Michigan State basketball vs. Minnesota postponed after campus shooting in East Lansing

EAST LANSING — In the grand scheme, it is an afterthought considering the magnitude of the events Monday night at Michigan State University. But the Spartans’ next men’s basketball game has been postponed.

It is unclear when or if MSU will make up Wednesday night’s previously scheduled home game against Minnesota as the school, students and faculty attempt to process a shooting on campus that resulted in three fatalities and five other serious injuries, along with the death of the suspect identified as the potential alleged shooter.

Other events postponed are a home men's tennis match against Drake and a women's basketball game at Purdue, also both originally scheduled for Wednesday. The university canceled all other campus activities and classes for at least Tuesday and Wednesday.

The university issued a statement early Tuesday evening saying "any information regarding rescheduling would be announced at a later date" and not ruling out more postponements or cancelations for events later this week and beyond.

"Although no additional postponements have been announced at this time, this is a fluid situation and information is subject to change," MSU's athletic department said in a release.

MSU athletic director Alan Haller, who was on campus assisting the shooting response team until 3 a.m. that night, was in and out of meetings Tuesday morning and told the Free Press that his senior athletic department leadership group is discussing how to proceed beyond the next few days.

He also issued a more detailed statement Tuesday evening.

"We are all devastated following the tragic events of Monday night. First and foremost, our heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the students who were taken from us much too soon. And our prayers are with those still fighting for their lives in the hospital," Haller said in the release. "The focus for the athletic department today has been the mental health and wellness of our student-athletes and staff. All across campus, different units are doing the same to make sure everyone is getting the resources they need. Please reach out if you're in need of assistance and look for ways to support and help your fellow Spartan. I've been reminded today that everyone will process trauma in a different manner.

"To everyone who has reached out in support of our community, I offer my sincere gratitude. The outpouring of support from across the Big Ten Conference and the country has been overwhelming. It's clear that although we may compete on the court, we are truly united by our shared humanity.

"At some point in the days ahead, we will return to the field of competition. For some, the games will provide a momentary escape from our shattered reality, but we must never lose sight that life has been irrevocably altered for us all. Our commitment to look after one another has never been more necessary."

Complicating a potential rescheduling of Wednesday's game is Minnesota already has a make-up game Feb. 20 at Illinois that was called off Feb. 7 due to COVID issues for the Gophers.

"We obviously would love to get it in, and I know they would love to get it in," said Minnesota coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday afternoon on 100.3-FM (KFAN in Minneapolis), adding he spoke by phone with MSU coach Tom Izzo earlier in the day about the situation. "It's kind of up to the scheduling gods. … You're literally just looking for an open window."

Haller's life intersects with the shooting. He is a Lansing native who played football at MSU and also worked as an MSU Police officer for 13 years.

"It's kind of like everybody else. You go through the shock mode," Haller told the Free Press by phone. "And then for us in athletics, you kind of go into how to take care of our students and making sure that they're emotionally and mentally safe. I'm talking more so after the incident was over. Right now, we're in the mode of making sure that our students are safe, and their emotional well-being is our biggest concern right now, as well as our staff."

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The Spartans men’s basketball team is next scheduled to play 8 p.m. Saturday at Michigan. Less than three weeks remain in the Big Ten’s regular season.

A number of other events in multiple sports are scheduled from Friday-Sunday, including MSU hockey with two games at Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday, wrestling at Central Michigan on Friday women's basketball hosting Maryland on Saturday, and the Spartans' baseball season opener against Michigan on Friday in Phoenix.

“I am positive that the leadership at both schools will consider all possible situations and make a thoughtful decision on this,” University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker tweeted early Tuesday morning about the MSU-Michigan hoops game. “The next 48 hours are going to be excruciating for so many families and that’s really where the focus should be.”

The Big Ten issued a statement early Tuesday afternoon providing sympathy and promising to support MSU in the aftermath.

"The Big Ten has been in consistent contact with campus leaders at Michigan State University throughout last night and this morning. The entire conference is holding the Spartan community close to our hearts as we all try to comprehend these senseless acts of violence," it read. "We send our deepest condolences to the families who are grieving the tragic loss of their loved ones, and we are praying for complete recovery for those who were injured and remain at Sparrow Hospital.

"As we await more information, the conference will continue to support Michigan State University and its community in every way possible in their efforts to heal."

MSU officials postponing athletic events due to the shooting falls in line with how other schools the past two decades proceeded after similar incidents.

Fifteen years ago, on Feb. 14, 2008, a man shot and killed five Northern Illinois students and injured 17 others before taking his own life. The school canceled all athletic events home and away for the next three days, including two home basketball games.

Following a shooting Nov. 13, 2022, that killed three football players and injured another, the University of Virginia canceled its final two football games of the season and a men's basketball game against Northern Iowa scheduled for the day after the incident.

Big Ten schools have not experienced a campus shooting of this significance since Nov. 1, 1991, when a former University of Iowa graduate student shot and killed five faculty members and injured another before the gunman died by suicide. The Hawkeyes’ football team played on the road the next day and won at Ohio State.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.

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Next up: State of rivalry

Matchup: Michigan State (16-9, 8-6 Big Ten) at Michigan (14-11, 8-6 entering Tuesday).

Tipoff: 8 p.m. Saturday; Crisler Center, Ann Arbor.

TV/radio: Fox; WJR-AM (760), WWJ-AM (950).

More online: Michigan's game at Wisconsin on Tuesday night ended after this edition went to print. Visit freep.com/sports for the game result.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball-Minnesota postponed after campus shooting