Spartan Speak

In the midst of a condensed schedule, the podcast returns following Michigan State's loss at Indiana on Sunday. Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari discuss the Spartans' 82-69 loss to the Hoosiers, including: MSU's inability to contain Trayce Jackson-Davis Mady Sissoko and Pierre Brooks' struggles The handling of AJ Hoggard's foul situation...

After a month off, Spartan Speak returns! Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press Michigan State beat writer Chris Solari have plenty to discuss with the MSU men's basketball season in full swing.  They discuss Keon Coleman's decision to play basketball this year, Malik Hall's return after missing games due to a foot injury, and deep dive on MSU football's recruiting cl...

After traveling to State College and Portland, respectively, Chris and Graham are back for the latest episode of Spartan Speak.  They discuss the Michigan State football team's loss to Penn State, likely a season-ender with a 5-7 record, the basketball team's performance at the PK85 tournament in Portland against Alabama, Oregon and Portland, and the latest news from the tunnel fight at the end of...

Things are looking up for the Michigan State basketball team after the Spartans beat Kentucky in double overtime, thanks in large part to Malik Hall's dunks at the end of regulation and the first overtime. But the biggest revelation has been the emergence of third-year player Mady Sissoko, who's becoming a force in the paint.  Graham and Chris also preview Friday night's basketball game against Vi...

Wednesday was National Signing Day for college basketball, and all four of Michigan State's commits - Xavier Booker, Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr and Gehrig Normand - sent in their letters of intent, meaning coach Tom Izzo has secured the nation's No. 3 recruiting class for 2023, according to 247Sports. Lansing State Journal sports columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari...

There was a game played Saturday night, but nobody's talking about that. Instead, the post-game altercations that occurred in the Michigan Stadium tunnel after the game have taken center stage. Eight Spartans have been suspended - and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch are here to discuss it all.  Plus, we preview Saturday's game vs. Illino...

There's no mistaking it. The Michigan Wolverines are flying high with a 7-0 record and a No. 4 national ranking. Michigan State is 3-4 and recently ended a four-game losing streak with an overtime win over Wisconsin.  But this in-state rivalry has produced some great games over the year, especially the last 14 years, with the Spartans owning a 10-4 advantage in that stretch, including a number of...

With the Spartans on a bye week, Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch brought out their red pens this week to grade the Michigan State football team offense, defense, special teams and coaching.  Along with host Phil Friend, they also discuss Saturday's win over Wisconsin with a sprinkling of comments on MSU's game against Michigan on Oct. 29...

The Michigan State football team's losing streak reached four after getting blown out by Ohio State on Saturday. The Spartans' issues continue to pile up, as Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch, Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and host Phil Friend discuss the issues with the defense, offensive line and recruiting, along with QB Payton Thorne's comments earlier this week. 

There isn't much to grab on to the last three games if you're a Michigan State fan, as the Spartans prepare to host No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday afternoon.  Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari, Lansing State Journal sports columnist Graham Couch and host Phil Friend preview Saturday's game - trying to find spots where the Spartans can feel optimistic, discuss Jayden Reed's season, make gam...

The Michigan State football team is at a crossroads once again after getting thumped at home by Minnesota. Now, all of the sudden, Saturday's opponent, Maryland - which is coming off a near-upset of Michigan - is an 8.5-point favorite. How did MSU get to that point?  Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch try to answer talk, discussing Mel Tuck...

After an offseason of heightened expectations, the Michigan State football team couldn't get through the nonconference slate unscathed after losing at Washington last weekend.  Now, the Spartans face a veteran Minnesota team that has the potential to completely upend MSU's season. Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch dissect the state of the...

On this week's Spartan Speak podcast, Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal sports columnist Graham Couch discuss the performance of Michigan State QB Payton Thorne, who has had a bit of a rollercoaster performance in the Spartans' first two games this season.  Then, they preview Saturday night's Washington game and answer listener questions. 

We've got an actual, live college football game to reach to on this week's Spartan Speak! Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch discuss Michigan State's win over Western Michigan that proved a bit costly, as two key defenders went down with injuries.  Plus, we talk about Jacoby Windmon, the offensive line, the wideouts, Mel Tucker calling out...

Michigan State football's season opener is Friday night against Western Michigan. Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal sports columnist Graham Couch get you caught up on what to expect in the game, discuss the newest details in Tom Izzo's contract extension and then we do over/unders and predictions for the 2022 college football season. 

Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch catch you up on the latest news in Michigan State sports.  This week's topics: Football and basketball recruiting 6 MSU football observations (Keon Coleman and special teams among the topics) Listener questions

The Spartan Speak podcast has returned from its annual sabbatical, and just in time, as the Michigan State football team is well into preseason practice and the season opener against Western Michigan is right around the corner.  The Detroit Free Press's Chris Solari and the Lansing State Journal's Ryan Black take you through the latest in Spartan news. Topics: Tom Izzo contract extension MSU baske...

Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari are two of the few people in the world who have already seen the new Magic Johnson documentary, "They Call Me Magic," which airs on Apple+ this weekend.  We spend the first 14 minutes talking about that before discussing Julius Marble's decision to enter the transfer portal and Joey Hauser opting to r...

It's a listener question episode of Spartan Speak this week! Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari answer your questions ahead of the Michigan State football team's spring game on Saturday. 

The latest Michigan State news is basketball heavy, as longtime assistant basketball coach Dwayne Stephens is leaving the program to become the head coach last Western Michigan. And last week, freshman Max Christie declared for the NBA draft. Will he change his mind and return to campus? Plus, spring football talk. 

On this week's Spartan Speak podcast, Michigan State beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal sportswriters Graham Couch and Phil Friend discuss the Spartans' second-round loss to Duke in the NCAA tournament, while also looking ahead to next season's squad.  They also talk about Foster Loyer and MSU's win over Davidson, the Big Ten's disappointing performance and more. 

After a decent run in the Big Ten tournament that saw the Michigan State basketball team beat Maryland and Wisconsin before losing a competitive game to Purdue in the semifinals, the Spartans drew a 7-seed in the NCAA tournament, and oh, boy, there are storylines galore.  MSU drew 10-seed Davidson in the first round, and its leading scorer is former Spartan Foster Loyer. And if MSU wins that...

If you're from Greater Lansing or a Michigan State alum, the new HBO show "Winning Time" has something for everybody. The series debuted on Sunday night and Graham, Chris and Phil give three thumbs up as we open the podcast with a discussion about the show.  We then move on to previewing the Big Ten tournament, debating which teams are in the bubble, discussing the seven-seed Spartans' opener...

Things are trending downward for the Michigan State basketball team, which lost at home to Illinois on Saturday and was throttled on the road Tuesday by Iowa. The schedule doesn't get any easier as the Spartans play Purdue, Michigan and Ohio State - two of them ranked in the top 25 - in the next seven days.  Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari and Lansing State Journal sportswriters G...

Tuesday was, perhaps, an inopportune time for the Michigan State basketball team to blow a 14-point lead against Penn State - a team below them in the Big Ten Conference standings.  The Spartans' loss to the Nittany Lions opened up a whole new set of questions for Tom Izzo's squad, including a look back at the Spartans' recruiting effort in recent years. We then look ahead to Saturday's game...