Michigan State Basketball

Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo and assistant coaches Dwayne Stephens and Mike Garland made contact with MSU student Brayden Smith, a witness to an alleged sexual assault by Spartans guard Brock Washington in 2017.

ESPN's Paula Lavigne and Nicole Noren reported Thursday that Izzo and his staff members reached out to Smith, the son of former MSU guard Steve Smith, before he had an opportunity to speak with police or school investigators about the allegation made by Rebecca Lambert.

Smith, who referred to the coaches as "godfathers" who'd check on him sporadically, said they "asked him what he knew and if he was OK," according to the Title IX report about the investigation into the alleged assault, which was said to have occurred on Aug. 28, 2017.

Michigan State spokesperson Emily Guerrant told ESPN the school reviewed the interactions between Izzo, Stephens, Garland and Smith for potential violations of rules regarding interference of an investigation.

"OIE [Office of Institutional Equity] did not feel those policies were violated in this situation," she said, referencing the prior relationship between Smith and the coaches.

Lavigne and Noren reported Sunday that another woman has said Washington raped her on Jan. 19 when she was too intoxicated to consent. Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon told ESPN she declined to press charges because it "does not meet the burden of proof that we must present to a jury."

The woman told ESPN she's requested the Michigan Attorney General's office review the case.

Washington was suspended from the MSU basketball team Jan. 24, and he didn't make another appearance before the remainder of the season was canceled in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2018, Washington pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault on Lambert under a provision of the court not entering a judgment of conviction if he completed the terms of probation. The guilty plea also didn't come with the label of a sex crime, which Lambert told ESPN she agreed with.

"I thought that would be enough of a deterrence, pleading to assault," Lambert said, adding she would "feel bad" if it was on his record forever.

Lambert said she felt let down by Michigan State's response to the allegations after she told investigators Washington "grabbed her butt and moved his fingers toward her vagina without her consent," and she decided to transfer to another college as a result.

"OIE closed the investigation so quickly, and I felt like thrown to the curb by the school, so I didn't really want to be a part of that environment," she told Lavigne and Noren. "The school didn't seem to care about it. [Washington was] still playing on the basketball team. I didn't really want to be around that. It was just like a reminder."

The Michigan State police report stated Washington provided "contradictory statements" about the encounter during the investigation. Peter Samouris, one of Washington's two lawyers during the case, told ESPN the "2017 allegation was ridiculous."

Meanwhile, Lambert said she'd still like to hear from the longtime Michigan State coach Izzo.

"I'd like an apology [from Izzo]," she told ESPN. "I didn't lie. I tried to say something. ... It did me no good to report it through the school specifically. I didn't enjoy anything that happened; I don't know what benefit anyone really gets from reporting sexual assault."

A women who said she was sexually assaulted by Michigan State basketball player Brock Washington has asked the Michigan attorney general's office to investigate her case, according to Paula Lavigne and Nicole Noren of ESPN.

Michigan State University police had initially recommended charging Washington with first-degree criminal sexual conduct for what took place the night of Jan. 19, but the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office declined to file charges.

Washington has denied the charges but was suspended by the team and remained out for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

"It's my understanding he's not going to be charged, and he doesn't wish to speak," Washington's previous attorney, Peter Samouris, said. "He's maintained his innocence 100 percent of the time."

Washington had also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in 2018 resulting from a different sex crime investigation.

In the more recent case, the woman told prosecutors Washington had raped her because she was too intoxicated for consent.

Police interviewed her, a roommate, Washington and an Uber driver who took the woman home.

"If she [the woman] would have been by herself, there was no way I was gonna take her. Or I would have taken her to the hospital. I thought she was that drunk," the driver told police.

Despite the information in the police report, the woman was reportedly told by the prosecutor's office that she was "too intoxicated to prove that it [sexual contact] was forced," via Lavigne and Noren.

Washington, a walk-on who has appeared in 16 career games, remains enrolled in the school.

A 2018 report by Lavigne and Noren showed there was "a pattern of widespread denial, inaction and information suppression" from the Michigan State athletic department and others on campus regarding sexual assault, violence and gender discrimination complaints.

Xavier Tillman Sr. announced Tuesday he is leaving Michigan State for the 2020 NBA draft:

"With the support of my family and coaches I have decided to test the water and will enter my name in the 2020 NBA draft," the junior forward said. "It is important for me to gather as much information as possible before making this decision. Throughout the process I will be keeping my college eligibility."

Players have until June 15 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw their names from the draft, which is scheduled for June 25.

Tillman made the All-Big Ten Second Team and the conference's All-Defensive Team after averaging a career-high 13.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.2 steals in 32.1 minutes per game across 31 starts.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman ranked Tillman the 31st-best prospect in his top-50 big board earlier this month:

"The right fit and team could unlock and optimize Tillman's role-player qualities, including his passing, rebounding effort and defensive versatility. He's on track to join Tim Duncan and Bo Outlaw as the only NCAA players since 1992 to average at least 10 boards, three assists and two blocks. He also leads the nation in box plus-minus, which is another reason to look past how Tillman likely won't offer much as a scorer in the NBA."

The Spartans finished 22-9 with a No. 9 AP ranking in an abbreviated season. The NCAA tournament was canceled March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As the season wound down, Tillman posted consecutive double-doubles with 14 points and 12 rebounds against Maryland and 23 points and 15 rebounds against Penn State—both victories. Then, in what could be his final collegiate game, Tillman recorded 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals in an 80-69 win over Ohio State.

The Big Ten title doesn't belong to Maryland just yet.

No. 24 Michigan State made sure of that Saturday with an emphatic 78-66 victory over the conference's first-place team in a game that could've cliched the regular-season title for the Terrapins. 

Instead, MSU is just one game back with a week to go. 

The biggest contest of the year in College Park went off the rails quickly for the hosts when the Spartans opened an 18-point lead before entering halftime ahead 40-29. Cassius Winston led the way with 20 points on the night, as four MSU starters scored in double figures. 

Forward Jalen Smith did his best to pull the Terps back into the game, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

It was another Saturday filled with upsets as No. 2 Baylor, No. 7 Duke, No. 6 Florida State, No. 12 Villanova and No. 22 Texas Tech all lost. No defeat will hurt more than Maryland's, however, which prevented a conference championship.

As for what went wrong for Maryland, Terps coach Mark Turgeon pointed to two areas in his postgame press conference. The first: There were too many Spartans making threes that Turgeon thought the team would be OK with sagging off defensively (MSU went 12-of-28 from three).

The other problem was Winston. 

"There's not many guys that's as good as he is in ball screens and recognizing things and making open shots," Turgeon said. "They were good. That's all I can say. They were really, really good."

The coach added he felt Michigan State was a different team than the one Maryland defeated 67-60 in East Lansing two weeks ago.

Turgeon's counterpart was happy with the result.

"Well, as you can imagine, that was a hell of a win for us," Tom Izzo said as he stepped to the podium in College Park. 

Another few games like this and Michigan State could grab the top seed in the Big Ten tournament.

Former Michigan State star Keith Appling was arrested Feb. 8 and charged with delivery or manufacture of less than 50 grams of a controlled substance and driving without a license, according to the Detroit Free Press' Darcie Moran on Saturday.

Authorities pulled Appling over in Warren, Michigan, after he was allegedly driving erratically and discovered a "golf ball-sized amount of heroin" in his car.

Appling was arrested in August 2016, his third arrest that year, after being pulled over and briefly evading police. He was sentenced to a year in jail in August 2017 for carrying a concealed weapon and resisting police.

According to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), the 28-year-old was on parole at the time of his most recent arrest. He will hire a lawyer and is due in court Feb. 25.

Appling spent four years at Michigan State and helped the Spartans reach the Elite Eight of the 2014 NCAA tournament. After going undrafted, he played two seasons in the NBA G League and made five appearances for the Orlando Magic in 2015-16.

The Michigan Wolverines scored a 77-68 rivalry win over the No. 16 Michigan State Spartans on Saturday at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Michigan, which is on the NCAA tournament bubble with a month left in the regular season, improved to 14-9 with a 5-7 record in Big Ten play thanks to the minor upset. It also moved the team's mark to 4-4 against ranked opponents this season.

Zavier Simpson led the way with 16 points and eight assists. Isaiah Livers added 14 points.

Michigan State has now dropped three straight games and five of its past eight to fall to 16-8. The Spartans' 87-69 win over Michigan in the teams' first meeting last month is one of just two victories over ranked foes during the current campaign.

Cassius Winston tallied 20 points, six assists and four rebounds but made just five of his 18 shots from the field. Xavier Tillman chipped in a double-double (17 points and 12 boards).

Michigan head coach Juwan Howard will likely be most pleased with the team's improvement at the defensive end.

"They got too many open looks," Howard told reporters after a loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions last month. "It was because of a lack of communication on the defensive end—and it's January 22. ... It's very challenging to come up here and have to talk about that we're not communicating enough. I don't understand why."

It held MSU to 33.3 percent shooting, including 26.1 percent from three-point range. It's the second straight ranked opponent the Spartans held below 35 percent from the field. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights posted similar numbers (32.5 percent FGs; 25 percent 3s) against Michigan last Saturday.

The Wolverines' have made steady progress on that end of the floor since Howard's comments, and it's helped them take some key steps toward a March Madness berth.

Meanwhile, Michigan State opened the season as the No. 1 team in the country, but it has rarely showcased that type of high-end form during an up-and-down season.

Trying to get more balance offensively should be the focus during the stretch run of the regular season for the Spartans, who are an NCAA tournament lock.

Too many times during the second half of Saturday's game it was Winston or nothing at the offensive end. He attempted nine of his 18 shots in the final 6:31 as MSU tried to mount a comeback.

Michigan State still has the talent to make a deep run in March. The onus is on the team's secondary contributors, led by Gabe Brown (0 points Saturday), Malik Hall (8) and Rocket Watts (7), to start making their presence felt more consistently, though.

The Spartans remain on the road to face the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini on Tuesday, while the Wolverines are back to the floor Wednesday when they visit the Northwestern Wildcats.

There wasn't one area of Tuesday night's game that the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils didn't dominate in the eyes of No. 11 Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.

"Outcoached, outplayed, outworked," Izzo told reporters after his team's 87-75 loss at Michigan State's Breslin Center.

The 25th-year Spartans head coach added: "I'm embarrassed."

Izzo's embarrassment, he noted, was partially due to Draymond Green being present to have his No. 23 Spartans jersey number retired at halftime. 

"I'm embarrassed that a player that I love came back here and probably laid some of the groundwork with Mateen Cleaves on toughness and I don't think we played with that tonight," Izzo continued.

Duke led 45-29 at halftime. Michigan State's largest deficit of the night was 21 points.

The last time Duke and Michigan State met, the Spartans ousted the Blue Devils in the Elite 8 68-67. It seems much has to improve in East Lansing for Izzo's squad to make another deep run in March. 

Despite MSU's early struggles, KenPom still has the Spartans ranked third behind Louisville and Duke—both of whom have beaten Michigan State.

The 5-3 Spartans don't play another ranked opponent until No. 4 Michigan pays them a visit on Jan. 5.

Michigan State can begin getting back on track Sunday night when against Rutgers. 

The NCAA has denied Joey Hauser's waiver appeal, making him ineligible to play for Michigan State this season. 

Per The Athletic's Brendan Quinn, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said Thursday that Hauser's appeal was officially denied. 

Izzo added he feels like the NCAA makes "arbitrary decisions" in the appeals process and feels "devastated" that Hauser will have to sit out the 2019-20 season. 

Per the Associated Press (via ESPN), Izzo "abruptly" resigned from a coaches board Thursday due to his anger over the NCAA's decision. 

In May, Hauser announced on Twitter his commitment to play for the Spartans. 

Izzo told reporters in October that the NCAA denied Hauser's initial waiver, but the school appealed that decision and was waiting for a second ruling. 

"We're resubmitting, and we're trying to get more and more information, we're trying to gather more and more information because there have been three or four more (waivers) that just came out," Izzo said at the time. "So we're trying to constantly gather. We've also been told that every (situation) is different, so you can't compare one to the other. So you try to find as many that are really comparable to this situation."

Under official NCAA rules, schools must file a transfer waiver on behalf of a student-athlete if they don't meet the standard transfer exception and the organization reviews the request to determine the student athlete's eligibility status. 

The review process includes looking at mitigating circumstances from the student athlete's previous school, including egregious behavior, mental health and being run-off. 

Hauser spent the 2018-19 season at Marquette, where he played all 34 games. The Wisconsin native averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. 

Michigan State was ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll. A season-opening loss to Kentucky dropped the Spartans into third, but they have rebounded with three straight wins. 

Michigan State guard Cassius Winston will play Sunday's game against Binghamton after the death of his younger brother, Zachary.

Winston warmed up prior to the contest and was later named in the starting lineup:

"We're gonna play with a broken heart," head coach Tom Izzo said, per Matt Charboneau of the Detroit News.

Kyle Austin of MLive reported Zachary Winston, who was a player on the Albion College men's basketball team, died Saturday night at 19 years old after he was hit by a train.

Albion Chief of Public Safety Scott Kipp said police believe Winston intentionally stepped in front of the train following an investigation.

"Their pain over the sudden loss of Zachary is unimaginable," Izzo said. "It's impossible to find the right words in this moment, other than to say that we will support the family in whatever way they need."

Cassius Winston's other younger brother, Khy, is a freshman on Albion's basketball team.

Cassius Winston returned to the Spartans as the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and a primary reason they were ranked No. 1 in the country upon the start of the season. They are 0-1 on the campaign following an opening loss to the Kentucky Wildcats.