t strategies into the game.ScienceThis is where the lessons get complicated. At about 5pm on match eve, the Australians gathered around the

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Alex Murphy made a 3-pointer from the corner, and a handful of fans behind the Northeastern bench could sense an upset was near.Lets go Huskies! they began chanting, while the rest of the Breslin Center stayed mostly quiet.I think it was the hockey team, Murphy said.Murphy scored 18 points, and the Huskies capped a big day for Northeastern athletics with an 81-73 upset at Michigan State on Sunday night. The game was part of a tripleheader in East Lansing between the schools. Michigan State won the womens basketball game 78-44, and Northeastern beat the Spartans 6-2 in mens hockey.It was the second head-turning upset of the season for the Huskies in mens basketball. They won at Connecticut last month. In between that game and this one, Northeastern (6-5) lost to the likes of LIU Brooklyn, Cornell and Stony Brook.I tell my guys each and every year that we want to compete against the very best that the country has to offer, to make sure that we can measure ourselves and get better, Northeastern coach Bill Coen said. We want to compete against national championship-caliber programs, and thats what Michigan State is and always has been.Cassius Winston had 21 points and 10 assists for the Spartans (7-5), who trailed 36-32 at halftime and could never take control.Michigan State went on a 17-4 run in the second half and led 51-45 before T.J. Williams made a 3-pointer, snapping a string of nine straight missed field goals by Northeastern. The Huskies took the lead back before too long, and with the score 64-61, the 6-foot-8 Murphy made a layup followed by his big 3-pointer from in front of the Northeastern bench, making it an eight-point game with 2:47 remaining.That was when the Northeastern fans started chanting.BIG PICTURENortheastern: The Huskies are certainly a hard team to figure out. Theyve now beaten a couple big-name programs -- although UConn and Michigan State arent exactly at their best right now. Northeastern showed impressive resolve, recovering nicely from a rough stretch in the second half and eventually closing the game out comfortably.Michigan State: The Spartans were without freshman standout Miles Bridges, who missed his fourth straight game with a left ankle injury. Michigan State let this game get away from the 3-point line, where Northeastern went 11 of 23 and the Spartans were only 5 of 16. Michigan State was held to single-digit margins in home wins this month against Oral Roberts and Tennessee Tech, and this time the Spartans were victimized by an upset.PLAYING TIMEMichigan States Eron Harris played only 23 minutes. Coach Tom Izzo was blunt when asked repeatedly about Harris playing time in the postgame news conference.Why are you concerned about Harris? (He was) sitting next to me because he didnt play very good -- period. So I dont know what the deal is, Izzo said. I dont mean to jump you about it, but you want to know why he didnt? He didnt guard, he didnt play very hard, he didnt play very smart, he took a couple bad shots, and he wasnt playing the way he has to play.CLEAVES ON HANDFormer Michigan State star Mateen Cleaves was at the game, less than two weeks after a judge dismissed sex charges against him. Cleaves was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2015, but charges were dismissed Dec. 5.In the Michigan State locker room after the game, Cleaves would not comment on the case.UP NEXTNortheastern: The Huskies have another game in Michigan coming up Tuesday night when they play at Oakland.Michigan State: The Spartans next game is also against Oakland, on Wednesday night in East Lansing. Thats Michigan States last game before starting Big Ten play.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 .---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister Kevin King Super Bowl Jersey . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. Jason Spriggs Super Bowl Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.officialgreenbaypackerspro.com/Dave-robinson-packers-jersey/ . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. Josh Jackson Super Bowl Jersey . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Ray Nitschke Super Bowl Jersey . LOUIS -- St. Against South Africa in Adelaide, Australia made five changes and named three debutants in one of the most comprehensive overhauls of the national side since World Series Cricket. They won, but a dead rubber only, and now face the expectation of winning a series against Pakistan. But Steven Smiths men have much schooling ahead of them in international cricket, with many lessons to learn. And if Mickey Arthur has taught the Pakistanis anything, they will punish Australia if they havent done their homework. So, here are six subjects that Australias new-look squad might (or might not) benefit from studying.Ancient historyOne of the most enduring records in Australian cricket is the teams unbeaten run at the Brisbane Cricket Ground - nicknamed the Gabbatoir for their slaying of opposition dreams at the venue. Last time Australia lost a Gabba Test was in 1988. Smith wasnt even born then, and nor were half of his team. Not to mention this will be the first Gabba Test played with a pink ball under lights, and the first Gabba Test full-stop for up to five of Australias XI. And so, like most students, Australias cricketers will view this ancient history as irrelevant. We might as well be discussing who won the Punic Wars.Weve got a great record here and hopefully we can keep that up, but its a little bit different this year - the pink ball compared to the red ball, Smith said. Im not really paying much attention to that, its about going out here and making sure weve got our processes right and were playing good cricket. And if were doing that then hopefully the result will take care of itself.Modern historyAustralia and Pakistan have both been ranked No.1 in Tests this year, but have fallen to No.3 and 4 respectively after losing campaigns. Australia lost away to Sri Lanka and at home to South Africa, and Pakistan lost on the green seaming pitches in New Zealand. It is also worth noting that only four in Australias side - Smith, David Warner, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc - have played Tests against Pakistan. By comparison, 10 of Pakistans squad have played Australia. One of those is fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who skittled Australia for 88 at Headingley in 2010. That Test marked the beginning of an era in which Australias batsmen often suffered humiliating collapses against swing - an era that remains ongoing. Under lights with the pink ball, Amir could be a serious threat.I remember watching out in Australia in 2010 he bowled with really good pace, said Smith, the only current Australia player to have faced Amir in Tests. I think he was hitting 145-150 and in England he slowed it down and got his wrists right and swung the ball, so its great to have those sort of gears and those skills. No doubt he could potentially be a handful if its swinging around. Guys are just going to have to identify those difficult periods and adapt and show some resilience and things will get easier from there.GeographyIn 2014, Australia learnt a lesson about deserts. On the dry pitches of the UAE, Pakistans batsmen handled Australias fast men with ease, and their spinners with contempt. Pakistans slow bowlers were dominant, including legspinner Yasir Shah. On debut in that series, he claimed 12 wickets at 17.25 across the two Tests, more wickets than all of Australias spinners combined. But in Australia, where the pitches will offer far more bounce and pace, Smith hopes that the thhreat of Yasir will be diminished.ddddddddddddI guess the Gabba, youll get a bit of extra bounce as a spin bowler, Smith said. I guess that can play in your favour, and can also play against you. Your length has to be spot on. Generally there isnt too much turn - its more bounce, so length is crucial. And if youre slightly off your length, you can really cash in down the wicket and square of the wicket as well. So hes going to have to be pretty accurate. Physical educationAustralias new-look side boasts some fine fielders - Peter Handscomb pulled off a super catch at gully in Adelaide - but some aspects of working together require improvement. Australia will, for example, hope that wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and first slip Matt Renshaw have no further disagreements over who should go for a catch. Still, Australia will likely have the edge over Pakistan in the catching department. Pakistans batsmen might also find themselves up against some bouncer barrages as Australias fast men try to exploit the pace and bounce in the pitches, although the likes of Wahab Riaz are more than capable of returning the favour.Weve watched a little bit of the New Zealand series, just recently, and I think traditionally sub-continent sides that come over to Australia dont handle the pace and bounce, or arent as comfortable with the pace and bounce of our wickets, Smith said. You need to try and find ways to exploit that as much as possible and at times Im sure were going to see some short-pitched bowling to mess with their feet and be possible ways to get them out as well. We watched New Zealand pretty closely and they obviously did a good job, so hopefully our bowlers can replicate that.MathsCalculations are always important for a captain, whether setting targets or juggling bowling spells. But in day-night Test cricket an extra dimension is added, with the knowledge that batting can become harder as the floodlights kick in. In Adelaide, Faf du Plessis even declared South Africas first innings before the close of the first day, such was his desire to test Australia under the lights.I think if you look at all the pink-ball stats that have come out, most wickets have been lost in that final session so I guess it adds another dimension to the game, Smith said. Captains have to be switched on and possibly figure out different times to have a crack. If we get the opportunity and it might be about going out and trying to score a little bit quicker to get 10 overs with the new ball under lights, because weve seen it can do quite a lot. It throws some different strategies into the game.ScienceThis is where the lessons get complicated. At about 5pm on match eve, the Australians gathered around the 22-yard strip in the middle of the Gabba and tried to work out how it would perform. At Adelaide Oval, the curator had left six millimetres of grass on the surface to help protect the pink ball; at the Gabba, only two millimetres will be left on. Perhaps only in cricket do agriculture and sport combine to hold the attention of so many. The Gabba curator, Kevin Mitchell jnr, believes the pitch will perform like a typical Gabba Test surface. Whatever the case, Australias uncertainty was such that Smith was unable to confirm whether spinner Nathan Lyon would play. ' ' '