Connect with us

Michigan

Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball’s 96-60 win over Niagara

Published

on

Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball’s 96-60 win over Niagara


1. Another fine showing for MSU. Now it’s time to see what they have.

EAST LANSING – Ready or not, it’s time for this Michigan State basketball team to be tested, to deal with someone its own size, to face an opponent with a little more rim protection than Niagara provided Thursday night. To be an underdog.

The Spartans will get all of that Tuesday night against Kansas in the Champions Classic in Atlanta.

We’ve learned about all we can from two exhibitions against Division-II teams and two home games against lower-tier Division-I programs, including Thursday’s 96-60 win over Niagara.

Advertisement

We’ve seen the Spartans have to respond to plucky opponents who won’t go away easily. They’ve done that well. We’ve seen Jaden Akins look like he’s up for being the main man on the court when needed. We’ve watched Jaxon Kohler grab 21 rebounds in two games and put up 20 points Thursday, looking like someone MSU will be able to count on. We’ve seen Coen Carr electrify the Breslin Center and be more than a highlight real, and Jeremy Fears Jr. tally 16 assists with just three turnovers in two games.

Let’s see if we’re still thinking the same thing about these guys after Tuesday. This is when we find out if Kohler can rebound like this against legitimate big men, if Akins can lead a team when things get hard.

Nothing that transpired this week suggests MSU can’t compete a level up. But beating Niagara and Monmouth convincingly is only so convincing.

2. An important second half for Frankie Fidler

Frankie Fidler appears to be fighting with his confidence early this season. You can see it in the shots he’s missing and how he attacks the rim. This is a new level for the Omaha transfer. A new city. A lot of eyes and expectations. So it’s all understandable. But MSU needs him in the right headspace. The Spartans need his game.

Advertisement

To that end, the second half Thursday was an important half for Fidler, who had eight points and two rebounds in seven minutes. I saw him smile for the first time in two games — first when he made a great move, missed the shot, grabbed his own rebound and put it back up and in while being fouled. The free throw gave MSU a 56-44 lead early with 16:32 remaining. As Fidler checked out of the game, Tom Izzo gave him an emphatic hand slap, as if MSU’s coach had been waiting for that sort of vigor from Fidler. Later, Fidler buried a 3 in transition from Jase Richardson and his face lit up. Not as much as Richardson’s. But he looked like he was having fun.

MSU doesn’t need Fidler to be Superman. But it needs to him make shots, to rebound, to be adequate defensively. To be a 6-foot-7 threat on the wing. He showed some of that in the second half Thursday.

3. Freshman thoughts – the Niagara edition (aka the Jase Richardson chapter)

There were a couple notable developments on the freshman front Thursday night. First and foremost: The continued sizable impact of Jase Richardson, who’s looking like close to a 20-minute-per-game player this year. The last freshman to do that for MSU was Rocket Watts in 2019-20, seemingly a lifetime ago.

It’s not only clear that Richardson is up for it. It’s becoming obvious that he makes a significant difference when he’s on the floor. The proof is partly in the numbers — 4 for 7 for shooting for 10 points in 17 minutes Thursday, coming off a game against Monmouth where he made 4 of 5 for 10 points with four assists in 22 minutes. But there’s more to it than that. When he has the ball in his hands, be it headed downhill to the basketball or, Thursday, letting it fly from deep, you think something good for MSU is going to happen. Most likely, a bucket. That’s a sense that has to be earned. He’s doing it.

Advertisement

Tom Izzo said this week that he’s been surprised by Richardson, especially that he’s shooting it better than when they recruited him. But he also sees what we’re all seeing: “He’s very smooth. Seems to do things effortlessly,” Izzo said this week. “Not a lot of wasted motion in his game. When he goes, goes with a purpose.”

Like with the rest of the team, it’ll be interesting to see how Richardson reacts to the looming step up in competition — he made fairly open layups a couple times Thursday after getting past Niagara’s first line of defense. If this continues, there’s a chance Richardson winds up in MSU’s closing lineup at some point this season.

The other development Thursday is that, right now, Richardson might be the only freshman in the rotation. Kur Teng, who played two minutes in the first half Monday and then again at garbage time, didn’t play Thursday until the game was just about put away, with MSU leading 68-51 midway through the second half. At that point, he played with Richardson, who was running the point. Redshirt freshman Gehrig Normand, who’s coming off a knee injury, didn’t get in until even later.

There’s an obvious rationale: There are too many guards in front of them and too few minutes to spare. They’ll have to take someone’s minutes to get in the rotation, though I think Izzo and Co. will look for ways to get them involved as much as is reasonably possible. An opening for one of them might come if MSU needs shooting. Teng hit another triple Thursday. He’s got two of MSU’s nine 3s this season in very few minutes played.

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.

Advertisement



Source link

Michigan

Legal experts question University of Michigan’s role after charges against former HC Sherrone Moore

Published

on

Legal experts question University of Michigan’s role after charges against former HC Sherrone Moore


WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Former Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore appeared in court Friday on charges of stalking, home invasion, and breaking and entering, just days after being fired from his position.

The 39-year-old coach, who has no prior criminal history, was terminated by the university on Wednesday following an investigation that uncovered evidence of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

According to prosecutors, the charges stem from an incident that occurred after the victim, a University of Michigan staff member, ended her relationship with Moore on Monday (Dec. 8).

Following the breakup, Moore allegedly made numerous unwanted calls and texts to the victim.

Advertisement

The situation escalated on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2025, when Moore allegedly forced his way into the victim’s Pittsfield Township apartment.

Prosecutors say he grabbed kitchen utensils and threatened to take his own life, allegedly telling the victim, “My blood is on your hands.”

“The totality of the behavior is highly threatening and highly intimidating. She was terrorized, your honor,” a prosecutor told the court during Friday’s arraignment.

Defense attorney Joseph Simon pushed back on prosecutors’ claims that Moore could be a threat to public safety.

“My client’s 39 years old, with zero prior criminal history, zero prior contact with the criminal justice system in any fashion,” Simon stated.

Advertisement

Attorney Todd Flood, who practices both criminal defense and civil litigation, said the fallout within the university could continue depending on when the organization was first alerted about the relationship and how university athletic officials first responded.

“What did they know, when did they know it, and what did they do about it when they found out? Those are going to be the three major questions,” Flood said.

“The university could possibly have some culpability there, that they didn’t put a stop to this,” noted Flood, adding that the victim may have grounds to pursue action against both the university and Moore.

Flood said the stalking charge against Moore likely stems from a documented pattern of harassment.

“When there is a position where he is harassing, either via text messages, harassing via telephone calls, social media content, or showing up at a place where he doesn’t belong,” Flood said. “Those stalking charges are ones where you can show that pattern of conduct.”

Advertisement

“He’s ultimately going to probably plead this case out, under some sort of either misdemeanor, or something that gives probation,” Flood said.

Moore posted his $25,000 bond Friday.

As part of his bond conditions, he must wear a GPS tether, undergo mental health treatment, and have no contact with the victim.

He is scheduled to appear in court in person on Jan. 22.

–> Jim Harbaugh talks Sherrone Moore’s firing, arrest after former Michigan football understudy posts bond

Advertisement

Copyright 2025 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Michigan

What we’re hearing in Michigan football coach search: News, rumors

Published

on

What we’re hearing in Michigan football coach search: News, rumors


play

With the firing of Sherrone Moore on Wednesday, Dec. 10, Michigan football is on the hunt for a new head coach.

It’s extremely late in the hiring cycle, with nearly every Power Four squad with an opening already having made a hire. But the Wolverines’ maize-and-blue brand could be strong enough to restart the coaching carousel, with several established coaches considered potential candidates for the U-M job.

Advertisement

It’ll be athletic director Warde Manuel’s call on the hire (with the usual inputs from donors and regents), despite rumors swirling on social media of his firing.

Here’s the latest on the Michigan football coaching search:

A former Notre Dame QB as Michigan football’s next head coach?

It’s possible.

Advertisement

Michigan football is reportedly interested in talking to Rees, according to Cleveland.com, who starred as a quarterback at Notre Dame. He moved up the coaching ranks fast, getting his big break as offensive coordinator with Notre Dame in 2020, where he served in the role for three years before moving to Alabama to be the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide in Nick Saban’s last year. He has spent the last two years with the Browns, first as a passing game specialist and then as offensive coordinator this year.

Rees also reportedly talked to Penn State before the Nittany Lions landed on Iowa State coach Matt Campbell.

It’s an interesting proposition, as Rees is seen as an up-and-coming young coach, but it can be wonky trying to hire NFL coaches into the college game due to the schedule. But in this circumstance, it just might work. The Browns are out of playoff contention so their season should drag out, and Michigan is in a position to wait longer than normal because early signing day for recruits is over and the transfer portal won’t open until January.

Advertisement

It’s early.

Michigan still has time to make a case.

But according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, there’s “no indication” that Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, one of the hottest names in connection to the Wolverines, has an interest in taking the job in Ann Arbor.

DeBoer, who has Alabama in the 12-team College Football Playoff, was also briefly connected to Penn State earlier this offseason and quickly shot that down.

Advertisement

But never say never in college football in 2025.

If Michigan is looking to swing big for its third head coach in four seasons (or seventh, if you count the interims who served during Moore’s and Jim Harbaugh’s suspensions), the Free Press’ Tony Garcia broke down four big names, including a couple with established ties to Ann Arbor, one who couldn’t quite beat the Wolverines and another who’s the darling of the college football world.

Check out that list of candidates here.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Michigan

Bullough’s back: Ex-linebacker to be Michigan State co-defensive coordinator

Published

on

Bullough’s back: Ex-linebacker to be Michigan State co-defensive coordinator


A fan-favorite Spartan is coming back as an assistant coach.Max Bullough, a former MSU linebacker who has spent the past two seasons coaching linebackers at Notre Dame, is coming back to East Lansing to be a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Bullough confirmed in a biography change on X (formerly Twitter).

The move is a promotion for Bullough, who was a linebackers coach at Notre Dame the past two seasons. Bullough will serve alongside incumbent MSU defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, who The Detroit News confirmed last week is staying on Pat Fitzgerald’s first staff in East Lansing. Fitzgerald replaced Jonathan Smith, who went 5-19, 4-14 Big Ten in two seasons.Bullough, 33, played for Michigan State from 2010 to 2013, under head coach Mark Dantonio and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. He played immediately as a freshman and appeared in 53 college games, logging 284 tackles, eight sacks and three interceptions.

He missed his final game — the 100th Rose Bowl against Stanford in 2013 — because of an unspecified violation of team rules. He never spoke publicly on the issue, though he was asked at the NFL Combine.Michigan State went 42-12 in Bullough’s four seasons with the Spartans, and 25-7 in Big Ten play, including the conference title in 2010 and 2013.After a brief NFL career with the Houston Texans and, in 2018, a stint on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad, Bullough got into coaching. He served as grad assistant for Cincinnati in 2019 under Luke Fickell, Alabama from 2020 to 2022 under Nick Saban (winning the College Football Playoff in his first year) and Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman in 2023. Freeman kept Bullough on as his linebackers coach last year, a season in which the Irish made it to the national championship game before losing to Ohio State.

Earlier this season, Bullough went viral in August for a video of him describing his detail-oriented approach during fall camp, citing knee bend and square tackling “when the s—‘s hard.”

Advertisement

Notre Dame finished the season 10-2, on a 10-game win streak, when it was left just outside the College Football Playoff bracket. Freeman and his team opted out of a bowl game, after terse words on the snub from AD Pete Bevacqua.Bullough coached a number of NFL draft picks in his career, including Dallas Turner (Minnesota Vikings), Christian Harris (Houston Texans), Henry To’oTo’o (Houston), Drew Sanders (Denver Broncos) and Jack Kiser (Jacksonville Jaguars).

Bullough won’t be the first in his family to coach at Michigan State. His grandfather, Hank, was an MSU guard and linebacker who won a national championship in 1952. Hank was also a well-regarded assistant coach on Duffy Daugherty’s staff from 1959 to 1969, including the national title teams in 1965 and 1966. He then went onto a pro coaching career that included stops with seven teams, including a head coaching tenure with the Buffalo Bills from 1985 to 1986.

After a year as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator in 1993, he finished his coaching career with a homecoming to Michigan State, where he was an assistant on George Perles’ final team. He died in 2019.

cearegood@detroitnews.com

@ConnorEaregood

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending