EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University’s men’s basketball team hosted their first home game Tuesday night since last week’s deadly mass shooting on campus.
Basketball is a cornerstone for many Spartans and there hardly was an empty seat at the Breslin Center when MSU took on Indiana.
However, eight seats were left empty behind the bench in the “Izzone” on purpose.
Those seats are for Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser and Alexandria Verner who lost their lives during the shooting.
The other five seats were left open for the five students who were hurt during the shooting.
Meanwhile, the Izzone participated in a whiteout and wore “Spartan Strong” shirts.
“I’m hoping that this a chance for people to get back to normal, to have some fun. I’ve been telling friends who are coming with us that it’s going to be a very heavy night, but I think it could also be uplifting. I think that, that we take a lot of pride in our sports teams. It’s a way that connects alumni, like me, to the current student body and the community, so hopefully this will be a chance for us to reinforce those bonds,” M.L. Elrick, Michigan State alumnus.
All proceeds from Tuesday’s 50/50 raffle will go to the Spartan Strong fund, which aims to support the evolving needs of those impacted by the tragedy.
