amongst the big dogs.

In the first half, MSU’s starting five consisted of junior guard A.J. Hoggard, senior forward Malik Hall, senior forward Joey Hauser, senior guard Tyson Walker and junior center Mady Sissoko.

The Spartans won the tipoff followed by an easy layup from Sissoko to put the first game basket on the board.

Turnovers seemed to be an underlying issue in the first half. Within the first five minutes, MSU had already racked up three compared to Kentucky’s one. MSU ended the first half with a total of eight, double that of Kentucky.

With just under eight minutes left in the half, Walker sank a three-pointer, making it a one-possession game (20-18). Hauser followed suit, eager to keep the three-point streak alive.

An aspect of MSU’s game that appeared polished in the first half were rebounds. MSU carried Kentucky with 18 rebounds compared to their 16.

For the second half, MSU opened with a turnaround jumper from Hall, totaling 12 points for him.

After a timeout with 35.6 seconds in the game, Walker missed a turnaround jumper in the paint, leaving MSU down one with 15.8 seconds to play and Kentucky’s ball.

However, Kentucky quickly jumped ahead, leaving little to no wiggle room in their lead.

Hauser downed his fourth three-pointer of the night with 2:34 minutes left in the game, tying it all up. He returned to put up a jumper with one minute left, leaving the scoreboard to read 61-60 Kentucky.

Going into overtime, after a steal by Sissoko, Walker delivered a three to even it out at 67-67 with 2 minutes to play.

Walker then sunk a pullup jumper, leaving one point between both opponents.

Finishing off into the second overtime, Kentucky grasped the lead early, similar to the first.

With 1:45 minutes left in overtime, Walker sent the ball to Sissoko under the basket who then sent in an alley-oop dunk to take the lead (78-76).

Walker returned to the free throw line with a minute remaining, making both shots that made it a two-basket game.

If Sissoko’s performance on Friday wasn’t enough proof of his skills, his second alley-oop with thirty seconds in the game was.

MSU ended the double overtime matchup 86-77, showing that they’re prepared to take on Villanova back home on Friday night.

After midterm results, Michigan Dems establish priorities while GOP deals with infighting

After last week’s midterm elections resulted in a historic victory for Michigan Democrats, both political parties are left with questions about what the next several years will look like.

Come January, Democrats will have a legislative trifecta for the first time in nearly four decades – a majority in the state house and senate, as well as a Democratic governor. As the party chose its new leadership last week, many Michiganders wondered what type of policy they’d begin to see come from Lansing in the new year.

On the GOP side, the post-election period has been more tense. An internal memo that was leaked from state Republican leadership slamming former gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon for causing losses by conservative candidates led to squabbles about the future of Michigan’s GOP.

The memo, authored by party Chief of Staff Paul Cordes, said that GOP losses at the top of the ticket and across the state could be attributed to how Dixon’s campaign was run, including low name recognition and failure to stay “on message.”

In light of the growing rift among Republicans, Dixon announced that she’s considering a run for state party chair, responding to the memo that the state party’s success was “a matter of leadership.”

If a candidate like Dixon is elected state party chair in 2023, it could represent a formal swing to the right by Michigan Republicans, who have grappled with accusations by Democrats of being too extreme while also fielding criticism from a portion of voters who believe the party establishment isn’t conservative enough.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer, spoke the morning of Nov. 9, saying that she’s excited to build on the work of her first four years in office.

She said, “We made huge strides, but that’s important to continue as well.”

Normalizing mental health on campus with Mental Health Awareness Week

This week, MSU students can join a Zumba workout, meet Zeke the Wonder Dog, or drink hot chocolate and eat pastries, among other activities. The goal: to increase awareness about mental health.

Every day of the week features activities planned by director of health, safety and wellness for the Associated Students of Michigan State University Harsna Chahal in partnership with other student organizations to address different aspects of mental health. Monday’s theme was recharging. Students took home succulents and painted pots with positive messages, all while receiving information about mental health resources. Chahal emphasized the importance of having conversations about mental health with the students who attended the event.

Tuesday’s theme was ‘Sweat out the Stigma.’ where students could join a Zumba workout hosted by MSU CHAARG, a women’s fitness club.

Wednesday’s activities focused on body positivity with painting and photographs.

Today, students can meet Zeke the Wonder Dog, eat pastries and drink hot chocolate outside of Wells Hall from 6 to 7 p.m.

This Friday, students can attend a tailgate with mental health awareness week merchandise, pastries and hot chocolate at the Breslin Center student section entrance from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

“The goal is to try to make it a habit to practice mental health,” Chahal said. “It doesn’t have to be an hour. It can just be short … just to recharge your body. The goal is to help students recharge.”

Mental health resources can be found on MSU’s Counseling & Psychiatric Services website.

Based on original reporting by Melanie Soverinsky, Lily Guiney and Kayla Nelsen.