Your Five Things For January 9th: Spartans Top Hawkeyes

1. Spartan Roll Over Hawkeyes With Huge 2nd Half

Last night in Iowa, the Spartans beat the Hawkeyes 75-61.  The Spartans were able to pull away thanks to 47 2nd half points.  The Spartans were down 11 points at halftime but put on a 3 barrage making 12/17 shots from behind the arc.  Travis Trice lead the way for the Spartans scoring 25 thanks to 7/8 from behind the arc.  Branden Dawson had a double-double thanks to 15 rebounds and 14 points.  Gabriel Olaseni lead the way for Iowa as he score 18 points off of the bench.  With the win, Michigan State has improved to 11-5 (2-1) on the season.  The Spartans next game will be on Sunday as they take on the Northwestern Wildcats.

2. NFL HOF Finalists Released

With less than a month until the Hall Of Fame Inductees are announced, the NFL has announced the 18 finalists for the class of 2015.  The finalists include Moreten Anderson, Kurt Warner, Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown, Terrel Davis, Jimmy Johnson Tony Dungy and Junior Seau.  Check out the full list here.  To be elected, you must receive 80% from the 46 member selection committee.  The 2015 class will be announced in Arizona on January 31st.

3. Investigation On Ray Rice Situation Has Concluded

An investigation on how the NFL handled the Ray Rice situation has concluded and the report published by investigator Robert Mueller has been released.  According to the report, the NFL had a good amount of information but should have gotten more.  The report also addressed the acquisition of the video from the hotel which TMZ had released.  It found no evidence that the NFL had the access to the tape when it was released but could have obtained it.  Check out all of the information in the report here.

4. Chicago Bears Have New GM

The Bears have found a new GM as they will hire Ryan Pace to fill the vacancy.  Pace has spent 14 years in the front office of the New Orleans Saints.  He was the director of player personnel in his final two seasons with the Saints.  All eyes will be on Pace as he makes a decision on Jay Cutler.

5. US Has Selected A City To Bid For 2024 Olympics

The US has selected a bid city for the 2024 Olympics as Boston will try to be selected as an Olympic host.  As of now, only one other city has been announced as Boston will join Rome.  There is speculation that Germany, Hungary and France will post bids.  The last two bids were the 2012 Olympics in New York City and 2016 Olympics in Chicago.  Both of those finished 4th in voting.  The site will be announced in 2017 at the International Olympic Committee will award bids.  Read more about the bid here.