Cleveland, OH
Are Previous Game Concerns Real Issues for MSU?
The Michigan State Spartans are preparing for a Sweet Sixteen match-up with the Ole Miss Rebels this Friday as they look to continue their run in the NCAA Tournament.
This will be the second time the two teams have faced off in their program’s history, with the Spartans taking the only other game. Coincidentally enough, that game came in the second round of the Big Dance in 1999.
Chris Beard’s Rebels are currently playing excellent basketball, coming off of a dismantling of the Iowa State Cyclones in the Round of 32. It will take MSU’s A-plus game to move on to the Elite Eight.
However, Tom Izzo’s team has not played its best basketball despite winning both games by solid margins. The Spartans have struggled in a few key areas that could come back to bite them against the Rebels if they are not careful.
MSU has not been particularly sharp when taking care of the basketball. The Spartans have committed 20 turnovers through their first two tournament games.
New Mexico’s aggressive defense often forced the ball out of MSU’s hands on Sunday evening, which is something that cannot happen against a stingy Beard-coached team.
Ole Miss ranked eighth out of all tournament teams in turnovers forced with 14.2 per game. MSU must hold onto the basketball, or the Rebels will convert on its mistakes.
Another issue that has come up in these two games has been the Spartans’ free-throw shooting. A reliable team in the regular season, the Spartans have struggled at the line through their first two games.
MSU has connected on 34-of-49 free-throw attempts, good for 69.4 percent. Izzo’s team hit on almost 78 percent of its free throws in the regular season, so this drop in efficiency has been concerning.
Of course, the Spartans have struggled from beyond the arc all season, but the issue looked especially glaring against the Lobos. MSU hit just 4-of-15 3-pointers, something that cannot happen against a Rebels team that has hit on 49 percent of its attempts this postseason.
Outside of the 3-point shooting, these issues are fundamental concerns that will drive Izzo crazy. He will harp on them this week to ensure his team does not struggle with them on Friday night.
Quite simply, MSU cannot afford to, or they won’t see the Elite Eight.
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan NationWHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A U.S. Navy warship will be commissioned in Ohio on Saturday for the first time in 250 years.
The USS Cleveland is docked on Lake Erie ahead of the 10 a.m. ceremony.
Commander Bruce Hallett has commanded the USS Cleveland for more than two years.
“It is extremely exciting to be able to bring the USS Cleveland here to Cleveland and to be able to commission this ship here — obviously to introduce it to the city so that they can see the ship that bears their name,” Hallett said. “This has been a long time coming.”
The ship’s hallways are named after Cleveland streets, including East 9th and St. Clair Avenue.
A mural honoring the city of Cleveland is displayed on board. The Navy says it is rare to see something like this on a warship.
“Amazing mural, right? We’re so proud to have that on board,” Hallett said. “We’re just pretty much in awe when we saw all the stuff that we have in the city, and now we have it as part of the Cleveland. We love it as a crew.”
The ship’s weight room was outfitted by the Cleveland Browns with flags, towels, and mats.
“The Browns came and added their own touches to that weight room,” Hallett said. “So it’s all swagged out with all kinds of Cleveland Browns stuff now.”
The ship carries a crew of about 90, including two sailors who grew up in Cleveland.
The USS Cleveland is the final Freedom-variant littoral combat ship to be commissioned in the U.S. Navy.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
A trio of locally made films will grace area screens, here is your Movie Nerd Report for the week of May 11-17.
Thursday evening will bring the red-carpet premiere of “The Last Shop On Walnut” at the Cedar Lee Theatre (2163 Lee Rd Cleveland Heights, OH 44118) . The film, which was written and directed by Jason Richardson, was mostly shot in Ravenna. It stars Peter Lawson Jones and Cleveland native Kym Whitley. The screening will benefit the Charles & Margaret Jones Endowed Scholarship Fund at College Now. Tickets can be found at this link.
Can’t make the premiere? The Cedar Lee will be playing the film for at least a full week starting Friday!
Advertisement
“Blood & Rust” the debut feature from Kent State alumni Jeremy Herbert, will be coming to Cranked Up TV on May 19 and The Ashland Cinema (212 Center Street Ashland, OH 44805) will be offering a screening of it this Friday evening at 7 p.m., and it is free!
Sunday at 3:30 p.m. the Capitol Theatre (1390 W.65th Street Cleveland, OH 44102) will present the directorial debut of Frank Calo IV in “Last Call”. Sounds like this one is poised to sell out so click here to grab your tickets.
Over at the Cleveland Cinematheque (11610 Euclid Ave Cleveland, OH 44118) :
Cleveland is fortunate to be one of the five select cities of the Future of Film Is Female Series which highlights films from female and nonbinary filmmakers. The first film in this series kicks off Thursday at 6:30 p.m. with the Midwest road trip film, “Dreams In Nightmares.”
Thursday at 9 p.m. and Friday at 9 p.m. they will present a 4K Restoration of the Dutch classic “Malpertius,” which features Orson Welles.
Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 4:30 p.m. they will present the Italian dramedy “The Last One For The Road.”
Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7:35 p.m. they will present a documentary that explores the effects of colonialism on Northern Argentina in “Our Land.”
Saturday at 8:50 p.m. and Sunday at 5:45 p.m. they will present a 4K Restoration of the Argentinian film “The Headless Woman”
Sunday at 3:30 p.m. they will present the documentary “Four Rational People,” which looks at the Emerson String Quartet’s final performance.
More information about the films and ticket prices are at: cinematheque.cia.edu
At the Nightlight Cinema (30 N High Street Akron, OH 44308):
One of the most acclaimed films of the year is the Canadian drama “Blue Herron,” it is the feature debut of Sophy Romvari, who gained attention for her short films.
They also will be playing the documentary “Steal This Story, Please,” which highlights independent investigative journalist Amy Goodman.
More Information about the films and ticket prices are at: nightlightcinema.com
This weekend there are a trio of new films opening in wide release: The first is one that I would recommend if you are a horror fan – “Obsession”. This film continues a trend where we are seeing Youtubers become filmmakers, in this case it is 26-year-old Curry Barker. This is a spin on “be careful what you wish for” when a young man makes a wish for his crush to love him more than anything else in the world, and it gets increasingly disturbing from there. I personally loved it and thought the performance from actress Inde Navarrette will make her a star.
“Is God Is” is a revenge tale which was based on an award-winning play by Alesha Harris. Harris makes her feature directorial debut and currently the film stands at 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes!
The other film opening is the latest from director Guy Ritchie, the action-thriller “In The Grey” with Jake Gyllenhall and Henry Cavill.
Rounding out this busy week are some anniversaries hitting screens in “Top Gun” and “Top Gun: Maverick” for one week to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Tony Scott’s original, and the original “Shrek” is also playing for one week to commemorate its 25th Anniversary (Anniversaries like this are making your resident movie nerd feel old!).
Lastly, I just wanted to wish congratulations to my longtime friend Dave Huffman, who has just been named the new director of The Cleveland Cinematheque! If you have ever attended some of the Late Shift Series back in the day at the Cedar Lee or Capitol, or the 12 Hours of Terror, you know that Dave is a huge cinephile and I am certain will do a great job at the Cinematheque!
Until next week my friends, see ya at the movies!
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Firefighters battled a grease fire inside a restaurant in the city’s University neighborhood Tuesday morning.
Flames broke out at BurgerIM in the 11400 block of Euclid Ave. around 9:20 a.m.
Cleveland Fire Lt. Mike Norman said there was grease in the hood of the stove, and when someone started cooking, it started the fire.
According to Lt. Norman, the sprinklers inside the restaurant put out the flames.
At this time, damage is estimated at $25,000.
The apartment building was evacuated as a precaution.
Since the fire was inside a restaurant, health officials will now respond to the scene and determine when they can reopen.
There were no injuries.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
-
Oregon1 minute agoOregon man shot at In-N-Out drive-thru drove family to safety with bullet lodged in head
-
Pennsylvania7 minutes agoAn Outpouring of Frustration Over Pennsylvania’s Rapid Data Center Growth – Inside Climate News
-
Rhode Island13 minutes agoFlags are at half-staff in Rhode Island today. Here’s why
-
South-Carolina19 minutes agoSouth Carolina Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for May 14, 2026
-
South Dakota25 minutes agoMr. Basketball award is presented annual by Hansen Anderson Basketball
-
Tennessee31 minutes agoChildhood friends reunite during cancer treatments 50 years after serving in Tennessee National Guard together
-
Texas37 minutes agoBest social media reactions from Texas A&M’s 18-11 loss to MSU
-
Utah43 minutes agoA new law in Utah allows students to opt out of coursework that conflicts with their beliefs