MICHIGAN STATE

Suspended Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker says he's “disappointed — but not surprised” that the school intends to fire him for misconduct involving activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy.

Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller has informed suspended football coach Mel Tucker he is being fired for cause without compensation for his conduct with activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy.

No. 8 Washington visits Michigan State on Saturday.

Michigan State has stumbled from scandal to scandal, including the sexual abuse attacks by sports doctor Larry Nassar.

Suspended Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker says allegations of sexual harassment against him are completely false.

Michigan State has suspended football coach Mel Tucker after allegations became public that he sexually harassed an activist and rape survivor during a phone call last year.

Transfer Payton Thorne has won Auburn’s starting quarterback job.

Longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale says he has been diagnosed with cancer for a third time.

Michigan State coach Mel Tucker hopes he doesn’t have this long of an offseason ever again.

Markquis Nowell broke the NCAA Tournament record for assists in a game with 19, his last two on spectacular passes in the final minute of overtime, and Kansas State beat Michigan State 98-93 in a Sweet 16 thriller at Madison Square Garden.

Tyson Walker scored 23 points and No. 7 seed Michigan State beat second-seeded Marquette 69-60 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, sending coach Tom Izzo’s squad back to the Sweet 16 for the first time in four years.

Joey Hauser scored 17 points and No. 7 seed Michigan State clamped down defensively on No. 10 seed Southern California in the second half for a 72-62 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament’s East Region.

Tyson Walker shook off a slow start to score 23 points and lifted Michigan State to an 80-65 win over No. 17 Indiana on Tuesday night in its first home game since last week’s shootings on campus that killed three students and hospitalized five students.

Michigan showed its support for rival Michigan State with a poignant pregame ceremony before the Wolverines took an 84-72 win on Saturday night, the first game for the Spartan men since a shooting on the their campus that killed three students and wounded five others.

Michigan State women’s basketball players wiped away tears as they stood shoulder to shoulder during a moment of silence before losing to No. 8 Maryland 66-61 on Saturday, less than a week after three students were killed in a shooting on campus.

Some of the safety measures included more school resource officers, panic button app and a 24/7 safety tip line.

Mortgage executive and former Michigan State guard Mat Ishbia is the new majority owner of the Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, after the NBA’s board of governors approved his plan to purchase the controlling stake of those franchises from Robert Sarver, a person with knowledge of the matter said Monday night.

A Michigan State football player who swung his helmet at a Michigan player in a stadium tunnel has expressed regret.

Purdue is this season's first unanimous No. 1 team in the AP men’s college basketball poll.

Zach Edey scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, helping No. 1 Purdue beat Michigan State 77-61.

Zach Edey made a go-ahead shot at the front of the rim with 2.2 seconds left and finished with a career-high 32 points and 17 rebounds to help No. 3 Purdue hold off Michigan State 64-63.

A Michigan State football player has pleaded guilty to misdemeanors for a skirmish inside the Michigan Stadium tunnel after a game in October.

Mat Ishbia’s career basketball statistics at Michigan State went like this: He averaged 0.6 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

Virginia climbed 11 spots to No. 5 in this week's AP Top 25 following a difficult week.

Malik Hall forced two extra periods with dunks off inbounds plays, and Michigan State outlasted No. 4 Kentucky 86-77 in double overtime after Oscar Tshiebwe concluded his strong season debut by fouling out.

Drew Timme had 22 points and 13 rebounds, and led No. 2 Gonzaga in a spirited comeback from a 12-point deficit that carried the Bulldogs to a 64-63 victory over Michigan State on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln at North Island Naval Air Station.

Two of the more notable games on Friday’s college basketball schedule are taking place on an aircraft carrier and in a baseball stadium.

Tom Izzo is proud of the fact that Michigan State has consistently played tough nonconference schedules throughout his career.

Four more Michigan State football players have been suspended for their roles in the melee in the Michigan Stadium tunnel.

Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson were the top four teams in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, four days before the Volunteers and Bulldogs square off on the field.

Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker has suspended four players for their role in roughing up Michigan players in a stadium tunnel after losing a game.

Michigan State players roughed up Michigan defensive back Ja’Den McBurrows in the Michigan Stadium tunnel following their game Saturday night.

C.

Washington made its season debut in The Associated Press college football at No. 18 and Penn State and Oregon moved into the top 15 after all three had decisive nonconference victories.

Michael Penix Jr. threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns and Washington emphatically stated its case as a contender in the Pac-12 with a 39-28 win over No. 11 Michigan State.

Payton Thorne capped three straight drives with touchdown passes in the first half and threw for a fourth score in the final quarter to help No. 15 Michigan State pull away and beat Western Michigan 35-13.

Michigan State has signed basketball coach Tom Izzo to a new deal valued at $6.2 million per season.

Whenever any high school baseball rankings come out, it’s hard to ever see a team in those rankings not from states such as Florida, Texas, California, Arizona, Mississippi or Georgia. But for most of the year, St. Mary’s was ranked No. 1 in the country by MaxPreps.

Duke guard Jeremy Roach has provided a big spark for the Blue Devils at the right time.

Duke survived a tense finish against Michigan State and extended Mike Krzyzewski’s final NCAA Tournament run.

Mike Krzyzewski won his first NCAA Tournament game as Duke’s coach in 1985 and his 98th on Friday night.

Joey Hauser scored a career-high 27 points and Michigan State edged Davidson 74-73 on Friday night in the NCAA Tournament’s first round.

The NCAA Tournament has some very interesting potential matchups in the second round, especially in the West Region.

Tyson Walker made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3 seconds left, lifting Michigan State to a 68-65 win over No. 4 Purdue.

Ryan Young had 18 points and eight rebounds, helping Northwestern hold on to beat No. 10 Michigan State 64-62 for its first road win over a top 10 team in nearly five years.

Payton Thorne’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed gave No. 11 Michigan State the lead with less than three minutes remaining and the Spartans overcame an 11-point deficit to beat No. 13 Pittsburgh 31-21 on Thursday night in the Peach Bowl.

Utah will face Ohio State in the 108th edition of the Rose Bowl.

James Akinjo scored 15 points and No. 6 Baylor beat Michigan State 75-58 for the Battle 4 Atlantis championship.

A.

Michigan State is giving Mel Tucker a $95 million, 10-year contract to stay, making an aggressive move to keep a football coach who potentially could have left for LSU or the NFL.

Ohio State is No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll, jumping three spots past No. 3 Alabama and No. 4 Cincinnati in a close vote.

C.

Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State held their places in the College Football Playoff ranking, with Cincinnati still sitting at fifth.

No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Cincinnati all moved up one spot behind No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Alabama in the second College Football Playoff rankings.

Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 29 points and No. 3 Kansas beat Michigan State 87-74 at the Champions Classic on the opening night of college basketball.

Aidan O’Connell threw for a career-best 536 yards, matched his career high with three touchdown passes and led Purdue past No. 5 Michigan State 40-29.

Michigan’s drive for perfection ended in agonizing fashion.

Michigan State has moved up to No. 5 in The Associated Press college football poll and Wake Forest is a top-10 team for the first time in school history.

TreVeyon Henderson ran for 152 yards and a touchdown and No. 5 Ohio State made enough long plays and short field goals to hold off No. 20 Penn State 33-24.

Kenneth Walker ran for 197 yards and five touchdowns, lifting No. 8 Michigan State to a 37-33 comeback win over No. 6 Michigan on Saturday.

Matt Coghlin's 51-yard field goal gave No. 10 Michigan State the lead and Payton Thorne's third-quarter touchdown throw gave the Spartans the breathing room they needed to beat Indiana 20-15.

Chester Kimbrough intercepted Adrian Martinez’s pass in overtime and Matt Coghlin made a 21-yard field goal to keep No. 20 Michigan State unbeaten with a 23-20 win over Nebraska.

Miami quarterback D’Eriq King has a shoulder injury that will need further evaluation this week in the latest blow to the reeling Hurricanes.

Payton Thorne passed for 261 yards and four touchdowns, two of those scoring throws going to Jalen Nailor, and Michigan State extended its unbeaten start by topping No. 24 Miami 38-17 on Saturday.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – UCLA has made more trips to the Final Four than any program but North Carolina. AdThey were clinging to a 50-49 lead when Michigan called a timeout with 19 seconds to go, intending to set up the game's final shot. The buzzer sounded and UCLA began to celebrate, only for the officials to put a half-second back on the clock. They were 3 of 11 beyond the arc, shot 39% overall and couldn't make one at the end. UCLA won a regional semifinal in 2006 and the Bulldogs returned the favor in the 2015 regional semifinals.

In 2016, 2013 and 1991, seed lines 1-15 all had a team reach the second round. UMBC in 2018 is still the only 16 seed to make the round of 32, but no 15 seed won that year. Ad___8:00 p.m.Don’t expect a track meet when Villanova and North Texas play in the second round of the South Region on Sunday. The matchup between the fifth-seeded Wildcats and 13th-seeded Mean Green features two of the most deliberately paced teams in the NCAA Tournament. UNC Wilmington’s John Goldsberry holds the record for most 3-point attempts without a miss in an NCAA Tournament game.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)The Latest on the first round of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):___6:50 p.m.Another first-round upset as 12th-seeded Oregon State defeated No. 9 seed Georgia Tech 71-60 on Friday to mark a triumphant return to the NCAA Tournament. Senior guard Bubba Parham, who is 5-10, got the start instead as Georgia Tech went with a guard-heavy look. AdIllinois will face eighth-seeded Loyola Chicago or ninth-seeded Georgia Tech in the second round of the Midwest Regional on Sunday. Ad___2:10 p.m.Players from several NCAA Tournament teams took a knee during the playing of the national anthem before their first-round games.

UCLA won 86-80. But because of the pandemic, it’s been 710 days since last we saw the NCAA Tournament — who’s counting? The first four games were grafted onto the 64-team main bracket in 2011, naturally, to pad the NCAA coffers. Michigan State’s brief appearance in the tournament was coach Tom Izzo’s 23rd straight, but it was small consolation. They told me that the flight was leaving tomorrow at 9:30 (am),” Norfolk State coach Robert Jones said.

The Spartans are seeking their 23rd straight NCAA Tournament appearance. In the Mountain West, Colorado State and Utah State succeeded where Boise State failed. Those two teams advanced to the semifinals of that tournament and have a chance to keep padding their resumes at a time when several other bubble teams can't. GAME TO WATCHColorado State faces Utah State in a Mountain West semifinal. On Thursday, Colorado State was one of the last at-large teams projected to make the field at bracketmatrix.com, and Utah State was one of the first teams out.

Rocket Watts scored 21 points and Aaron Henry had 18 to lead the Spartans in a 70-64 victory over No. The Wolverines (19-3, 14-3) closed the regular season getting routed at home by the Fighting Illini, beating Michigan State handily to clinch the Big Ten title and losing the rematch three days later. They were ready to play today and we weren’t.”AdJoey Hauser scored nine of his 11 points off the bench in the first half as Michigan State led 30-26. SENIOR MOMENTFifth-year senior Joshua Langford, who missed much of the previous two seasons with injury, made a 3-point shot with 49 seconds left to give Michigan State a 64-59 lead. UP NEXTThe Big Ten Tournament begins Wednesday in Indianapolis, where first-seeded Michigan may meet Michigan State for a third time.

2 Michigan wrapped up the Big Ten title with a 69-50 victory over rival Michigan State on Thursday night. The Wolverines won it again in 2014. Aaron Henry scored 14 points for Michigan State (14-11, 8-11), which will finish with a losing conference record for the first time since 1993. Michigan State went 0 for 9 from 3-point range, its first game without a 3 since Nov. 15, 2013 against Columbia, according to Sportradar. MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOFormer Michigan State star Draymond Green made an appearance in a pregame video the Wolverines watched.

He is the 10th Philadelphia player to enter the protocol this season, and first since Travis Konecny was cleared on Sunday following a two-week stint. That leaves a season-low-matching three players listed, including San Jose’s Tomas Hertl, who entered his ninth day in the protocol. The number of fans will increase monthly if it's safe to do so, the Royals said in a news release. Team officials have worked for months with Kansas City health officials and the Jackson County Sports Authority to ensure fans will have a safe experience, the team said. Following approval by local health officials, attendance will be limited to 2,500 for the women’s tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and to 8,000 for the men’s tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maryland, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in College Park, Md. “We’re not safe in anything yet,” coach Tom Izzo said after Ohio State win. 4 nationally in December, Michigan State started 2-7 in league play and was unranked by mid-January. AdThe Indiana, Illinois and Ohio State wins helped push the Spartans to 4-9 in Quadrant 1 games. Michigan State hosts the Hoosiers on Tuesday then closes with consecutive games against third-ranked Michigan.

Michigan State forward Gabe Brown celebrates the team's 71-67 win over Ohio State in an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)EAST LANSING, Mich. – Aaron Henry had 18 points to help Michigan State improve its chances of making the NCAA Tournament with a 71-67 win over No. Michigan State was coming off an 81-72 win over No. The Buckeyes beat Michigan State 79-62 at home, ending a four-game losing streak in the series. Michigan State: Point guard Foster Loyer was on the bench, but not in uniform, resting his injured left shoulder for a third game in a row. Michigan State: Play at Maryland on Sunday, a third game in six days against a team that has been resting and practicing since beating Rutgers on Feb. 21.

Trent Frazier scored 22 points for Illinois, whose star players weren't as productive as usual against a suddenly stingy defense. Michigan State: Hall of Fame Coach Tom Izzo hasn't missed the NCAA Tournament since 1997. They shot 24% and were held to 26 points in the first half at Michigan State before shooting better and scoring more in the second half. POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Illini, who haven't won at Michigan State since 2015, will likely slip in the AP Top 25 after getting upset as a seven-point favorite. Michigan State: Hosts Ohio State on Thursday night.

15 Iowa still had enough from the rest of its team to rout Michigan State 88-58 on Saturday. Michigan State started the afternoon hoping to earn a quality win against a team it lost by just six points to earlier this month. Michigan State: Izzo was in his second season the last time he didn't coach in the NCAA Tournament, and the next time might be next month. POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Hawkeyes should move up in the Top 25 after routing Michigan State on the road and beating No. 25 Rutgers by 13 points earlier in the week.

(Michigan Office of the Governor via AP, File)ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The entire University of Michigan athletic department is pausing after several positive tests for the new COVID-19 variant that transmits at a higher rate. The state Department of Health and Human Services issued the mandate Saturday, with the school saying it follows the positive COVID-19 tests for several individuals linked to the athletic department. Michigan's men's basketball team leads the Big Ten and had four games scheduled in the next two weeks, including a big rivalry game against Michigan State on Feb. 6. The women's team currently has its highest AP ranking ever. The Wolverines were supposed to play six games between now and Feb. 7, including two against Michigan State.

(AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Canadian women’s hockey team opened a 35-player camp in a Calgary bubble. The 2020 women’s world hockey championship in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia, was postponed to April 7-17, 2021 because of the pandemic. National team players have skated and trained this winter in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary hubs. Last week, three players tested positive and that led to the Spartans postponing games at No. FIS says Waldner tested positive while overseeing slalom races in Flachau, Austria.

There could still be exceptions, mainly to avoid repetitive matchups of conference teams who played each other during the regular season. But in general, the committee will put the top four overall seeds in separate sections of the bracket, with the No. 1 overall seed in the same section with the No. 8 overall seed, the top No. 7 overall seed and the same approach for 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5.

FILE - Villanova head coach Jay Wright gestures during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Georgetown in Washington, in this Saturday, March 7, 2020, file photo. South Carolina, 3-2 this season, has had seven scheduled games called off because of COVID-19. ___Xavier's scheduled men's basketball game Saturday at Seton Hall has been postponed because of COVID-19 related issues within the Xavier program. ___The Atlantic Coast Conference says Saturday’s men’s basketball game between Georgia Tech and North Carolina State has been postponed. ___Michigan State is postponing a second straight men's basketball game due to a COVID-19 outbreak within its basketball program.

Garber said while he felt for the challenges facing the Canadian teams, the league had to abide by made-in-Canada health guidelines. Green Bay (13-3) hosts the Los Angeles Rams (11-6) in a NFC divisional playoff game Saturday. Also, Thursday night’s Southeastern Conference women’s basketball game featuring No. ___Georgetown has canceled its men’s basketball game against DePaul on Wednesday night, citing a COVID-19-related issue with the program. ___Two SMU men’s basketball games scheduled for this week have been postponed because of a positive COVID-19 case and ensuing contact tracing issues in the program.

Trice scored a season-high 29 points, lifting No. Wisconsin scored 14 of the last 21 points over the final 4:03 to turn a closely contested game into a lopsided result. The Spartans turned over the ball 14 times and Wisconsin scored 24 points off those giveaways. SCORING NOTESWisconsin had its highest total against Michigan State since 1994 and scored more than any other game at Michigan State since an 86-82 win in 1976. “They will be a top-five team all season," Izzo said.

(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)EVANSTON, Ill. – Boo Buie scored a career-high 30 points and Northwestern beat Michigan State for the first time in almost a decade, topping the No. Northwestern (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) stopped a 12-game slide in the series with its first victory over Michigan State since Jan. 14, 2012. 4 Michigan State on Jan. 27, 1979. Aaron Henry scored 11 points for Michigan State (6-1, 0-1), and Malik Hall finished with 10 points and nine boards. Michigan State looked rusty early on and a fired-up Northwestern team took advantage.

When that bowl game was called off because there was not another team available, it suddenly left Army looking for a postseason opponent. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)At a time when team after team had opted out of bowl games, Army found itself in a different sort of situation — left out. “It was a difficult day for all of college football,” said Nick Carparelli, the executive director of Bowl Season, the renamed Football Bowl Association. For the Hokies, the decision ended a 27 straight bowl game run. Some of the canceled bowl games — 15 in all, including three on Sunday alone — included the Bahamas Bowl, Celebration Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, LA Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, Quick Lane Bowl, Redbox Bowl and Sun Bowl.

Charlottesville, VA. – Wednesday afternoon the UVA men’s basketball program announced they are pausing all basketball related activities because of Covid-19 issues within the program. The moves comes in the wake of the ACC-BIG Ten challenge game against Michigan State being canceled. Virginia now officially postpones the William and Mary contest set for December 13th as well. The 18th ranked Cavaliers are 3-1 on the young season. Their conference opener against Wake Forest that was originally set for December 16th was postponed last week because of a Covid outbreak in the Wake Forest program.

18 Virginia’s ACC/B1G Challenge contest against No. 4 Michigan State originally scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed. This comes as the school announced late Tuesday night that there are COVID-19 related issues within the Cavaliers’ program. This becomes the second game part of the ACC/B1G Challenge that was scheduled for Wednesday to be postponed. The status of Virginia’s home game with William & Mary on Sunday, Dec. 13 is now to be determined.

ETSU originally had planned to allow for 10% capacity at Freedom Hall, where its men’s basketball team plays. With the two additions, along with games against Louisiana-Lafayette and Washington in Las Vegas, the Bears have replaced four of the five canceled games. ___The NFL says there were 18 new confirmed positive COVID-19 tests among players and 27 among other personnel in the latest round of testing, which concluded Saturday. 7 Houston's men's basketball team has paused all team activities and postponed its two games this week because of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing. ___The Big East Conference has switched a couple of opening night men’s basketball games because of COVID-19-related concerns.

3 Ohio State banked some style points during its rout of Michigan State, but the next step toward any kind of championship for the Buckeyes this season could be out of their control. Ohio State has had its own problems with the coronavirus. Among those taken out of action was coach Ryan Day, who had to stay home and watch the Michigan State game on TV. So would another loss to the Buckeyes, who have won the rivalry game in each of Harbaugh's first five years at Michigan. Day said he was proud of how the Buckeyes moved past the rough, uncertain week to dominate Michigan State.

3 Ohio State to a 52-12 win over Michigan State on Saturday. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson coached Ohio State in Day's absence. Michigan State (2-4, 2-4) was coming off a win over another undefeated team — Northwestern — but the Spartans were overmatched Saturday. They punted on fourth-and-1 in the first quarter — and again on fourth down in Ohio State territory early in the third. Michigan State wraps up the regular season at Penn State.

Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo has tested positive for COVID-19. 8 Michigan State beat No. “They are able to play at a consistently higher level than us due to their depth right now," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. Joey Hauser had 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Malik Hall added 10 points and 10 rebounds for Michigan State. “I’m going to smile and enjoy it because I haven’t done a very good job against Duke," Izzo said.

The Big Ten game between Maryland and Michigan State was canceled Thursday after a COVID-19 outbreak on the Terrapins resulted in a positive test for coach Michael Locksley. Later Thursday, the Mountain West announced San Jose State at Fresno State was canceled because of COVID-19 cases and contact tracing with the Bulldogs. That is the third Mountain West game this week to be called off, joining Utah State at Wyoming, and UNLV at Colorado State. DePaul canceled its first three games because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the program, the school announced Thursday. The Blue Demons paused all activities and called off games against Western Illinois, Chicago State and Alcorn State, pushing back the season opener to Dec. 6 at Iowa State.

Fryfogle had 11 catches for 200 yards — surpassing career highs he'd set just a week earlier — and the Hoosiers handled Michigan State 24-0 on Saturday. Michigan State was shut out at home for the first time since a 31-0 loss to Michigan in 1985. Michigan State: The Spartans have been hurt by turnovers in all three of their losses, and this was no exception. Lombardi isn't the only one to blame, but it was time for Michigan State to try another option at quarterback. “We thought it was some decision making early in the game," Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Atlantic Coast Conference released the 2020-21 men’s basketball schedules on Tuesday (Nov. 10) on ACC Network. 4 Virginia will play 27 regular-season games, including 20 ACC games with 14 contests at John Paul Jones Arena. (Purcell Pavilion) TBA TBAJan. 2 (Sat) Virginia Tech * Charlottesville, Va. (John Paul Jones Arena) TBA TBAJan. 5-6 (Tue-Wed) Wake Forest * Charlottesville, Va. (John Paul Jones Arena) TBA TBAJan. 9 (Sat) at Boston College * Chestnut Hill, Mass. 2-3 (Tue-Wed) Miami * Charlottesville, Va. (John Paul Jones Arena) TBA TBAMar. 10-14 ACC Tournament Washington, D.C. TBA TBA

Rocky Lombardi threw for 323 yards, including 196 to Ricky White, and three touchdowns to help Michigan State stun the Wolverines 27-24 on Saturday. Tucker became just the second coach to beat Michigan in his first attempt with the Spartans, joining Alabama coach Nick Saban, who did it in 1995. The former Colorado coach started his career as a graduate assistant for Saban at Michigan State in 1997. The onside kick was recovered by Michigan State running back Connor Heyward. “State fans and former players and everyone deserve the brand of football that we were able to show out there," Tucker said.

With one unexpected sentence, Emoni Bates set the basketball world and Twitter on fire Monday afternoon. 1 high school basketball player in the Class of 2022, set off a national reaction of various emotions. Bates played his first two years of high school at Ypsilanti Lincoln High School. Another feeling was elation, particularly for fans of Michigan State basketball, who were understandably jumping for joy over Bates choosing to play for their school/team. pic.twitter.com/WdrG7R5tpc — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 29, 2020Why Emoni Bates is a big dealMany pundits have called Bates the best basketball prodigy to come out of high school since LeBron James.