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Graham Couch

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Lansing
As seen in: Couch and The Rube, Lansing State Journal, Couch and The Rube Podcast, MSN, MSN Canada, Golfweek, MSN South Africa, USA Today, Yahoo News, Aol, Chicago Sun-Times, Detroit Free Press and
Lansing State Journal columnist, sports and otherwise; Co-host of @CouchandTheRube podcast live online 3 days a week. Ideas, criticism welcome at gcouch@lsj.com
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Articles by Graham Couch

Couch: Lansing schools Student Development Program a gem for athletes and those just looking for a place to feel welcome

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
LANSING — In a world where summer camps and organized youth sports, tutors and athletic trainers can cost an arm and a leg, and where there are fewer and fewer places for adolescents and teenagers to go, the Lansing School District has a program that offers it all to students at a very reasonable rate: No charge. There are a lot of great offerings and good ideas in our community worth highlighting. Lansing schools’ Student Development Program at Don Johnson Fieldhouse is a gem.
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Couch: Robyn Fralick eyes the next step for Michigan State women's basketball

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
EAST LANSING — Among Robyn Fralick’s favorite parts of being a college basketball coach in these dynamic times is the “constant problem-solving” — the puzzle of an ever-changing roster, how to best use the players she has, and figuring out how to win the game in front of her.
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D-3 state track: Sinclair, Peters propel Olivet girls to second straight title; Lansing Catholic's VanAlstine wins two state titles

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By Graham Couch 
| Battle Creek Enquirer
KENT CITY — Walking off the track after the only race she didn’t win Saturday, Olivet senior Celina Sinclair said what everyone in the know at the MHSAA Division 3 state track and field meet already knew: “It’s going to be neck and neck with Olivet and Lansing Catholic.” The Eagles and Cougars were the two titans on the girls side. Olivet had just a little more — including two seniors who finished their decorated careers with epic Saturdays at Kent City High School.
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D-3 state track: Sinclair, Peters propel Olivet girls to second straight title; Lansing Catholic's VanAlstine wins two state titles

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
May 31, 2026, 2:15 a.m. ET KENT CITY — Walking off the track after the only race she didn’t win Saturday, Olivet senior Celina Sinclair said what everyone in the know at the MHSAA Division 3 state track and field meet already knew: “It’s going to be neck and neck with Olivet and Lansing Catholic.”
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Couch: 3 quick takes on Jeremy Fears Jr. returning to Michigan State basketball next season

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By Graham Couch 
| USA Today
May 28, 2026, 2:44 a.m. ET 1. Jeremy Fears Jr.'s return to MSU makes sense, even if he could stick in the NBA now The was an underlying belief that Jeremy Fears Jr. would ultimately pull his name out of the NBA draft and return to Michigan State for one more season. But the closer he came to the 11th hour, the more you wondered. I think he just wanted to make MSU fans sweat a little. Or perhaps give NBA teams all the time possible to fall in love with him.
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Couch: Kevin Guskiewicz's departure an unnecessary blow to MSU, which loses momentum and maybe more Original

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By Graham Couch 
| USA Today
Kevin Guskiewicz’s untimely exit from Michigan State on Wednesday is a blow to progress, to the university’s momentum and stability, to its reputation, its sense of direction, and to the alignment of its leadership. And it’s a setback that could have ramifications beyond who holds the top office at MSU.
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Baseball remains Josh Lucier's sanctuary after being shot on a baseball field three years ago

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By Graham Couch 
| Zanesville Times Recorder
In the seconds after seeing the flash from the gun, Josh Lucier thought about what he might miss if his life ended right then and there, standing not far from home plate, in the middle of “Nowhere, Ohio.” He was scared he’d never talk to his parents or girlfriend again. His mind racing, he turned and ran and felt the third bullet pierce his body — two in his hip, one in his shoulder.
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Baseball remains Josh Lucier's sanctuary after being shot on a baseball field three years ago

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By Graham Couch 
| The Daily-Jeffersonian
Updated May 27, 2026, 9:57 a.m. ET In the seconds after seeing the flash from the gun, Josh Lucier thought about what he might miss if his life ended right then and there, standing not far from home plate, in the middle of “Nowhere, Ohio.”
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Baseball remains Josh Lucier's sanctuary after being shot on a baseball field three years ago

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
May 27, 2026, 6:04 a.m. ET In the seconds after seeing the flash from the gun, Josh Lucier thought about what he might miss if his life ended right then and there, standing not far from home plate, in the middle of “Nowhere, Ohio.”
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Baseball remains Josh Lucier's sanctuary after being shot on a baseball field three years ago

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By Graham Couch 
| The Daily-Jeffersonian
In the seconds after seeing the flash from the gun, Josh Lucier thought about what he might miss if his life ended right then and there, standing not far from home plate, in the middle of “Nowhere, Ohio.” He was scared he’d never talk to his parents or girlfriend again. His mind racing, he turned and ran and felt the third bullet pierce his body — two in his hip, one in his shoulder.
Open in Who Shared View Duplicates (4) Issue with article?

Baseball remains Josh Lucier's sanctuary after being shot on a baseball field three years ago

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By Graham Couch 
| Coshocton Tribune
Updated May 27, 2026, 9:57 a.m. ET In the seconds after seeing the flash from the gun, Josh Lucier thought about what he might miss if his life ended right then and there, standing not far from home plate, in the middle of “Nowhere, Ohio.” He was scared he’d never talk to his parents or girlfriend again. His mind racing, he turned and ran and felt the third bullet pierce his body — two in his hip, one in his shoulder.
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Couch: Tom Izzo has a new big man and most of his MSU team back in what he thinks is a complete roster

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
For the most part, this spring has played out as Tom Izzo hoped it would — his roster largely retained, a big man added, the culture he’s worked so hard to keep, intact. Izzo believes next season’s Michigan State’s basketball team will be among his most complete.
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Couch: Harry Jadun's departure could end brief but brilliant run for MSU men's tennis Original

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
Three days after the end of the greatest Michigan State men’s tennis season in modern times, the coach who orchestrated the program’s rise is leaving, and the Spartans’ top player eligible to return next season is in the transfer portal. Harry Jadun, who grew up in East Lansing, played at MSU, was an assistant coach and then took over the program in 2022 with big dreams, is walking away after four seasons.
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Michigan State men's tennis falls to South Carolina, exits NCAA tournament in second round Original

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By Graham Couch 
| USA Today
May 2, 2026, 9:14 p.m. ET This Michigan State men's tennis season will be remembered for the Spartans' Big Ten regular season and tournament championships, feats the program hadn't accomplished in nearly 60 years. But an NCAA tournament run won't be part of that legacy, after MSU fell 4-1 to host and 13-overall seed South Carolina in the second round Saturday, exiting the NCAA tournament in the same round as each of the last two seasons.
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Michigan State men's tennis cruises past North Carolina to reach second round of NCAA tournament

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
Michigan State’s men’s tennis team knocked off North Carolina in resounding fashion in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday in Columbia, South Carolina. The Spartans dropped the doubles point but then won at No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 singles to clinch the victory, 4-1, with matches at 5 and 6 singles unfinished. At No. 1 singles, Aristotelis Thanos defeated the Tar Heels’ Chris Xu, 6-2, 6-1. At 2 singles, MSU’s Matthew Forbes won over Roan Jones, 6-3, 6-4.
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Couch: Michigan State men's tennis seizes its moment, with NCAA tournament dreams ahead

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
EAST LANSING — The greatest season in modern Michigan State tennis history was born out of a nightmarish start — injuries to two of the Spartans’ top players, five straight defeats to open the year, and a soul-searching conversation in Arizona over spring break. “We lost that match. But before the match, we kind of talked about our intentions and playing as a team rather than a group of individuals,” MSU head coach Harry Jadun said. “It’s really hard to quantify.
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Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball's roster, with Anton Bonke, and 5 years of eligibility coming

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
1. MSU is again unlucky with NCAA eligibility rule-change timing Unless legal challenges from spurned four-year seniors move quickly through the courts, Carson Cooper, Jaxon Kohler and the rest of their class are out of eligibility, and thus, Michigan State’s men’s basketball team has clarity on its big-man situation for next season.
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Michigan State men's tennis to face North Carolina in NCAA tournament opener Original

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By Graham Couch 
| USA Today
Updated April 27, 2026, 9:18 p.m. ET EAST LANSING — Short on sleep, but high on life following an epic Big Ten tournament championship win over Ohio State — which finished after midnight Saturday in California — Michigan State’s men’s tennis team learned Monday it’ll be close to the other coast when it begins NCAA tournament play this Friday.
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Couch: Among Pat Fitzgerald's better early moves with MSU football — retaining Joe Rossi and Courtney Hawkins

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
EAST LANSING — Anytime a college football coach is fired and another hired, it’s a rebirth. Out with the old. In with the new. Previous humans discarded. New ones in their place. And in those first few months, when the new staff hasn’t lost a game yet, all of their answers sound like a plan that can’t fail.
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Couch: MSU basketball roster looks to be in a great spot — a center away from contention

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
It’s only been one day, but it’s one day more than most men’s college basketball teams have gone without a player entering the transfer portal. By the time you read this, someone from Michigan State’s roster might have joined the roughly 1,700 Division I players reportedly already in the portal in the 24 hours since it opened at midnight Tuesday, April 7.
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Couch: Limbs, money, dignity, and nothing — what MSU fans would give up for Michigan football and hockey not to win a national championship Original

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By Graham Couch 
| USA Today
Updated April 3, 2026, 11:55 a.m. ET There have been better weeks to be a Michigan State fan. Worse weeks, too. But when the other half of one of the more toxic rivalries in college sports is on the cusp of national championships in men’s basketball and hockey, and your school has just been bounced in both, well, maybe the Final Four and Frozen Four aren’t must-sees this year. MSU remains the last Big Ten team to win a national title in either sport.
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100 years ago, the Spartans were born in the LSJ. Well, the ‘Spartons’. Close enough. Original

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
One-hundred years ago this week, back when sports writers had the audacity to give a team its name and spellcheck didn’t exist, the Michigan State “Spartons” were born. And, days later, the Spartans. As anniversaries go for nicknames, this is a big one. Exactly 100 years ago Thursday — April 2, 1926 — the first mention of Michigan State as the “Spartons” appeared in the Lansing State Journal, giving Michigan State’s baseball team a new nickname after losing at Fort Benning in Georgia.
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Couch: Analyzing next season's Michigan State basketball roster, player by player, before the transfer portal opens

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By Graham Couch 
| USA Today
March 30, 2026, 1:20 a.m. ET Analyzing next season’s Michigan State basketball roster before the transfer portal opens is a risky and perhaps ridiculous exercise. Within hours of publishing last season, three MSU players were in the transfer portal. This year, the portal doesn’t officially open until April 7, so we’ll take a stab at it. As of early Monday morning, March 30, these are the scholarship players slated to be on the 2026-27 MSU men’s basketball team.
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Couch: Michigan State hockey's NCAA regional final loss to Wisconsin a gut-punch that didn't need to happen

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
March 29, 2026, 3:21 a.m. ET WORCESTER, Mass. — This will go down as one of the great gut-punches in Michigan State athletics history, a 4-3 overtime loss to Wisconsin in an NCAA hockey regional final that will wake the Spartans up at night for years and stick with the program until MSU gets over this NCAA tournament hump and to a Frozen Four. In MSU basketball terms, this was MSU-Georgia Tech in the 1990 Sweet 16. In MSU football terms, it’s perhaps the triple-overtime loss at Michigan in 2004.
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Couch: In defeat, Izzo is candid about his ambitions for MSU basketball, and his appreciation for the group that helped fortify the program

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
March 28, 2026, 6:38 a.m. ET WASHINGTON — The most raw, honest assessment you’ll get from Tom Izzo is often in those initial minutes following the Spartans’ final game of the season, which 27 times in the last 29 years has been a loss in the NCAA tournament. The other two years were the 2000 national championship season and 2020, when a hopeful home finale wound up being the last game before the pandemic.
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Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball's 67-63 loss to UConn in the Sweet 16 Original

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By Graham Couch 
| USA Today
Updated March 28, 2026, 2:01 a.m. ET 1. A nightmare, an epic comeback, and just not quite enough for MSU WASHINGTON — Well, that was the nightmare for Michigan State’s basketball team. That they couldn’t make shots early. That Connecticut couldn’t miss early. That it would take way too long for the Spartans to settle in and resemble themselves. That it would be a bad matchup, a team of a different class. Then MSU woke up. And decided not to go gently into that good night.
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Couch: Tarris Reed Jr. and Jaxon Kohler — foes since high school — meet one last time, in a fitting test for Michigan State's big men

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
March 27, 2026, 5:07 a.m. ET WASHINGTON — A lot has been made about Tarris Reed Jr. not playing in the exhibition game between Michigan State and UConn last October, as if MSU’s big guys don’t know what they’re up against. In fact, there are no two players in this matchup more familiar with each other than the Spartans’ Jaxon Kohler and Reed — rivals as prospects in the same class in high school and in the Iverson Classic, and then at MSU and Michigan, and now again in the Sweet 16.
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Michigan State basketball vs. UConn NCAA tournament tipoff: Matchup analysis and a prediction Original

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By Graham Couch 
| USA Today
March 26, 2026, 4:15 p.m. ET • What: 3-seed Michigan State vs. 2-seed Connecticut, NCAA tournament East Regional semifinal • When: Approx. 9:45 p.m. Friday • Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. • TV/Radio: CBS/Spartan Sports Network radio, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; SiriusXM Ch. 201 • Records/Rankings: MSU is 27-7 overall, finishing second in the Big Ten at 15-5, before falling in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.
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Couch: From UConn to UConn, how an early season exhibition set Michigan State’s basketball team on a path to the Sweet 16

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
March 25, 2026, 7:36 p.m. ET EAST LANSING — When Michigan State’s men’s basketball players walked off the court in Hartford, Connecticut, in late October, even they would tell you they didn’t know if they’d be here — in the Sweet 16, taking another swing at UConn, a 3-seed in the NCAA tournament, having won 27 games already, feeling good about their chances. “I remember after the game, just wrapped up in the emotion, I'm just like, ‘We have a lot of work to do.
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Lansing Community College women's basketball slays nemesis Schoolcraft in finale at NJCAA national tournament, finishes 5th

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By Graham Couch 
| Yahoo Sports
Lansing Community College basketball team celebrates after beating Schoolcraft in the Stars' final game at the NJCAA Division II National Championships in Hickory, North Carolina. Short of winning a national championship, Lansing Community College’s women’s basketball team couldn’t have had much more of a satisfying and storybook finish.
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Lansing Community College men's basketball tears through consolation bracket at NJCAA national championships to finish 7th

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
If the NJCAA national tournament had just kept going, it’s unclear if Lansing Community College’s men’s basketball team would have ever lost again. The Stars won their third game in three days Saturday — scoring 104 points in their fifth game in six days — to win their consolation bracket, finishing seventh at the NJCAA Division II national championships in Danville, Illinois. LCC became the first team to win four games at the event and not win the national title.
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Couch: 3 quick takes (from afar) on Michigan State women's basketball's 77-71 NCAA tournament loss at Oklahoma and what's next for MSU Original

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By Graham Couch 
| USA Today
Updated March 22, 2026, 11:49 p.m. ET 1. Progress for MSU this season, but also an understanding of its level Michigan State’s women’s basketball program has made tangible progress in each of three seasons under Robyn Fralick. The Spartans have also left each season with a clear understanding of their level and the levels above them.
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Couch: Jeremy Fears and Coen Carr through Trey Fort — why it's clear Izzo believes MSU has a shot at a Final Four

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
BUFFALO, N.Y. — It’s not like the Sweet 16 is new to Tom Izzo. He’s made it this far 17 times in 28 straight NCAA tournaments. But this is the round that starts to really stir his soul. You can hear when he talks. He’s still got some of that 1998 excitement in him, like he just knocked off Princeton and a shot at a blue blood awaits.
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Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball's 77-69 NCAA tournament win over Louisville to reach the Sweet 16 Original

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By Graham Couch 
| USA Today
Updated March 21, 2026, 8:08 p.m. ET 1. MSU played like a team determined to find out just how far it can go BUFFALO, N.Y. — I don’t know if Michigan State is good enough to conquer what’s ahead next week. But the Spartans played like a team Saturday determined to make a go of it.
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Michigan State basketball vs. Louisville NCAA tournament tipoff: Matchup analysis and a prediction Original

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
March 20, 2026, 7:42 p.m. ET • What: 3-seed Michigan State vs. 6-seed Louisville, NCAA tournament second round • When: 2:45 p.m. Saturday • Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York • TV/Radio: CBS/Spartan Sports Network radio, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; SiriusXM Ch. 203 • Records/Rankings: MSU is 26-7 overall, finishing second in the Big Ten at 15-5, before falling in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.
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Couch: Kaleb Glenn is trying to get the most out of this MSU NCAA tournament as he looks forward to next season Original

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By Graham Couch 
| USA Today
Updated March 20, 2026, 5:10 p.m. ET BUFFALO, New York — It’s silly to think about next season in the middle of the NCAA tournament. It’s also impossible to look at Kaleb Glenn without thinking about the next Michigan State basketball season. Some guys just look the part. Glenn looks it — 6-foot-7, built like an adult, like someone who could help any team in college basketball.
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Couch: Michigan State's Carson Cooper has become the player he always knew he needed to be

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Carson Cooper can remember when he finally began to feel important to Michigan State offensively. It wasn’t that long ago. Less than five months. MSU’s exhibition game against Connecticut. “That kind of flipped my switch a little bit,” Cooper said Thursday evening, “Understanding that for me and the team to be successful, they need me to score, they need me to have an offensive game. They need me to be aggressive.”
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Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball's 92-67 NCAA tournament win over North Dakota State Original

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
1. That was the ideal NCAA tournament opener for MSU BUFFALO, N.Y. — If Michigan State is going to make a deep run in this NCAA tournament, there will be some nervous moments along the way. No way around it. The Spartans made sure Thursday’s opener against 14-seed North Dakota State wasn’t unnecessarily among them with a decisive 92-67 win in Buffalo.
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Couch: Jesse McCulloch knows he's important to Michigan State's future. But he's focused on this NCAA tournament.

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
March 18, 2026, 7:41 p.m. ET BUFFALO, N.Y. — When you’ve traveled the road Jesse McCulloch has early in your college basketball career, you don’t mind being challenged or even yelled at by your coaches. You crave it, even. “Honestly, it feels good,” Michigan State’s redshirt freshman big man said. “I like the fact that you feel like you’re important. You really feel like you’re a part of it.”
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Michigan State basketball vs. North Dakota State NCAA tournament tipoff: Matchup analysis and a prediction Original

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
• What: 3-seed Michigan State vs. 14-seed North Dakota State, NCAA tournament first round • When: 4:05 p.m. Thursday • Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York • TV/Radio: TNT/Spartan Sports Network radio, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; SiriusXM Ch. 203 • Records/Rankings: MSU is 25-7 overall, finishing second in the Big Ten at 15-5, before falling in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. The Spartans are ranked No. 11 in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches polls.
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Lansing Community College women's basketball endures rude welcoming on the court at NJCAA national tournament Original

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
Lansing Community College's women's basketball team endured a rude initiation to the NJCAA national tournament on Tuesday evening, falling 84-63 to Parkland College in Hickory, North Carolina, ending the Stars' national championship hopes in Round 1. LCC, the No. 7 seed, moves into the consolation bracket, with potentially three more games, beginning at 4 p.m. Wednesday against 18-seed National Park College (from Hot Springs, Arkansas) in Hickory.
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Lansing Community College men's basketball storms back, falls 95-90 to No. 1 seed at NJCAA national tournament

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
Lansing Community College's men's basketball team nearly took down the No. 1 seed at the NJCAA Division II national championships on Tuesday, but the Stars' comeback fell just short in a 95-90 second-round loss to Des Moines Area in Danville, Illinois. DeAndre Berry scored 39 points, hitting 17 of 29 shots, for the Stars in defeat.
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Beat Couch: Join my NCAA tournament pool

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
March 17, 2026, 1:58 a.m. ET Welcome to the "Beat Couch" Lansing State Journal NCAA men’s basketball tournament pool. If you're looking for a bracket contest with high stakes and great prizes, I've got bad news. First place, as always, gets lunch on me, with or without me. I can understand if you'd rather dine alone. I’m happy to have your lunch delivered. Second place gets my lasting respect. Join my NCAA tournament bracket challenge here.
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Couch: Picks for each region of the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament and Final Four Original

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
March 17, 2026, 1:41 a.m. ET For a lot of this season, it looked like the top three or four teams in college basketball were pretty clear. Maybe those teams will still emerge. But, the NCAA tournament begins, they don’t seem quite as infallible. Here are my picks for each region and the Final Four: EAST REGION This is a loaded region with a lot of possibilities, including Michigan State coming through to reach the Final Four.
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Lansing Community College men's basketball wins opener at NJCAA national championships, faces top seed next Original

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
Mike Ingram thought his Lansing Community College men’s basketball team was prepared for the national tournament. Monday, they showed him they were. The Stars held first-half leads as large as 19 points and put away Arkansas State Mid-South with several timely plays down the stretch by freshman Shannon Henderson on their way to a 96-88 win in their opening game at the NJCAA Division II Championships in Danville, Illinois.
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Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State women's basketball's NCAA tournament draw — which goes through Oklahoma Original

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
1. The MSU women's NCAA tournament draw is a mixed bag, but unquestionable progress I liked something that Robyn Fralick said about her team’s No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament, which begins this Friday for Michigan State in Norman, Oklahoma: “It’s this interesting dichotomy of disappointment, of how close we are to the 4 seed (and hosting the first two rounds), and yet real recognition and embracing of this (being) the best seed in the program in 10 years.
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Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball's NCAA tournament draw — the Bison first, and maybe UConn and Duke Original

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
1. MSU lands a tricky NCAA tournament draw Duke at the top of the bracket. Connecticut at the bottom. There’s no easy path to the Final Four in this NCAA tournament. But there are more favorable ones than this. Like Purdue’s road, for example. MSU is the top 3 seed, Purdue the last 2 seed. MSU’s loss to UCLA in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals and Purdue’s Big Ten tournament title (or at least getting to the final) put the Spartans and Boilermakers in this order.
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Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball's 88-84 loss to UCLA in Big Ten tournament quarterfinals Original

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By Graham Couch 
| USA Today
Updated March 14, 2026, 12:51 a.m. ET 1. You can't fake desperation. UCLA was desperate. MSU wasn't. CHICAGO — UCLA played — and shot — like a team with something to prove Friday night. By the time Michigan State matched that sense of urgency, it was just a little too late. The Spartans will likely play with more of an edge to them in the NCAA tournament.
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Michigan State basketball vs. UCLA Big Ten tournament tipoff: Matchup analysis and a prediction Original

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
• What: 3-seed Michigan State vs. 6-seed UCLA, Big Ten tournament quarterfinal • When: Approximately 9 p.m. (ET) Friday • Where: United Center, Chicago • TV/Radio: Big Ten Network/Spartan Sports Network radio, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; SiriusXM Ch. 84 • Records/Rankings: MSU is 25-6 overall, finishing 15-5 in the Big Ten regular season, and is ranked No. 8 in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches polls.
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Couch: A look at what's in store for MSU Athletics as Spartan Ventures gets set to launch

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By Graham Couch 
| Lansing State Journal
After the thrill of March Madness, what's next for MSU Athletics is a whole new way of doing business. March 12, 2026, 7:00 p.m. ET EAST LANSING — As March Madness begins, and with it, dreams of runs by Michigan State’s basketball and hockey programs, it’s easy to get lost in the thrill of the moment.
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