2023–24 Michigan State Spartans women's basketball team

The 2023–24 Michigan State Spartans women's basketball team represented Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Spartans, were led by first-year head coach Robyn Fralick and played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan.

2023–24 Michigan State Spartans women's basketball
Cherokee Invitational champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	22–9 (12–6 Big Ten)
Head coach	Robyn Fralick (1st season)
Associate head coach	Kim Cameron
Assistant coaches	Maria Kasza Marwan Miller
Home arena	Breslin Center
Seasons ← 2022–23 2024–25 →

2023–24 Big Ten women's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 16 Ohio State	16	–	2		.889			26	–	6		.813
No. 2 Iowa †	15	–	3		.833			34	–	5		.872
No. 12 Indiana	15	–	3		.833			26	–	6		.813
Michigan State	12	–	6		.667			22	–	9		.710
Nebraska	11	–	7		.611			23	–	12		.657
Michigan	9	–	9		.500			20	–	14		.588
Penn State	9	–	9		.500			22	–	13		.629
Maryland	9	–	9		.500			19	–	14		.576
Illinois	8	–	10		.444			19	–	15		.559
Wisconsin	6	–	12		.333			15	–	17		.469
Minnesota	5	–	13		.278			20	–	16		.556
Purdue	5	–	13		.278			15	–	19		.441
Northwestern	4	–	14		.222			9	–	21		.300
Rutgers	2	–	16		.111			8	–	24		.250
† 2024 Big Ten tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

They finished the regular season 22–7, 12–6 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place, marking the first time since 2016 that the team had double digit conference wins and won at least 22 games.^[1] As a result, they earned a double bye in the Big Ten tournament.^[2] They lost to Nebraska in the quarterfinals of the tournament.^[3]

They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in Regional 1.^[4]

Previous season

The Spartans finished the 2022–23 season 16–14, 7–10 in Big Ten play to finish in ninth place. They defeated Nebraska in the second round of the Big Ten tournament before losing to Indiana. The Spartans were invited to the National Invitation Tournament, but declined the invitation due in part to the Michigan State shooting on campus.^[5]

On January 28, 2023, head coach Suzy Merchant was involved in an automobile crash which led to her being hospitalized.^[6] Assistant coach Dean Lockwood took over as the acting head coach for the remainder of the season.^[7] Merchant stepped down as head coach of the Spartans after the conclusion of the season.^[8] On March 31, the school named Bowling Green head coach Robyn Fralick the team's new head coach.^[9]

Roster

2023–24 Michigan State Spartans women's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown G 0 DeeDee Hagemann 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Jr Detroit Edison Public School Academy Detroit, Michigan G/F 1 Tory Ozment 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) GS Buford High School Buford, Georgia G 2 Abbey Kimball 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) So West Catholic High School Grand Rapids, Michigan G 3 Gabby Elliott 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Sr Clemson Detroit, Michigan G 4 Theryn Hallock 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) So Forest Hills Central High School Grand Rapids, Michigan G 10 Bree Robinson 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Fr The Webb School Mississauga, Ontario G/F 11 Jocelyn Tate 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Jr Bowling Green Pickerington, Ohio F 12 Isaline Alexander 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Jr Bill Crothers Secondary School Keswick, Ontario C 21 Mary Meng 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Fr Midview High School Grafton, Ohio G 22 Moira Joiner 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) GS Heritage High School Saginaw, Michigan G 24 Lauren Ross 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) RS Jr Western Michigan Muskegon, Michigan G 35 Kennedy Blair 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Fr Divine Child High School Dearborn, Michigan G 40 Julia Ayrault 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) GS Grosse Pointe North High School Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan	Head coach Robyn Fralick (Davidson) Assistant coach(es) Kim Cameron (Michigan Tech) Maria Kasza (Michigan Tech) Marwan Miller (Franklin) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: January 13, 2024

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 2, 2023* 6:30 p.m., B1G+		Davenport	W 99–46		Breslin Center (2,481) East Lansing, MI
Regular season
November 8, 2023* 6:30 p.m., B1G+		Oakland	W 87–62	1–0	Breslin Center (2,596) East Lansing, MI
November 12, 2023* 2:00 p.m., B1G+		Wright State	W 99–55	2–0	Breslin Center (3,137) East Lansing, MI
November 16, 2023* 6:30 p.m., B1G+		Detroit Mercy	W 105–44	3–0	Breslin Center (2,936) East Lansing, MI
November 19, 2023* 1:00 p.m., B1G+		Evansville	W 105–49	4–0	Breslin Center (3,107) East Lansing, MI
November 23, 2023* 6:30 p.m., FloSports		vs. James Madison Cancún Challenge	W 95–69	5–0	Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (197) Cancún, Mexico
November 24, 2023* 4:00 p.m., FloSports		vs. Creighton Cancún Challenge	L 69–83	5–1	Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (250) Cancún, Mexico
November 30, 2023* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		at DePaul	W 102–64	6–1	Wintrust Arena (1,174) Chicago, IL
December 3, 2023* 2:00 p.m., B1G+		Miami (OH)	W 89–44	7–1	Breslin Center (2,861) East Lansing, MI
December 9, 2023 2:00 p.m., BTN		Nebraska	L 74–80	7–2 (0–1)	Breslin Center (3,194) East Lansing, MI
December 17, 2023* 2:00 p.m., B1G+		Central Michigan	W 91–67	8–2	Breslin Center (4,340) East Lansing, MI
December 20, 2023* 9:30 p.m., FloSports		vs. Richmond Cherokee Invitational	W 83–76	9–2	The Cherokee Convention Center (302) Cherokee, NC
December 21, 2023* 9:30 p.m.		vs. Coastal Carolina Cherokee Invitational championship	W 105–66	10–2	The Cherokee Convention Center (723) Cherokee, NC
December 30, 2023 4:00 p.m., BTN		at Penn State	W 98–87	11–2 (1–1)	Bryce Jordan Center (2,967) State College, PA
January 2, 2024 9:00 p.m., Peacock		at No. 4 Iowa	L 73–76	11–3 (1–2)	Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,998) Iowa City, IA
January 9, 2024 6:00 p.m., BTN		Maryland	W 74–69	12–3 (2–2)	Breslin Center (2,886) East Lansing, MI
January 14, 2024 4:00 p.m., BTN		at No. 17 Ohio State	L 65–70	12–4 (2–3)	Value City Arena (7,601) Columbus, OH
January 17, 2024 6:30 p.m., B1G+		Northwestern	W 91–72	13–4 (3–3)	Breslin Center (2,816) East Lansing, MI
January 20, 2024 3:00 p.m., B1G+		at Minnesota	L 50–69	13–5 (3–4)	Williams Arena (5,020) Minneapolis, MN
January 24, 2024 6:30 p.m., B1G+		Purdue	W 97–70	14–5 (4–4)	Breslin Center (3,096) East Lansing, MI
January 27, 2024 12:00 p.m., B1G+		Michigan	W 82–61	15–5 (5–4)	Breslin Center (9,385) East Lansing, MI
January 30, 2024 7:00 p.m., B1G+		at Rutgers	W 82–64	16–5 (6–4)	Jersey Mike's Arena (1,409) Piscataway, NJ
February 5, 2024 6:00 p.m., BTN		Minnesota	W 76–65	17–5 (7–4)	Breslin Center (3,154) East Lansing, MI
February 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., Peacock		at No. 14 Indiana	L 91–94	17–6 (7–5)	Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (8,580) Bloomington, IN
February 11, 2024 4:00 p.m., Peacock		No. 5 Ohio State	L 71–86	17–7 (7–6)	Breslin Center (5,753) East Lansing, MI
February 18, 2024 12:00 p.m., BTN		at Michigan	W 70–66	18–7 (8–6)	Crisler Center (10,461) Ann Arbor, MI
February 21, 2024 7:00 p.m., B1G+		at Purdue	W 68–59	19–7 (9–6)	Mackey Arena (3,856) West Lafayette, IN
February 24, 2024 2:00 p.m., B1G+		Rutgers	W 93–57	20–7 (10–6)	Breslin Center (7,696) East Lansing, MI
February 29, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN		Illinois	W 87–70	21–7 (11–6)	Breslin Center (3,392) East Lansing, MI
March 3, 2024 1:00 p.m., B1G+		at Wisconsin	W 78–52	22–7 (12–6)	Kohl Center (4,542) Madison, WI
Big Ten tournament
March 8, 2024 3:00 p.m., BTN	(4)	vs. (5) Nebraska Quarterfinals	L 61–73	22–8	Target Center (18,481) Minneapolis, MN
NCAA tournament
March 22, 2024* 11:30 a.m., ESPN2	(9 A1)	vs. (8 A1) North Carolina First round	L 56–59	22–9	Colonial Life Arena  Columbia, SC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. A1=Albany 1. All times are in Eastern Time. [10][11]

Rankings

See also: 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	—	RV	RV	—	—	RV	—	Not released
Coaches	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.

Awards and honors

Postseason awards

Julia Ayrault

• All-Big Ten First Team (unanimous)^[12]

Deedee Haemann

• All-Big Ten Second Team^[13]

Theryn Hallock

• Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year^[14]

Moira Joiner

• All-Big Ten Second Team^[12]

References

1. "Michigan State women's basketball uses bye weeks to prepare for Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis". The State News. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
2. "Michigan State women's basketball the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament". Yahoo Sports. 2024-03-06. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
3. "Nebraska 73-61 Michigan State (Mar 8, 2024) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
4. "Michigan State, Michigan women earn No. 9 seeds in NCAA Tournament". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
5. Tony Paul (March 13, 2023). "Michigan State women decline WNIT invitation, citing adversity-filled season". The Detroit News.
6. "MSU women's basketball coach Merchant hospitalized after 'minor' crash". The Detroit News. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
7. Brian Calloway. "Dean Lockwood uses balanced approach to guide Michigan State women's basketball through adversity". Lansing State Journal.
8. M.A. Voepel (March 13, 2023). "Suzy Merchant steps down as Michigan State women's hoops coach". ESPN.com.
9. Wenzel, Matt (2023-03-31). "Michigan State hires new women's basketball coach from Bowling Green". mlive. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
10. "Spartan Women's Basketball Announces 2023–24 Non-Conference Schedule". msuspartans.com. August 30, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
11. "Spartan Women's Basketball Announces 2023–24 Schedule". msuspartans.com. September 21, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
12. Lounsberry, Matthew (2024-03-05). "MSU Women's Basketball Lands 3 All-Big Ten Honorees, 'Sixth Player of the Year'". Sports Illustrated Michigan State Spartans News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
13. Lounsberry, Matthew (2024-03-05). "MSU Women's Basketball Lands 3 All-Big Ten Honorees, 'Sixth Player of the Year'". Sports Illustrated Michigan State Spartans News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
14. "Three MSU women's basketball players named to All-Big Ten teams, one awarded Sixth Player of the Year". The State News. Retrieved 2024-03-06.