title: Sergei Pugachev

text: In 2000, Pugachev organised production of one of the most expensive watches of the BLU brand, together with watches of Laderrer. At an auction in Monaco, part of the "Gagarin" series were sold for 360,000 euros. Allegedly, Pugachev's investment in foreign assets was the source of conflict with Putin. At a meeting at the Kremlin in 2002, Putin suggested that Pugachev come up with a legislative initiative for returning the capital exported abroad.


title: Sergei Pugachev

text: In December 2013, 3 years after the withdrawal of the licence from the International Industrial Bank, the Deposit Insurance Agency brought a claim to the Moscow Court of Arbitration regarding the subsidiary's responsibility for the debts of the IIB to the former heads of the IIB – Aleksandr Didenko, Aleksei Zlobin, Marine Illarionova and Pugachev, declaring him a "de facto owner of the bank" determining the decisions taken by the bank.


title: Sergei Pugachev

text: Claims against Pugachev occurred in 2013, 2 years after the IIB proceedings had begun. Key members of the leadership of the IIB, such as board chairman Gerald Kowalski, did not provide witness statements. Consequently, charges mainly came in the form of guided statements of the owner of the IIB D. Henderson Stewart and former director Alexandr Didenko, who cooperated with the investigation.


title: Sergei Pugachev

text: Shortly after filing a lawsuit in a Moscow court, the Deposit Insurance Agency submitted an application to the High Court in London with a claim for interim measures in support of the Moscow claim. In the London courts, no independent claims were made against Pugachev.


title: Sergei Pugachev

text: In 2018, a London court ruled to sell the banker's property. In the late 2020 A1 investment company (part of Alfa Group) on behalf of DIA sold two luxury mansions Glebe Place and Old Battersea House for £6,5 million and £8 million respectively. Pugachev called this deal a "criminal act".


title: Sergei Pugachev

text: At the end of 2014, the Russian Interpol bureau posted a "wanted" notice for Pugachev. Pugachev's French lawyers complained to the Central Interpol Bureau and he was excluded from the investigation base over concerns about the political motivation of statements from the Russian side. The Russian Federation did not enter Pugachev on the Interpol wanted list.


title: Sergei Pugachev

text: On 22 September 2015, the Hague International tribunal officially registered the complaint of Pugachev against the Russian Federation for US$12 billion.


title: Sergei Pugachev

text: During his time as a senator, Pugachev financed construction of hotels, an airport, a complex and a museum filled with relics of Scythian burial mounds Arjaan-1 and Arjaan-2 in the Republic of Tuva to the amount of about 10 million dollars.


title: Sergei Pugachev

text: Pugachev became a French citizen in 2009. By 2011, Pugachev was under investigation by the Russian government for embezzling loans from the government to Mezhprombank. Pugachev argued the charges were politically motivated and left Russia to live in London, where he had a house with his partner Alexandra Tolstoy and their children.


title: Sergei Pugachev

text: Despite living in the UK, Pugachev was not free from legal battles, as the Russian government used the London courts to pursue money it claimed. Most of his $15 billion fortune was frozen in 2014, under a worldwide order issued by the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice and upheld by the Court of Appeal. In June 2015, despite a court order to stay in Britain, Pugachev fled the country and turned up in Nice, France.


title: Sergei Pugachev

text: Pugachev has two sons from his previous marriage to Galina Arkhipova. He has three children (two sons and one daughter) with his former partner Alexandra Tolstoy (daughter of the British historian and politician Count Nikolai Tolstoy). Pugachev has five grandchildren. Pugachev and Alexandra are the subject of the documentary "The Countess and the Russian Billionaire".


title: Phantasy Star

text: The first four games in the series are set in or related to the fictional planetary system of Algol, and are single-player turn-based role-playing games. Later games in the series are chiefly action role-playing games, and some contain massively multiplayer online game elements. There are currently four distinct "Phantasy Star" subseries, each set in their own universe. Cameos or nods to other subseries may appear, and there are concepts and terminology shared across them, similarly to "Suikoden" (Lagrange Point), "Breath of Fire", "Dragon Quest" and "Final Fantasy".


title: Phantasy Star

text: The original series takes place in the Algol Solar System, which consists of four planets: Palma, a fertile agricultural world; Motavia, a desert planet; Dezoris, an ice planet; and the mysterious Rykros, whose elongated orbit brings it within visible range only once every thousand years. Players travel to all four planets throughout the series, interacting with each unique set of inhabitants and discovering the secrets to the solar system's genesis, which is irrevocably tied to an ancient conflict.


title: Phantasy Star

text: With the closure of "Phantasy Star Universe" servers in 2012, the online-only "Episode 3" can no longer be played at all, and "Episode 2" cannot be played on the Xbox 360 or PC versions. However, "Episode 2" is still available through the PlayStation 2 version of "Ambition of the Illuminus", which does not require a connection to the "Universe" servers to play.


title: Phantasy Star

text: The plot, setting, and themes of the "Phantasy Star" series vary dramatically from the franchise's early installments to the multiplayer titles of today. "Phantasy Star", "Phantasy Star II", and "Phantasy Star IV" all deal with the concept of evil as a living, sentient entity that takes an active interest in galactic events.


title: Phantasy Star

text: A being known as "Dark Force" or "Dark Falz" (depending on the game) plagues the Algol planetary system every thousand years, resulting in mass destruction and loss of life. It begins its campaign of terror in subtle ways, usually subverting others to its will. Only once its pawn has either been eliminated or is no longer useful does Dark Force ever reveal itself. With each incarnation of Dark Force, a group of protectors arise to suppress it, ushering in a period of recovery and prosperity for the Algol system. This cycle of complacency and destruction continues every millennium. In "Phantasy Star IV", the source of this being appears, known as the Profound Darkness.


title: Phantasy Star

text: The original series takes place in the Algol system, with three major planets: Palma, Motavia, and Dezolis. Palma is destroyed during the events of "Phantasy Star II", when the prison satellite Gaira crashes into the planet. Several colony ships fled from the disaster, and one of those ships, the Alisa III, is the setting of "Phantasy Star III". Other locations within the series include several artificial satellites and Rykros, a planet with an extremely elongated orbit. "Phantasy Star Online" and "Phantasy Star Universe" take place in different planetary systems.


title: Phantasy Star

text: Fictional races that re-occur in the series include sentient androids created by humans, called CASTs in the spin-off series and portable games, and Newmans, previously called Numans, elf-like humanoids created by genetically engineering DNA from humans and other, genetically engineered "biomonsters".


title: Phantasy Star

text: The original "Phantasy Star" was released for the Master System in Japan on December 20, 1987. It was one of the earliest cartridges to include battery backed RAM for saving game positions. The game featured 3D maze-like dungeons, which players traversed in a first-person mode. "Phantasy Star", along with "Dragon Quest", and "Final Fantasy", distinguished itself as a pioneer of what came to be defined as console role-playing. The first four games take place in the same universe, as opposed to many RPG series such as "Final Fantasy", wherein successive game settings are unrelated, or, at most, superficially related. Each major "Phantasy Star" game adds onto the series' overall story, culminating in "Phantasy Star IV" which ties all of the series' plot elements together.


title: Phantasy Star

text: Both "Phantasy Star Online" and "Phantasy Star Universe" are their own series based on the original "Phantasy Star" games. They continue the theme of a persistent game universe, but are set in different planetary systems than the original games.


title: Phantasy Star

text: There is a small misconception that "Phantasy Star" was created to rival "Final Fantasy", due to their similar titles. This is highly unlikely, as the first entries of both series were released within two days of each other.


title: Phantasy Star

text: Games in the "Phantasy Star" franchise have overall been well received by critics. The original four games in the series are typically regarded as classics for the RPG genre. Upon its initial release, the series was praised for its unique futuristic setting, something that had not been done yet in the genre. In 1996, the series was ranked as the 72nd top game of all time by "Next Generation", even as "there really isn't anything especially innovative here - the titles just have good, solid gameplay."


title: Phantasy Star

text: "Phantasy Star" is recognized as featuring one of the first female lead characters, Alis Landale, alongside Samus Aran of "Metroid". It was also one of the first RPGs to feature animated monster encounters, and to allow inter-planetary travel between three planets. The game was inducted into the GameSpy Hall of Fame in 2000. James Fudge of GameSpy said of the game that "everything about "Phantasy Star" was uncommon, fun, and strange."


title: Phantasy Star

text: "Phantasy Star II" was considered one of the best role-playing games of its time, and is regarded as "a game of many firsts" according to "Nintendo Power". It is regarded by many as the forerunner for certain aspects of role-playing video games, such as an epic, dramatic, character-driven storyline dealing with serious themes and subject matter, and a strategy-based battle system. The game's strong characterization, and use of self-discovery as a motivating factor for the characters and the player, was a major departure from previous RPGs and had a major influence on subsequent RPGs such as the "Final Fantasy" series.


title: Phantasy Star

text: "Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom" featured an innovative and original branching storyline, which spans three generations of characters and can be altered depending on which character the protagonist of each generation marries, leading to four possible endings. "Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium" introduced the use of pre-programmable combat manoeuvers called 'macros', a means of setting up the player's party AI to deliver custom attack combos.


title: Phantasy Star

text: "Nintendo Power"'s staff has praised the original games, saying that "Phantasy Star" "was the first RPG to break out of the "Dragon Quest" / "Dungeons & Dragons" mold of generic Arthurian fantasy by introducing sci-fi elements. Among its many other accomplishments were the inclusion of characters with actual personalities, the introduction of event scenes, and the presentation of pseudo-3-D dungeons that were a technical marvel at the time." IGN writer Jeremy Conrad stated that "anyone who played video games through the 8 and 16-bit eras would know that name ["Phantasy Star"]" and called the first four main series games "epic".


title: Phantasy Star

text: Many of the series' games, including "Online Episodes I & II" and "Phantasy Star Zero", have generally favorable scores on Metacritic. "Phantasy Star Online" in particular is recognized as one of the most "revolutionary new games" of the past decade, for its impact in taking "consoles online" and defining "small-scale multiplayer RPGs," paving the way for larger-scale MMORPG efforts such as "Final Fantasy XI", setting the template for small-scale online RPGs such as Capcom's "Monster Hunter" series and some of the later "Dragon Quest" and "Final Fantasy" games, and giving rise to "an entire pantheon of multiplayer dungeon crawlers that continue to dominate the Japanese sales charts." More generally, "Phantasy Star Online" made "both online gaming and the concept of fee-based services a reality for consoles," paving the way for the online gaming services later provided by all three of the seventh-generation consoles. "Phantasy Star Online 2" became a commercial success for Sega as it has made over 900 million dollars since its release in 2012.


title: Phantasy Star

text: Two anime series have been created around the "Phantasy Star Online 2" world: "Phantasy Star Online 2: The Animation", a prequel to that game's "Episode 4" storyline; and "Phantasy Star Online 2: Episode Oracle", a retelling of the events of the first three "Episodes" of the game (known as the "Oracle" arc in the game).


title: Play (Moby album)

text: Play is the fifth studio album by American electronic musician Moby. It was released on May 17, 1999, through Mute Records internationally and V2 Records in North America. Recording of the album began in mid-1997, following the release of Moby's fourth album, "Animal Rights" (1996), which deviated from his electronica style; Moby's goal for "Play" was to return to this style of music, blending downtempo with blues and roots music samples. Originally intended to be his final record, the album was recorded at Moby's home studio in Manhattan, New York.


title: Play (Moby album)

text: While some of Moby's earlier work had garnered critical and commercial success within the electronic dance music scene, "Play" was both a critical success and a commercial phenomenon. Initially issued to lackluster sales, it topped numerous album charts months after its release and was certified platinum in more than 20 countries. The album introduced Moby to a worldwide mainstream audience, not only through a large number of hit singles that helped the album to dominate worldwide charts for two years, but also through unprecedented licensing of its songs in films, television shows, and commercials. "Play" eventually became the biggest-selling electronica album of all time, with over 12 million copies sold worldwide, and became Moby's breakthrough album.


title: Play (Moby album)

text: In 2003 and 2012, "Play" was ranked number 341 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.


title: Play (Moby album)

text: The second half of the 1990s saw Moby in career turmoil after years of success in the techno scene. The release in 1996 of "Animal Rights", a dark, eclectic, guitar-fueled record built around the punk and metal records that he loved as a teenager, proved a critical and commercial disaster that left him contemplating quitting music altogether. He explained: "I was opening for Soundgarden and getting shit thrown at me every night onstage. I did my own tour and was playing to roughly fifty people a night." However, positive reactions to "Animal Rights" from fellow artists such as Terence Trent D'Arby, Axl Rose, and Bono inspired Moby to continue producing music.


title: Play (Moby album)

text: Moby started work on "Play" in August 1997 and put it on hold several times to complete touring obligations. At the time, he planned on making the album his last before ending his career. Recording sessions took place at Moby's Mott Street home studio in Manhattan, New York. "Play" was delayed due to Moby's dissatisfaction with the initial mix of the album that he had produced at home. A second mixing was completed at an outside studio before attempts at two other studios displayed similar results. After returning home and producing a mix by himself, Moby felt happy with it. Ultimately, he said that he "wasted a lot of time and money" on the previous unsatisfactory mixing sessions. Moby recalled a moment from March 1999, after "Play" had been mixed and sequenced, where he sat on the grass in Sara Delano Roosevelt Park: "I was sitting by the little tire swings that had been chewed apart by the pit bulls [...] thinking to myself, 'When this record comes out, it will be the end of my career. I should start thinking about what else I can do.'" At that point, he considered returning to school to study architecture.


title: Play (Moby album)

text: When Moby finished recording "Play", there was no sign that the album would perform any differently than "Animal Rights". While he remained signed to the label Mute, which issued his records in the United Kingdom, Elektra had dropped him from its roster of artists following the release of "Animal Rights", leaving him without an outlet to release "Play" in the United States. According to Moby, he shopped the record to every major label, from Warner Bros. to Sony to RCA, and was rejected every time. After V2 finally picked it up, his publicist sent the record to journalists, many of whom declined to listen to it. Moby's manager Eric Härle said that their original goal was to sell 250,000 copies, which was what "Everything Is Wrong" (1995), Moby's biggest-selling album at the time, had sold.


title: Play (Moby album)

text: According to "Spin" magazine's Will Hermes, "Play" was "the high-water mark for populist electronica" and a "millennial roots and blues masterwork", while John Bush from AllMusic said it balanced Moby's early electronica sound with the emergent breakbeat style of techno. "Chicago Sun-Times" critic Jim DeRogatis noted its incorporation of such disparate musical influences as early blues, African-American folk music, gospel, hip hop, disco, and techno, "all within the context of his own distinctly melodic ambient stylings." "Complex" described "Play" as "an organic downtempo masterpiece" that fused live studio recordings and "found sounds".


title: Play (Moby album)

text: "Play" was particularly notable for its use of samples from field recordings collected by Alan Lomax and compiled on the 1993 box set "Sounds of the South: A Musical Journey from the Georgia Sea Islands to the Mississippi Delta". Moby was introduced to the box set through a friend, Gregor Ehrlich, who loaned the CDs to him. The "Play" tracks "Honey", "Find My Baby", and "Natural Blues" were composed by Moby around vocal hooks sampled from songs by the folk singers Bessie Jones, Boy Blue, and Vera Hall, respectively, that were featured on the collection. Apart from the Lomax material, Moby also used samples of old gospel recordings on "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" and "Run On". In the liner notes for "Play", Moby gave "special thanks to the Lomaxes and all of the archivists and music historians whose field recordings made this record possible."


title: Play (Moby album)

text: Elsewhere, "Play" is informed by more contemporary music styles. "Bodyrock", which Moby called "essentially a hip-hop song", features samples of rappers Spoonie Gee and the Treacherous Three. "Machete" was inspired by EBM acts such as Front 242 and Meat Beat Manifesto. "Porcelain" and "South Side" are both anchored by Moby's own lead vocals, and are among several songs on the album that spotlight his trademark "evocative, melancholy" techno sound, according to Bush. The remaining tracks are primarily instrumental in nature, and Moby cited these as his favorites from "Play". The latter half of the album is mostly composed of these instrumentals, which are more downcast in mood and less driven by samples. Moby noted that he intentionally sequenced the album such that "it starts off energetic and then by the end dissolves into an opiated haze."


title: Play (Moby album)

text: "Play" was released on May 17, 1999 by Mute, and on June 1, 1999 by V2. On its release, it underperformed commercially. The record debuted at number 33 on the UK Albums Chart, but thereafter descended the chart. Moby recounted that the first show he played in support of "Play", at the basement of the Virgin Megastore in Union Square, was attended by only around 40 people. Further damaging the album's commercial prospects, "Play"s songs received little airplay from radio stations or television networks such as MTV.


title: Play (Moby album)

text: Moby and his management, however, soon found another approach to increasing public exposure of "Play", by way of licensing its songs for use in films, television shows, and commercials. According to Moby, their goal "was simply to get people to hear the music". "Most of the licenses weren't particularly lucrative," he noted, "but they enabled people to hear the music because otherwise the record wasn't being heard." Eric Härle clarified that although many people believed the songs were pitched for advertisements as part of the marketing campaign for an album that did not fit with mainstream radio, the licensing actually came about as a result of agencies asking for permission to use the music as soundbeds; he attributed the music's popularity to its evocative and emotional nature. Despite the heavy licensing, each request was nevertheless carefully vetted and more requests were turned down than accepted. Moby's manager Barry Taylor recalled that after the producers of a British television program sent a fax requesting for permission to use "7", the only track from "Play" that had yet to be licensed, "we celebrated."


title: Play (Moby album)

text: The licensing approach proved successful in increasing "Play"s visibility, and subsequently radio and MTV airplay for the album's songs began to pick up. The album re-entered the top 100 of the UK Albums Chart in January 2000, slowly climbing positions and finally reaching number one three months later, spending five weeks at the top. It remained on the chart for the remainder of 2000, and in the UK was the fifth best-selling album, as well as the best-selling independent album, of that year. By October 2000, "Play" had attained platinum certifications in 17 countries and topped the charts in seven. While it only reached number 38 on the American "Billboard" 200 chart, the album sold over two million copies in the US, enjoying steady sales for months and constant popularity. "Play" has been certified platinum in more than 20 countries, and with over 12 million copies sold worldwide, it is the biggest-selling electronica album of all time.


title: Play (Moby album)

text: Eight singles were released from "Play": "Honey" on August 24, 1998, "Run On" on April 26, 1999, "Bodyrock" on July 12, 1999, "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" on October 11, 1999, "Natural Blues" on March 6, 2000, "Porcelain" on April 25, 2000, "South Side" on October 10, 2000, and "Find My Baby" on October 16, 2000. The first six all reached the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. "South Side", which for its single release was remixed to include additional vocals from No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani, became Moby's first single to chart on the "Billboard" Hot 100, where it peaked at number 14. Numerous music videos were commissioned for the album's singles, directed by filmmakers such as Jonas Åkerlund ("Porcelain"), Roman Coppola ("Honey"), Joseph Kahn ("South Side"), and David LaChapelle ("Natural Blues").


title: Play (Moby album)

text: In October 2000, the compilation album "" was released, containing tracks released as B-sides on the singles from "Play". A DVD titled "Play: The DVD" was released in July 2001. It features most of the music videos for "Play"s singles; an 88-minute megamix of various remixes of the album's songs, accompanied by animated visuals; a performance by Moby on "Later... with Jools Holland"; a compilation of footage shot by Moby on tour titled "Give an Idiot a Camcorder"; an interactive component that allows users to remix "Bodyrock" and "Natural Blues"; and a bonus CD containing the aforementioned megamix. "Play: The DVD" was nominated for Best Long Form Music Video at the 44th Grammy Awards.


title: Play (Moby album)

text: "Play" received widespread critical acclaim upon release. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has a score of 84 out of 100 based on 20 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".


title: Play (Moby album)

text: Reviewing for "The Village Voice" in 1999, Robert Christgau said the album's sampled recordings would not "shout anywhere near as loud and clear" without Moby's "ministrations—his grooves, his pacing, his textures, his harmonies, sometimes his tunes, and mostly his grooves, which honor not just dance music but the entire rock tradition it's part of." He deemed the album "no more focused" than Moby's previous "brilliant messes" but still "one of those records whose drive to beauty should move anybody who just likes, well, music itself." In his review for AllMusic, John Bush stated that "Play" showed Moby "balancing his sublime early sound with the breakbeat techno evolution of the '90s." Barry Walters from "Rolling Stone" said "the ebb and flow of eighteen concise, contrasting cuts writes a story about Moby's beautifully conflicted interior world while giving the outside planet beats and tunes on which to groove." David Browne, writing in "Entertainment Weekly", felt that despite some needed editing, Moby's graceful soundscapes filter out the original recordings' antiquated sound and "make the singers' heartache and hope seem fresh again." In a more critical appraisal, "Pitchfork" reviewer Brent DiCrescenzo believed the "raw magnetism" of the sampled recordings was lost to "innate digital recording techniques", resulting in music that was "fun and functional, yet disposable."


title: Play (Moby album)

text: At the end of 1999, "Play" was voted the year's best album in the Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics published in "The Village Voice". Christgau, the poll's supervisor, ranked it second best on his own year-end list. The following year, the album was nominated for Best Alternative Music Performance at the 42nd Grammy Awards. Since then, it has frequently been named one of the greatest albums of all time; according to Acclaimed Music, it is the 340th most ranked record on critics' all-time lists. NPR named "Play" one of the 300 most important American records of the 20th century, as determined by the network's news and cultural programming staff, prominent critics, and scholars. It was ranked number 341 on the 2003 and 2012 editions of "Rolling Stone"s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and in 2005, a panel of recording industry pundits assembled by Channel 4 voted "Play" the 63rd-best album ever. The album was also included in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".


title: Play (Moby album)

text: According to "Rolling Stone", ""Play" wasn't the first album to make a rock star out of an insular techno nerdnik, but it was the first to make one a pop sensation. [...] "Play" made postmodernism cuddly, slowly but surely striking a chord with critics and record-buyers alike." "Wired" said that the songs on "Play"—which became the first album ever to have all of its tracks licensed for use in films, television shows, or commercials—"have been sold hundreds of times [...] a licensing venture so staggeringly lucrative that the album was a financial success months before it reached its multi-platinum sales total." In a retrospective piece for "Wondering Sound", Robert Christgau wrote:


title: Play (Moby album)

text: English singer-songwriter Adele cited "Play" as an influence on her 2015 album "25", saying: "There's something that I find really holy about that "Play" album... The way it makes me feel. Even though there's nothing holy or preachy about it. There's just something about it—maybe the gospel samples. But it makes me feel alive, that album, still. And I remember my mum having that record."


title: University of the Punjab

text: The University of the Punjab (Urdu, ), also referred to as Punjab University, is a public, research, coeducational higher education institution located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan. With multiple campuses in Gujranwala, Jhelum, and Khanspur, the university was formally established by the British Government after convening the first meeting for establishing higher education institutions in October 1882 at Simla. Punjab University was the fourth university to be established by the British colonial authorities in the subcontinent; the first three universities were established in other parts of British-ruled Subcontinent.


title: University of the Punjab

text: There are 45,678 students (27,907 morning students, 16,552 evening students and 1,219 diploma students). The university has 13 faculties of which there are 83 academic departments, research centres, and institutes. Punjab University has ranked first among large-sized multiple faculty universities by the HEC in 2012. There are also two Nobel Laureates among the university's alumni and former staff. Additionally, the university is also a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities of the United Kingdom. In the recently issued rankings of Asian universities by QS World Universities Rankings, the university jumped from the 232nd to 193rd position, improving its position by 39 places. It ranks 251–300 in Agriculture and Forestry, 501–550 in Physics & Astronomy and 501–550 in Chemistry according to QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019. In 2022-2023 edition, it ranked 801 worldwide.


title: University of the Punjab

text: The Institute of Administrative Sciences was created in 1962. Many major institutions that were previously affiliated to the university have become independent universities, such as Government College University, Lahore and Medical and Engineering Colleges.


title: University of the Punjab

text: Prof. Arthur Compton, who discovered Compton effect used to be an appointed lecturer in the university and its affiliated campus Government College University, Lahore, he received the Nobel Prize in 1927.


title: University of the Punjab

text: The fate of the university after the partition of India in 1947, was deliberated at the Punjab Partition Committee, with representatives from East Punjab advocating for a division of the university. The senate of the university voted to split the university, and the matter reached the Partition Council at the centre, but a decision could not be made. The government in East Punjab was compelled to establish a new university, which eventually became the Panjab University in Chandigarh.


title: University of the Punjab

text: The university is divided into campuses across Punjab with one summer campus located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:


title: University of the Punjab

text: University of the Punjab is ranked 801 - 1000 Internationally in the QS World University Rankings for the year 2023 and 5th nationally. It is also ranked #145 in Asian universities by QS Rankings.


title: University of the Punjab

text: There are 13 faculties with 10 constituent colleges, 73 departments, centres, and institutes. It has 1006 full-time and 300 part-time faculty members involved in teaching/research and over 6,000 non-teaching/supporting staff with 45,678 on campus students (27,907 Morning students, 16,552 Evening students and 1,219 Diploma students) :


title: University of the Punjab

text: The library is one of the largest libraries among the universities of Pakistan. The library has more than 500,000 books, magazines and periodicals, in nine national and international languages, in print and on CD, DVD, microfilm, microfiche, video and audio cassette, and manuscript.


title: University of the Punjab

text: Punjab University Library has a two-storey building with a total area of 102,000 square feet. There are reading halls on the ground and first floors with a seating capacity of 2500 readers. The library has an internet lab. In the library there is a computerised "MLIMs" catalogue for searching material.


title: Battle of Changping

text: The Battle of Changping () was a military campaign during the Warring States period of ancient China, which took place from 262 BC to 260 BC at Changping (northwest of present-day Gaoping, Shanxi province), between the two strongest military powers, the State of Qin and the State of Zhao. After a bitter two-year stalemate, the battle ended in a decisive victory for Qin forces and the ruthless execution of most of the Zhao captives, resulting in an unrecoverable loss of manpower and strategic reserve for the Zhao state.


title: Battle of Changping

text: One of the bloodiest battles in human history, the main historical records for the events of this period is sourced from the "Records of the Grand Historian", written more than a century later, which estimated roughly 450,000 dead on the Zhao side and 250,000 dead on the Qin side. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (685–762) later built a temple over a collection of some of the human remains, and scattered bones and mass graves continue to be discovered on the site even to the present day.


title: Battle of Changping

text: In 265 BC, Qin attacked the State of Han and captured Qinyang, which effectly cut off Han's Shangdang Commandery (in modern-day Changzhi, Shanxi province) from its southern heartland (in modern western Henan), making Shangdang an isolated northern exclave. Within the following years, the Qin army further isolated Shangdang from Han by capturing the crucial mountain passes and fortresses across the Taihang Mountains, and Shangdang was poised to fall.


title: Battle of Changping

text: Rather than seeing Shangdang being taken by Qin, Shangdang's governing commander, Feng Ting, decided to offer the region to Zhao. Shangdang was a productive and strategically important region just west of Zhao's capital Handan, and its capture would allow Qin easy incursions north and west into Zhao territory, so King Xiaocheng of Zhao () accepted and dispatched senior general Lian Po to lead an army and secure the region from the encroaching Qin.


title: Battle of Changping

text: In 262 BC, the Qin army, led by Wang He, invaded Shangdang, and Feng Ting had to evacuate the commandery. The Zhao army also mobilized, and after arriving at the front line, Lian Po set up three defensive lines pivoted south of Changping Pass (at the border between present-day Gaoping and Zhangzi County).


title: Battle of Changping

text: In April, the Zhao army first encountered the Qin army west of Gaoping Pass (at the border between present-day Gaoping and Qinshui County, Shanxi) on Lian Po's first defensive line, and suffered several defeats during initial confrontations with the Qin vanguards. The Qin army killed the Zhao commander in Gaoping and quickly capitalized on the momentum of these successes, capturing Gaoping Pass as well as three other Zhao strongholds nearby, and the first defensive line collapsed. Having assessed the enemy's strength, Lian Po concluded the only way to counter the Qin offensive was to avoid field battles and hold the second defensive line along the Dan River (丹水, the largest tributary of Qin River, which traverses the present-day Gaoping city). He started focusing on further reinforcing positions on the east bank of Dan River valley using fortified ramparts built along the mountain foothills, hoping to exhaust the Qin army, as Changping was much farther away from Qin territory than Zhao and keeping the army supplied would be much more taxing to the Qin due to the more rugged and winded mountain routes in the west.


title: Battle of Changping

text: The Qin army did attempt crossing the Dan River and even once managed to breach Lian Po's second defensive line, but they did not have enough strength to exploit it and were beaten back. By July, the two sides were forced into a bitter stalemate across the river, which lasted the next two years. Both sides massively surged their troops with more reinforcements, with total combatants numbering around a million in early 260 BC.


title: Battle of Changping

text: While Lian Po's strategy of holding and wearing out the Qin army was working, problems started to arise back home. The Qin side were frustrated and desperate to break the stalemate, so they sent spies into Zhao and Han to spread rumors that Lian Po was too senile and cowardly to fight. King Xiaocheng of Zhao was already dissatisfied with Po's strategy of dragging out the war for so long, which was also very logistically taxing for Zhao, so he decided to replace Lian Po with Zhao Kuo, the overconfident yet untested son of the famous late general Zhao She.


title: Battle of Changping

text: According to "Shiji", the young Zhao Kuo excelled in reciting military philosophies so much that his father often got flabbergasted in debates. However, on his deathbed Zhao She had told his wife to never let his son command an army, because Kuo regarded wars as easy games and treated risks with hubris rather than caution, despite having never experienced any actual battles. When Zhao Kuo was appointed general, Lady Zhao and minister Lin Xiangru tried to persuade King Xiaocheng to rescind that appointment, but their appeal failed. Lady Zhao however did manage to extract a promise from the king that the Zhao clan would not be punished if Zhao Kuo loses the war.


title: Battle of Changping

text: Upon hearing that the Zhao king fell for the rumor, the Qin secretly replaced Wang He with the renowned general Bai Qi, who was known for being brutally efficient in annihilation battles. The appointment of Bai Qi was highly classified in order to not alarm the Zhao army, and anyone who leaked the news would be punished by death.


title: Battle of Changping

text: In July 260 BC, Zhao Kuo arrived at Changping and took over command of the Zhao army. He discarded all previous defensive strategies made by his predecessor, and instead decided to take his main force north to quickly cross the Dan River and attack the left flank of the Qin army stationed along the river's west bank, hoping a decisive offense would be enough to break the Qin army. In doing so, he left most of the provisions stored at the old main camp further south along the river, which was now relatively undermanned and could not secure the elongated supply line stretched along in front of the Qin army across the river.


title: Battle of Changping

text: Unknown to Zhao Kuo, Bai Qi had anticipated his plan and responded with a maneuver that resembled the later Battle of Cannae. Bai Qi had deliberately reduced the strength of his left flank stationed along the river, and had a line of hill fortifications further west of the river reinforced instead. When Zhao Kuo crossed the river and attacked, the Qin left flank quickly abandoned their riverside positions and withdrew back west toward the hills, drawing Zhao Kuo to chase after them. However, a Qin detachment of 25,000 men had then traversed north through the Taiyue Mountains to performed a wide left encirclement behind Zhao's third defensive line stapled around the Changping Pass, cutting off Zhao supply lines from the north. At the same time, another detachment of 5,000 light cavalry with bows and crossbows advanced on the right and crossed the Dan River to cut off communications between Zhao Kuo's new camp and their southern main depot, splitting the Zhao army into two, and Bai Qi's main force immediately followed in to secure and choke off the Dan River valley exits. These detachments eventually completed a triangular encirclement that trapped Zhao Kuo's forces around a small mountain range.


title: Battle of Changping

text: Zhao Kuo soon found his attack against the enemy left flank halted by the Qin hill fortifications, unable to make any progress. He then realized that his rear were being ambushed by the Qin cavalry and provisions were quickly running low, and was forced to abandon his offensives and pull back across the river. The Qin army then counterattacked and pursued, inflicting heavily casualties upon Zhao Kuo's retreating army. After being unable to reach the friendly forces in the south, the Zhao Kuo's army dug in on a hill and had to await relief.


title: Battle of Changping

text: However, since 295 BC, Zhao foreign policy had been dominated by opportunism and had frequently shifted between "hezong" () (anti-Qin alliances) and "lianheng" () (pro-Qin alliances), depleting its diplomatic goodwills with other states. Therefore, as the battles in Changping unfolded, Zhao was unable to secure any reinforcement from either the State of Chu or the State of Qi. King Zhaoxiang of Qin used this opportunity to mobilize additional forces against Zhao from Henei (in modern-day Henan province), by bestowing one grade of noble rank on the population as merits and ordered a nationwide mobilization conscripting every able-bodied man over the age of 15, with the king himself personally overseeing the reserves to the Changping frontline in order to further bolster the encirclement.


title: Battle of Changping

text: With the enemy firmly trapped, Bai Qi started repeatedly launching attacks to further wear out the Zhao army and deny them any chance of escape. Zhao Kuo's improvised hill positions were besieged non-stop for 46 days, and by September, his army's struggle for survival grew more desperate, with the starving Zhao soldiers slaughtering all the horses and allegedly even murdering and feeding on each other. The fighting was also so fierce that half of the Qin soldiers were killed in combat, but the exhausted and demoralized Zhao army was ultimately unsuccessful in breaking out. Zhao Kuo was eventually killed by Qin archers when leading his best troops in a final attempt to breach the encirclement. With their commander dead, the remaining Zhao army gave up and surrendered.


title: Battle of Changping

text: Bai Qi wanted to take advantage of the victory and quickly lay siege to Handan, but guarding and feeding the large number of prisoners of war would be a huge burden, and releasing them was out of the question because the newly subdued local population was still hostile to Qin rule and these Zhao captives would likely get reconscripted or participate in revolts. As a one-off solution, Bai Qi ordered the captured Zhao soldiers all to be executed, presumably by being buried alive; only 240 of the youngest soldiers were spared and released back to Zhao to spread terror. Han dynasty historian Sima Qian stated in his chronicle (written about 150 years later) that over 450,000 Zhao soldiers were killed during and after the battle.


title: Battle of Changping

text: Prior to the campaign, Zhao had been one of the most militarily powerful states of the Warring States and arguably the only one that could resist Qin's expansion. Although Qin was later defeated at the Siege of Handan and eventually made to stop waging campaigns, as three years of war financially and domestically exhausted both states, Zhao never recovered from the loss of manpower due to this defeat, while within a decade Qin recovered to its full strength and gained complete dominance over the other states. Forty years later in 221 BC, Qin would use this dominance to conquer all the other states and unify China.


title: Battle of Changping

text: The defeat of Zhao Kuo, who doomed his entire army, led to the Chinese idiom "talking wars on paper" (), referring to someone who is great at theoretical planning but performs poorly in practice.


title: Battle of Changping

text: The 2004 Chinese television series "Changping of the War" is based on the battle. The battle also features as background to the events taking place in the manga "Kingdom" with the events having a direct and indirect impact on the character development of several major characters on many sides, most notably Wan Ji of Zhao, who led an army of other survivors and families of those killed in bloody and gory revenge upon Qin citizens. Wang He, the other general, was divided into two different generals, Wang Qi, and Wang He, the former fought on Changping.


title: Battle of Changping

text: Changping is also a major plot point in The Legend of Haolan-the catastrophe and chaos in Zhao State causes the main characters to flee to Qin.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: Dorrance Earnest Funk (born February 3, 1941), known professionally as Dory Funk Jr., is an American retired professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. The son of Dory Funk (Dorrance Wilhelm Funk) and brother of Terry Funk, he was the promoter of the Amarillo, Texas-based Western States Sports promotion.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: Funk held the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship once. He is the second-longest reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion of all time, holding it for over four years. Only Lou Thesz held it longer. He held the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship once and the CWA World Heavyweight Championship once. He is a 2009 WWE Hall of Fame inductee. He is working for All Japan Pro Wrestling as the Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) chairman and runs the Funking Conservatory, a professional wrestling school. Overall in major professional wrestling promotions, he is a one-time world champion consisting of the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship which is widely recognized as a counterpart to the WWE Championship.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: With a background in amateur wrestling and football, Funk's career in professional wrestling began in 1963 just after a college football career with West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M University), culminating in a 15 to 14 victory over Ohio University in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Funk's first match was a victory over Don Fargo in Amarillo, Texas. West Texas State University All American Jerry Logan was in Funk's corner and Fargo's brother, Jim, was in his corner. Funk was supported by the whole West Texas State University football team and the Tascosa High School amateur wrestling team. He was doing his student teaching as coach of the Tascosa High wrestling team under coach James Kyle.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: Funk started in his father's Amarillo, Texas-based Western States Sports promotion and fought Harley Race, Iron Mike DiBiase and Wild Bull Curry. He demonstrated a rugged hard-hitting style that gained attention. He would eventually move on to Florida, Missouri and Japan where his skills improved as he used uppercut forearm smashes, a variety of suplexes and leglocks. Funk won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Gene Kiniski on February 11, 1969 in Tampa, Florida with a spinning toe hold and remained NWA World Champion for the next four and a half years, which is the second-longest uninterrupted reign of any NWA World Champion (Lou Thesz held the NWA world title from November 27, 1949, to March 15, 1956).


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: Dory and Terry are the only brothers in history to each hold the title. Funk finally lost the NWA World Championship on May 24, 1973, after a hurried recovery from a pickup truck accident on his father's Flying Mare Ranch in West Texas. Dory was forced into the ring in Kansas City, losing the belt to Harley Race. He performed regularly throughout the NWA, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic and Ontario as a heel, Georgia, Florida and Central States regions, through the 1970s and early 1980s. In Toronto he fought Ric Flair for the NWA championship on October 17, 1982. Flair retained the title. In 1987 he feuded with Mike Rotunda in Florida. Rotunda defeated Funk for the vacant Florida Heavyweight title on June 7. Later on a lot of the matches ended in draws.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: In 1973, Funk made his debut for All Japan Pro Wrestling which had just started the year before. Eventually he became a veteran of the company. He feuded with Giant Baba, The Destroyer, Jumbo Tsuruta, Abdullah The Butcher, The Sheik, Genichiro Tenryu, and Harley Race. Terry Funk and he worked frequently as a tag team in a series of matches against Abdullah the Butcher and The Sheik; and Giant Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta. Funk won many World's Strongest Tag Determination League awards with both Terry and Baba. Together Terry and he won the World's Strongest Tag Determination League tournaments in 1977, 1979, and 1982.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: On December 11, 1980, the Funks won Match of the Year Award from Tokyo Sports in their match against Giant Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta. His biggest achievement in All Japan was winning the NWA International Heavyweight Championship three times. He won a tournament for the vacant heavyweight title defeating Terry on April 30, 1981. He dropped the title to Butch Reed that June. Later he defeated Reed in August. On October 9 he dropped the title to Bruiser Brody in Tokyo. He regained the title form Brody on November 1. Eventually he lost the title to Brody on April 21, 1982, in Osaka. Later in his tenure he feuded with Brody, Stan Hansen and Tiger Jeet Singh. The Funks feuded with Riki Choshu and Yoshiaki Yatsu; and the Youngbloods.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: In 1986, Dory (renamed "Hoss") made his WWF debut in a team alongside his brother Terry. The brothers performed at WrestleMania 2 defeating the Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana. Terry left the WWF shortly after WrestleMania, but Dory remained, mostly tagging with storyline brother Jimmy Jack Funk, who in truth had no relation to the Funk family. They were managed by Jimmy Hart. He would feud with Junkyard Dog. They feuded with The British Bulldogs. Funk wrestled his last WWF match to Pedro Morales at the Sam Muchunik Memorial Tournament on August 29.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: On September 20, 1987, he and Terry teamed up and lost to The Road Warriors by disqualification at World Wrestling Council 14th Anversario in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. On February 27, 1988, Funk participated in World Wrestling Council's La Copa Gillette tournament beating Bruiser Brody in the first round but later that day he lost to Carlos Colon in the quarter finals. On April 11, 1988, he lost to Jerry Lawler by count out at Continental Wrestling Association in Memphis, Tennessee. He reunited with Terry at World Wrestling Alliance defeating Doug Somers and Gary Young on February 2, 1989, in Kansas City, Kansas.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: In October 1990 both Terry and Dory returned to All Japan. They wrestled in tag team matches until Terry left the promotion in April 1991 and went back to North America. Dory found a new partner, Al Perez and they won World's Strongest Tag Determination League Teamwork Award later that year. They lost to Andre the Giant and Giant Baba on November 30, 1991, in Obihiro. At the end of the year Perez left Japan and returned to the United States. In 1992 he once again teamed up with Baba. Later on he teamed with numerous partners. From 1990 to 1996 he feuded with Abdullah the Butcher and Giant Kimala. He left Japan at the end of 1996.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: In 1994 Funk made his debut for Extreme Championship Wrestling. He reunited with Terry for the first time in three years. Terry was a main star for the company. They feuded with The Public Enemy during Dory's stay in ECW. On June 26 they teamed up with Tommy Dreamer to defeat Hack Meyers and Public Enemy on ECW Hardcore TV. They lost to Public Enemy at ECW Heat Wave 1994 in a No Rope Barbed Wire match. Dory returned to ECW on September 27, 1997, losing to ECW Champion Shane Douglas.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: He made an appearance for World Championship Wrestling at the Pay-Per-View, wrestling Nick Bockwinkel to a time limit draw in 15 minutes. Funk had Gene Kiniski in his corner and Bockwinkel had Verne Gagne in his corner. He teamed up with Dick Murdoch defeating The Heavenly Bodies at tribute show to Dory called Funk Free For All in Amarillo, Texas October 28, 1993. The Funks wrestled Bruce Hart and Brian Pillman at the Stu Hart 50th Anniversary Show on December 15, 1995, in Calgary, Canada. He made a return appearance with the WWF as a participant in the 1996 Royal Rumble being eliminated by Savio Vega. On June 6, 1997, he made another appearance in WCW at Ilio DiPaolo Memorial Show teaming with Greg Valentine as they lost to Tony Parsi and Gino Brito by disqualification in Buffalo, New York. On September 11, 1997, Dory took part in Terry Funk Presents Wrestle Fest: 50 Years of Funk event. Terry was planning to retire from wrestling for the first time. That night, Dory defeated Rob Van Dam. He won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship for the fourth time since 1981 defeating Steve Keirn on November 7, 1997. Then he would hold the title until August 15, 2000, when the title was vacated. In 2001 he wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling teaming with Terry. He feuded with Tatsumi Fujinami and Bob Backlund. Funk and student, Adam Windsor wrestled in a dark match for NWA Total Non-stop Action defeating Homicide and Kory Chavis on November 27, 2002. On January 25, 2005, he teamed with Terry at WrestleReunion where they lost to NWA World Tag Team champions America's Most Wanted.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: Funk returned to Puerto Rico for WWC Friday Madness where he defeated Carlos Colon on May 20, 2005. At WrestleReunion 2 Dory, Terry and Mick Foley lost to The Midnight Express in a six-man tag team match on August 27, 2005. On March 5, 2006, he teamed with Mike Graham to defeat David Flair and Tully Blanchard at World Wrestling Legends. On the February 16, 2009 episode of "Raw", it was announced that Dory along with his brother Terry would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009 by Dusty Rhodes. On the April 1, 2010 edition of TNA Today, Funk appeared on the show to have an interview with Jeremy Borash. Since 2002 Dory been wrestling for his own promotion Funking Conservatory known as "BangTV!" in Ocala, Florida. On September 3, 2006, he lost to Samoa Joe in a Lumberjack match. From 2015 to 2018 Funk has wrestled for Tokyo Gurentai. His last match was against another student of his Osamu Nishimura which ended in a 10-minute draw on November 28, 2018. With the finals seconds left in the match, Funk pinned Nishimura which ended at the count of 2 when the bell rang as time was up. Funk wrestled multiple times during 2019 on the independent circuit.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: On Leap year 2020 Funk teamed with The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) to defeat the team of Blain Rage, Jake Logan, and Shane Chung at Funking Conservatory in Ocala, Florida.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: On March 1, 2008, Funk and Osamu Nishimura defeated Genichiro Tenryu and Masanobu Fuchi in Funk's retirement match via spinning toe hold.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: On October 27, 2013, Funk returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling, teaming with Terry in a tag team match, where they wrestled Masanobu Fuchi and Osamu Nishimura to a twenty-minute time limit draw. Funk was then announced as the new Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) chairman. Funk returned to All Japan on July 27, 2014, teaming with Osamu Nishimura and Yutaka Yoshie in a six-man tag team match, where they defeated Masanobu Fuchi, Takao Omori and Último Dragón, with Funk submitting Fuchi for the win. On May 30, 2015, he teamed with old student Genichiro Tenryu and Nosawa Rongai for Tenryu Project to beat Kohei Suwama, Hikaru Sato and Atsushi Aoki. Funk's next match with All Japan took place on May 31, 2015, when he and Nishimura wrestled Fuchi and Yoshiaki Fujiwara to a twenty-minute time limit draw. He returned to All Japan the next month to team with Fuchi and Ultimo Dragon to beat his student Nishimura, Masao Inoue and Soma Takao. His last match for All Japan was on November 28, 2017, teaming with Nishimura, The Great Kabuki and his student Dalton Drellich as they defeated Fuchi, Great Kojika, Atsushi Maruyama and Daisuke Sekimoto in Yokohama.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: Funk is currently the coach of the Funking Conservatory Professional Wrestling School in Ocala, Florida and teaches the Dory Funk Method of Professional Wrestling. It had a branch affiliated with the World Wrestling Federation called the "Funkin' Dojo. Dory's students included Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Christian Cage, Lita, Kurt Angle, Mansoor, Mickie James, Edge, Ted DiBiase, and Test. His wife Marti runs BANG TV in which Dory's matches are featured.


title: Dory Funk Jr.

text: Dory married his first wife, Jimmie, on June 8, 1960. Together, they have three children: Dory III, Adam Dirk, and Penny. They also have five grandchildren. They later separated and were officially divorced on July 6, 1983. Dory III went into medicine and now practices out of Colorado. Dory IV is now training to be a wrestler under Dory Jr. In 1980, Dory met his second and current wife, Marti; the couple married in 1989. They have two children.


title: Writer (film)

text: Writer is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film written and directed by debutant Franklin Jacob and produced by Neelam Productions in association with Golden Ratio Films, Little Red Car Films and Jetty Productions. The film stars Samuthirakani and Hari Krishnan, and the music is composed by Govind Vasantha. The film was released in theatres on 24 December 2021 and received positive reviews from critics.


title: Writer (film)

text: A writer at a police station gets trapped in an illegal custody case involving an innocent Ph.D. student. With his guilt and regret looming large, can he save the young man?


title: Writer (film)

text: The movie opens with a new recruit police constable Arivazhagan (Dileepan) reporting for duty at Tiruverumbur police station, in Tiruchirappalli. He is taken under wing by Head constable Thangaraj (Samuthirakani), who works as a writer at the station. Thangaraj is shown to be a bigamist, and it is later revealed that he was forced into the second marriage with a much younger girl, to bear an offspring. Thangaraj had initiated and is still continuing to fight a case, for the establishment of a police union, for voicing the opinions of lower rank police officers. This does not go well with the Inspector of the police (Bose Venkat), who has him transferred to Thiruvallikeni police station in Chennai, as a punishment.


title: Writer (film)

text: Once there, Thangaraj is assigned menial duties within the station and befriends an ex-convict, Raja, whom Thangaraj had known from a previous case. Raja does odd jobs and is shown to stay within the station premises. On his first day, Thangaraj is assigned to watch over a PhD student Devakumar (Hari Krishnan), held in illegal custody in a marriage hall nearby. Devakumar tries to escape initially, but gets caught by Thangaraj and the manager of the marriage hall. The police personnel in the station don't seem to take any interest in revealing the details of the case. The police inspector Perumal and another head constable Manickam, force Devakumar to sign some documents.


title: Writer (film)

text: Devakumar is constantly shifted to various lodges, and the Deputy Commissioner Trivedi Sharma is also shown to be involved in the case. Raja and Thangaraj go to watch over Devakumar, and he sobbingly shares his story to Raja. Devakumar belongs to a backward community, living with his elder brother Xavier (Subramaniam Siva), his sister-in-law and their son, in Thirukkattupalli town, near Trichy. After a spat in the house, he heads back to Chennai. Pretty soon, he is shown to be detained by the police, who also take his cellphone away. A senior journalist in Trichy, whom Thangaraj has been pursuing to write about the police union case, publishes this illegal detention as a scoop, after Thangaraj unintentionally reveals it to him.


title: Writer (film)

text: Trivedi Sharma becomes livid, and has Thangaraj write a crime scene to implicate Devakumar, not knowing it was Thangaraj who leaked the story. It also shown that Thangaraj was previously acquainted with him. Devakumar gets implicated as a Naxalite and is arrested. Thangaraj feels guilty for having caused this. Xavier comes to Chennai to meet his brother. Thangaraj explains to him the seriousness of the situation and asks him to approach a lawyer Marudhamuthu (G. M. Sundar), to help out in the case. Marudhamuthu learns that the police are very secretive about the case and is not allowed an audience with Devakumar.


title: Writer (film)

text: Trivedi Sharma, Inspector Perumal and head constable Manickam ask Devakumar why he wanted 'those details' and beat him up. Marudhamuthu learns of this and rushes back to the police station with Xavier and manages to convince Perumal to allow Xavier to meet his brother. Thangaraj reveals to Marudhamuthu about his role in Devakumar's arrest. He secretly smuggles a phone into Devakumar's cell to allow him to speak with Marudhamuthu. It is then shown that Devakumar is doing PhD in Sociology, from Madras University. He was researching about mental health of police officers and increasing numbers of death by suicide, in the police force.


title: Writer (film)

text: He had contacted a lawyer Anwar, in Saidapet court, who filed an RTI to get him the information for his thesis. In a flashback, it is revealed that Trivedi Sharma had rejected three applications for the joining the horse riding team of Tamil Nadu Police force, one of which belongs to Saranya (Ineya). She is told by an officer that she was rejected because of her caste certificate. When Saranya questions this, she is forced to do stable maintenance duty by Sharma. One day, when Sharma visits the stables, she adamantly rides a horse in front of him, which angers him and he beats her up badly, and she commits suicide soon after.


title: Writer (film)

text: Thangaraj becomes remorseful after hearing this and plots along with Arivazhagan to help Devakumar escape and surrender in a court, under a different case, thus escaping the police officers who want him silenced. After facing many hurdles, Thangaraj helps Devakumar run away. A few months later, Thangaraj is shown to be in jail. In a letter to Arivazhagan, he reveals what happened after he helped Devakumar run away. Thangaraj is hit on the head by one of his pursuers and is hospitalized, Sharma, Perumal and Manickam trace and abduct Devakumar. A guilt-ridden Thangaraj is forced to shoot him dead. Later, when Sharma, Perumal and Manickam try and convince Thangaraj to finish the case, writing it off as an encounter of a criminal trying to escape, Thangaraj refuses to cooperate and says he will reveal the truth, thereby leading to the implication of the other three. When Sharma threatens to shoot him, Thangaraj snatches the gun and shoots Sharma dead, in front of a shocked Perumal and Manickam. Thangaraj asks forgiveness from Xavier for causing his brother's death. After reading the letter, Arivazhagan is shown to continue fighting the police union case, heeding Thangaraj's request.


title: Writer (film)

text: The soundtrack and score is composed by Govind Vasantha and the album featured two songs. The audio rights were acquired by Think Music.


title: Writer (film)

text: The post-theatrical streaming rights of the film were bought by Aha and will be premiered on 11 February 2022. The satellite rights of the film were sold to Colors Tamil.


title: Writer (film)

text: Ashameera Aiyappan of "Firstpost" rated the film with 3.5/5 stars, stating that, "Writer depicts an honest policeman’s mental health struggle like no other film- the introspection is real and honest." "Behindwoods" rated the film with 3/5 stars, stating that "Writer is a solid political film, that shows the weaker side of police deparment." Logesh Balachandran of "The Times of India" gave a rating of 3 out on 5 and wrote, "Writer definitely has honest intentions and is watchable for the subject it has dealt with." Sudhir Srinivasan of "Cinema Express" gave a rating of 3 out on 5 and wrote, "the film has many interesting ideas, but not quite a riveting film."


title: Writer (film)

text: "Sify" rated the film with 3/5 stars, stating that "Writer sends a much-needed message to the Government and the superior officers in the Police Force. Will they listen?" and gave the verdict as "A honest take on the corrupt police department." Haricharan Pudipeddi of "Hindustan Times" stated that, "Writer is the kind of film that goes beyond the meaning of entertainment, and it leaves you enlightened. It makes you question the very department that’s meant to protect us and be at our service." Srinivasa Ramanujam of "The Hindu" wrote, "With the drama-thriller, debutant director Franklin Jacob joins the long list of exciting Tamil filmmakers to watch out for." Bharathy Singaravel of "The News Minute" stated that, "Releasing in mainstream venues, in the same theatres that run big budget cop films to full houses, this film helps spread a political language tuned to the systemic failures in this country. Writer is a film you don’t want to miss."


The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Michigan State University. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I college basketball. The Spartans have won two NCAA championships and 16 Big Ten Championships. Their home games are played at the Breslin Student Events Center ("Breslin Center") in East Lansing, Michigan. Tom Izzo has been the head coach since 1995.


title: Michigan State Spartans men's basketball

text: Their two National Championships came in the 1979 NCAA tournament and the 2000 NCAA tournament. The 1979 National Championship Game was the most watched college basketball game in history, with 35.11 million television viewers. The 1979 National Championship team was coached by Jud Heathcote and included tournament MVP Magic Johnson, Greg Kelser, and Jay Vincent. The Spartans defeated the previously unbeaten Indiana State, led by future Hall of Famer Larry Bird. The 2000 National Championship team defeated Florida in the final. The team was coached by Tom Izzo and led by players Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell, Jason Richardson, and tournament MVP Mateen Cleaves.


text: The Spartans have participated in 35 NCAA tournaments and appeared in 24 consecutive NCAA tournaments (the 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the third-longest streak ever (tied with Duke) and second-longest active streak in college basketball, behind Kansas (32). Michigan State has the sixth most all-time Final Four appearances with 10 (1957, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2019) and has the winningest basketball team in the Big Ten under Tom Izzo. The program is also ninth all-time in NCAA tournament winning percentage (.677, through 2018).


text: On March 11, 2021, Michigan State announced that the men's basketball team would be known as "MSU Spartans Presented by Rocket Mortgage." The next day, Michigan State issued a clarification stating that it was not renaming its basketball team. The announcement and clarification were discussed on national sports programs and commentaries were published on news and sports sites.


text: The first established coach for Michigan Agricultural College (MSU's name at the time), Charles Bemies was also the first athletic director in school history, while also coaching the football, baseball, and track teams. His two-year stint as basketball head coach ended in 1901. MAC's second basketball coach was George Denman. Denman is the only basketball coach to go undefeated during his tenure, posting an 11–0 mark during his two seasons. His team still holds the record for largest margin of victory with a 102–3 defeat of Alma College in 1902. MAC's first full-time athletic director and one of the Spartan's most successful coaches, Chester Brewer led the football, basketball, and baseball squads to winning records. He holds the highest winning percentage of any Spartan basketball coach with at least four seasons at .736 (70–25). His team also defeated Michigan in the schools’ first meeting in 1909. George Gauthier was the first alumnus to lead a Michigan State basketball squad. He compiled a career record of 41–38 over four seasons. Gauthier left after 29 games in 1919– 20, posting a 15–14 record. Lyman Frimodig coached the final seven games of the season, going 6–1. He would also serve as head coach for the next two seasons. He remained active in the athletic department after his stint as basketball coach, serving Michigan State for 41 years as assistant athletic director and business manager


text: Benjamin Van Alstyne coached MSU for 22 years from 1926 to 1949. He is third in career victories with 231. Van Alstyne coached MSU's first All-American, Roger Grove, in 1930. Some of his greatest victories included a 27–26 victory over Michigan in 1930 at the dedication of Demonstration Hall, and a 66–50 upset over Kentucky in 1945 that was named “CocaCola Upset of the Week.” His 47–45 loss to Kentucky in 1948 set the record for the largest crowd in Jenison Field House history.


text: In one season under Alton Kircher, the Spartans finished 4–18. Following the conclusion of the 1950 season, the Spartans would join the Big Ten Conference.


text: Pete Newell was hired from San Francisco following a successful four years with the Dons where he went 70–37 and won the 1949 NIT.


text: His 1951–52 squad was the first ranked Spartan team and also registered a win over No. 14 Notre Dame, the first win over a ranked opponent in school history. One of his biggest wins was a 1952 defeat of No. 2-ranked Kansas State. After four seasons, California hired Newell as its head coach and MSU had to search for another coach. Newell is often considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of basketball.


text: Forrest "Forddy" Anderson was hired away from Bradley following a trip to the 1954 Final Four with the Braves. His Bradley team had also made it to the 1950 championship game.


text: Two years after taking over the Spartans, in 1957, he led MSU to its first Big Ten Championship. After opening the season with a 4–7 record, the Spartans won 10 in a row and 12-of-13 to capture their first league title and advance to the school's first NCAA tournament. A bye in the first round of the Tournament preceded wins over Notre Dame and Kentucky to earn a trip to the Final Four. A loss to North Carolina in the Final Four left MSU in the national third-place game where they lost to San Francisco.


text: Two years later, led by All-American Johnny Green, the Spartans cruised to a Big Ten Championship, winning the league by four games. A win over Marquette in the 1959 NCAA tournament put MSU in the Mideast regional finals against Kentucky. The Spartans lost and fell one game short of another trip to the Final Four.


text: Following his initial successes in East Lansing, his Spartan teams only finished with a winning record one time after 1959. He was fired following the 1964–65 season.


text: John Benington, who had been an assistant to Anderson at Bradley before joining his staff at MSU, took over as head coach, and led MSU to a second-place Big Ten finish in his first season at the helm. The next season, he led the Spartans to a shared Big Ten title, but Indiana received the NCAA tournament bid (at that time, only one Big Ten team received an NCAA bid). After four seasons leading the Spartans, he died of a heart attack after jogging at Jenison Fieldhouse in the summer of 1969 at the age of 47.


text: Gus Ganakas was an assistant under Benington and was hired to take over following Benington's death. His most successful seasons were in 1973–74 with a fourth-place Big Ten finish and 1974–75 with a 17–9 overall record. In 1975, 10 black members of his team walked out before a game against Indiana for what was perceived at the time as a racial disagreement over starting a white player. Ganakas was fired in 1976, but he continued to be a part of the Michigan State Athletics Department, serving as an assistant A.D. and then as an aide to coach Tom Izzo from 1998 to 2000. He was an MSU basketball radio announcer until 2017. He died in 2019.


text: Jud Heathcote was hired to take over as coach in 1976 from Montana by athletic director Joseph Kearney in May 1976, after coaching the Grizzlies for five years. Heathcote had led the Grizzlies to two Big Sky championships and the 1975 NCAA tournament, the Grizzlies first ever trip to the Tournament. He finished his tenure at Montana with an 80–53 record.


text: As a virtual unknown, Heathcote came to East Lansing looking to return MSU to greatness. In his second year, he landed one of the game's all-time greats, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, from nearby Lansing Everett High School, as a recruit. The 1977–78 Spartans won the Big Ten title, their first since 1967, and qualified for the NCAA tournament for only the third time in school history. They advanced to the Elite Eight and were led by Johnson and Greg Kelser. In 1979, the duo led the Spartans to a second consecutive Big Ten title and the NCAA National Championship. The NCAA championship marked the school's first in basketball.


text: Following the championship, Johnson left school to join the NBA and Kelser graduated. The result was a ninth place finish in the Big Ten the next year and struggles thereafter. MSU returned to postseason play in 1983, finishing with a 17–13 record and receiving an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament.


text: Following the expansion of the NCAA tournament to 64 teams in 1985, Heathcote returned the Spartans, led by the future MSU all-time scoring leader, Scott Skiles, to the Tournament with a fifth-place finish in the Big Ten. MSU again reached the NCAA tournament the following year after finishing third in the Big Ten with a 23–8 record. Led by Skiles and Darryl Johnson, they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before losing.


text: Heathcote returned MSU to postseason play in 1989, led by Steve Smith, losing the third-place game of the NIT. Smith returned the Spartans to the NCAA tournament in 1990 as a No. 1 seed. The Spartans narrowly avoided losing to No. 16-seeded Murray State, needing overtime to advance to the second round. They again narrowly advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Georgia Tech in overtime. The Spartans also made an appearance in the 1991 NCAA tournament. The Spartans finished in third place in Big Ten play and received an at-large bid as a No. 5 seed to the Tournament where they beat Green Bay on a buzzer beater by Smith. In the second round, they lost to No. 10 Utah in double overtime.


text: The Spartans made their third straight trip to the NCAA tournament in 1992. Another third-place finish in Big Ten play resulted in an at-large bid as a No. 5 seed to the NCAA tournament. There they beat Missouri State before losing to Cincinnati in the second round in a rematch of an earlier Spartan win.


text: A trip to the NIT in 1993 broke the NCAA tournament streak, but Heathcote again led MSU to the NCAA tournament in 1994. A fourth-place finish the Big Ten led to an at-large bid to the Tournament as a No. 7 seed. Led by Shawn Respert, they beat Seton Hall in the first round before losing to second-seeded Duke in the second round.


text: In his final year at MSU in 1995, Heathcote returned the Spartans to the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in six years. A second-place finish in Big Ten play resulted in an at-large bid to the Tournament as a No. 3 seed where they were surprised by No. 14-seeded Weber State in the first round. The game marked the final game of All-American Shawn Respert's career at MSU.


text: Heathcote stepped down in 1995 after 19 seasons at Michigan State. He finished with nine NCAA appearances, three Big Ten championships and three NIT appearances. He hand-picked his successor, Tom Izzo. “I had to orchestrate the hiring of Tom through (trustees) Bob Weiss and Joel Ferguson and the president (Peter McPherson) because most people wanted to open it up and see who would apply. And then some wanted a black coach,” Heathcote said in 2014. "But I felt Tom deserved the job because he'd been there 12 years, and he'd gotten better in the job every single year. Tom was a tireless worker and had a passion for the game. So that combination, in my mind, I knew he was going to be a good coach."


text: In 2001, the National Association of Basketball Coaches awarded him with the Golden Anniversary Award for 50 years of service to college basketball. Also, in 2001, he was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2009, Heathcote was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.


text: Michigan State struggled after losing All-American Shawn Respert. The Spartans finished the season at .500 (16–16, 9–9) and in a tie for seventh place in the Big Ten. MSU received an invitation to the NIT where they defeated Washington before losing to Fresno State in the second round. The season marked the last time MSU did not finish with a winning record.


text: In 1997, the Spartans welcomed new recruits Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson to East Lansing. Along with sophomore Antonio Smith, the three made up three-fourths of Izzo's "Flintstones" who would win the National Championship in 2000 (without Smith). In what would be a rarity for MSU in Izzo's tenure, the Spartans played no ranked teams in the non-conference season. The Spartans finished in a tie for sixth place in the conference with a record of 16–11 overall and 9–9 in conference. They received an invitation to the NIT for the second consecutive year. MSU beat George Washington in the first round and lost in the second round to Florida State. As of 2022, this is the last year MSU failed to make the NCAA tournament.


text: In 1998, MSU welcomed freshman recruit Charlie Bell, the fourth of Izzo's "Flintstones" and started slow. They lost to No. 7 Temple, and suffered surprising losses to UIC and Detroit in non-conference. However, MSU won nine of their first 10 conference games before losing to eventual conference co-champion Illinois. In January, MSU entered the AP and Coaches rankings for the first time since the end of the 1994–95 season. The Spartans finished in a tie for the conference championship, their first since 1990, with a record of 13–3 in conference play. Mateen Cleaves was named Big Ten Player of the Year. The Spartans earned the No. 1 seed in the inaugural Big Ten tournament, but lost their first game in the quarterfinals to Minnesota. Izzo's team received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed in the East Region, their first trip to the Tournament since 1995. MSU advanced to their first Sweet Sixteen since 1990 by beating Eastern Michigan and No. 8 Princeton. The Spartans were eliminated from the Tournament by No. 1 North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen.


text: As the 1998–99 season began, Izzo began his willingness to play anyone anywhere mantra as the Spartans played three top seven teams in their first seven games. However, MSU lost all three. MSU would recover and, after losing their first Big Ten game to No. 24 Wisconsin, the Spartans won the remaining 15 games in conference and won the Big Ten conference regular season by six games with a record of 15–1, their second consecutive Big Ten title. For the second consecutive year, Mateen Cleaves was named Big Ten Player of the Year. The Spartans won the Big Ten tournament and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region and ranked No. 2 in the country, MSU defeated Mount St. Mary's, and Mississippi to advance to their second straight Sweet Sixteen. A win over Oklahoma and Kentucky led MSU to the Final Four for the first time since 1979. However, MSU fell short in their bid for an NCAA championship, losing to Duke in the Final Four.


text: In 1999–2000. Seniors Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson led the way for the Spartans as they began the season ranked No. 3 in the country. However, Cleaves sustained a stress fracture in his right foot prior to the season which forced him to miss the non-conference schedule and MSU fell to 9–4 and ranked No. 11 in the country. After Cleaves' return, MSU finished the Big Ten regular season with a 13–3 conference record and 23–7 overall while being ranked No. 2 in the country and earned a share of the Big Ten title, their third consecutive Big Ten championship. Peterson was named Big Ten Player of the Year, the third consecutive year a Spartan had received the award. The Spartans went on to win the third annual Big Ten tournament as the No. 2 seed, defeating No. 25 Illinois for the championship for the second consecutive year. The Spartans were awarded the No. 1 seed, their second consecutive No. 1 seed, in the Midwest Region of the NCAA tournament. From there, the Spartans cruised to their third consecutive Sweet Sixteen with wins over Valparaiso, and Utah. MSU continued their National Championship push by reaching their second consecutive Final Four with wins over Syracuse and Iowa State. MSU won every game by double digits despite playing the best possible seed in each round. In their Final Four matchup, Michigan State faced off against fellow Big Ten foe, Wisconsin, beating them in a hard-fought game, 53–41. In the National Championship game, the Spartans triumphed over the Florida Gators 89–76, despite losing Cleaves to an ankle injury 3:42 into the second half. The win marked MSU's second National Championship in basketball and Izzo's first and only championship to date.


text: Losing both Cleaves and Peterson to graduation following the season, MSU still began the 2000–01 season ranked No. 3 in the country. Led by sophomore Jason Richardson, freshmen Zach Randolph, and seniors Charlie Bell and Andre Hutson, the Spartans finished the non-conference schedule undefeated and ranked No.1 in the country. MSU again earned a share the Big Ten title, their fourth consecutive, with a 13–3 conference record. They suffered a surprise defeat by Penn State in the Big Ten tournament in their attempt to win the tournament for the third consecutive year. They received their third consecutive No. 1 seed, in the South Region of the NCAA tournament. Seeking a repeat National Championship, MSU easily dispatched Alabama State and Fresno State to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth consecutive year. A win over Gonzaga and Temple led to the school's third straight trip to the Final Four. However, they were unable to repeat as National Champions, losing to Arizona in the National Semifinal. Following the season, Randolph and Richardson each left school early and declared for the NBA draft.


text: As a result of Randolph and Richardson's early departure, MSU struggled with Izzo's tough non-conference schedule in 2002. The Spartans lost four games, all to teams ranked in the top 25 and started the Big ten season with three straight losses. The loss to Wisconsin snapped MSU's 53-game home winning streak. Michigan State finished the conference schedule at 10–6 and in fourth place with an overall record of 19–10. MSU lost in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament to No. 23 Indiana marking the first time since 1997 that Michigan State did not win either the Big Ten regular season or tournament title. The Spartans received an at-large bid as a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament and were eliminated in the first round by NC State.


text: Following the disappointment of an early NCAA tournament exit, the first time Izzo's squads had not won at least one game in the NCAA tournament, the 2002–03 team played another tough non-conference schedule. This time the Spartans faced three ranked teams, only losing one. However, they suffered four losses and finished the non-conference schedule at 8–4 and ranked No. 25 in the country. MSU began the Big Ten regular season losing four of their first six games and fell out of the rankings. The Spartans finished in a tie for third place in the Big Ten at 10–6 in conference and 18–11 overall. Michigan State beat Purdue in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, but fell to Ohio State in the semifinals. The Spartans received a bid to the NCAA tournament for the sixth consecutive year. MSU received a No. 7 seed in the South Region. A win over Colorado in the first round was followed by a rout of No. 10 Florida to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth time in six years. The Spartans defeated No. 17 Maryland to advance to the Elite Eight for the fourth time in five years. However, MSU fell to No. 5 Texas in the Regional Final.


text: In 2004, Izzo looked to continue his dominant NCAA run. However, Izzo's penchant for tough scheduling hurt his team as they faced a murderer's row of a schedule which included three straight losses to No. 6 Duke, in overtime, to No. 14 Oklahoma at the Palace of Auburn Hills, and to No. 8 Kentucky at Ford Field in the Basketbowl. The Spartans followed this losing streak by losing two of their final four non-conference games including at No. 17 Syracuse and dropped out of the rankings. They finished the non-conference slate at 5–6. After a loss to open Big Ten play to No. 21 Wisconsin, the Spartans recovered to win seven of their next eight and six of their last seven Big Ten games. They finished in a tie for second place in the Big Ten at 12–4 and 17–10 overall. A win over Northwestern in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals was followed by a third loss of the season to No. 17 Wisconsin. The Spartans received a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, reaching the tournament for the seventh consecutive year. But, for the second time in three years, the Spartans were knocked out in the first round, this time by Nevada.


text: In 2005, the Spartans again looked to rebound from a disappointing early NCAA tournament exit. They started the season 3–2, but cruised through the Big Ten, only losing three games, including a loss to No. 1 Illinois and finished second in conference to Illinois. MSU finished the regular season with a 13–3 conference record and 22–5 overall while being ranked No. 13 in the country. The Spartans lost in the quarterfinals in the Big Ten tournament to Iowa. Michigan State received an at-large bid as a No. 5 seed in the Austin Regional of the NCAA tournament, their eighth straight appearance in the Tournament under Tom Izzo. Wins over Old Dominion and Vermont led the Spartans to the Sweet Sixteen for the sixth time in eight years. In the Sweet Sixteen, the Spartans beat No. 3-ranked and No. 1-seeded Duke, which MSU had not defeated since 1958. The win marked Izzo's first win over Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (as of 2017). A double overtime victory over Kentucky sent the Spartans to their fourth Final Four in seven seasons. MSU would again fall in the Final Four, this time to No. 2-ranked and No. 1-seeded North Carolina.


text: The 2005–06 Spartans opened the season with a loss to Hawaii before losing to No. 8 Gonzaga led by Adam Morrison in triple overtime in the Maui Classic. Despite this, MSU ended the non-conference schedule at 12–2 and ranked No. 7 in the country. Early Big Ten losses followed by late season losses in conference left the Spartans 8–8 in the Big Ten. In the Big Ten tournament, MSU defeated Purdue and No. 9 Illinois before being defeated by No. 20 Iowa in the semifinals. The Spartans received an at-large bid as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament, their ninth consecutive trip to the Tournament. In the Tournament, they lost to eventual Final Four Cinderella, George Mason, in the first round. Following the season, Shannon Brown declared for the NBA draft, leaving the Spartans one year prior to graduation, just the fourth player under Izzo to declare early.


text: The 2006–07 Spartans began the season 13–2, but were not ranked in the polls. A roller coaster Big Ten season resulted in MSU finishing 8–8 with a win against No. 1 Wisconsin which likely assured the Spartans a trip to the NCAA tournament. MSU lost to Wisconsin after beating Northwestern in the Big Ten tournament. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament for the 10th consecutive year and beat Marquette, coached by former Izzo assistant Tom Crean, in the first round of the Tournament. A loss to No. 3 North Carolina in the second round ended the season.


text: In 2008, MSU finished the non-conference schedule 12–1 and ranked No. 6 in the country with wins over No. 24 NC State, No. 20 BYU, and No. 4 Texas. A hot start to the Big Ten schedule, winning six of seven, was followed by four losses in their next seven which left them in fourth place in the Big Ten with a record of 12–6. As the No. 4 seed tn the Big Ten tournament, they beat Ohio State before losing to No. 8 Wisconsin. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament to mark their 11th consecutive trip to the Tournament under Tom Izzo. As a No. 5 seed, the Spartans beat Temple, and Pittsburgh to move on to the Sweet Sixteen for the seventh time in 11 years. A rout by a Derrick Rose-led Memphis ended the season.


text: By the beginning of the 2008–09 season, Izzo's teams, though having great success in the NCAA tournament, had not won the Big Ten regular season title since 2001. A solid non-conference start left them at 9–2 and were ranked No. 10 in the country. MSU routed the Big Ten, winning their first five conference games, their best start in conference since 1978. MSU finished the conference season well, winning the Big Ten championship by four games with a 15–3 record, 25–5 overall, and ranked No. 7 in the country. Following the conclusion of the regular season, Kalin Lucas was named Big Ten Player of the Year and Tom Izzo was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year. As the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament, the Spartans defeated Minnesota. However, Michigan State's hopes for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament likely vanished as they were defeated by Ohio State, 82–70. Michigan State received an at-large bid as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA tournament, their 12th straight appearance in the Tournament. With wins over Robert Morris and USC, the Spartans were able to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, the school's eighth trip to the Sweet Sixteen in the previous 12 years. MSU advanced to the Elite Eight with a win over No. 14-ranked and No. 3-seeded Kansas. In the Elite Eight, the Spartans defeated Louisville to advance to Final Four in nearby Detroit, only 90 miles from MSU's campus. The Spartans defeated UConn in the national semifinals to earn their third-ever trip to the National Championship game. With Izzo 1–0 in championship games and the Spartans 2–0 all-time, North Carolina scored more points than any team had ever scored in the first half of an NCAA championship game, scoring 55 and blowing out the Spartans 89–72, marking the Spartans first ever loss in the National Championship game.


text: In 2010, the Spartans finished the non-conference schedule at 10–3. The Spartans began the Big Ten season on fire, winning their first nine games and went on to earn a share of the Big Ten championship with a 14–4 and ranked 11th in the country. As the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they were defeated in overtime by No. 6 seed Minnesota in the quarterfinals. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, their 13th straight appearance, earning a No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region. A win over New Mexico State and Maryland led MSU to the Sweet Sixteen for the ninth time in 13 years. However, Kalin Lucas suffered a serious knee injury and would miss the remainder of the Tournament. MSU did not seem to miss him and would go on to beat Northern Iowa and Tennessee to advance to their second consecutive Final Four and sixth in the prior 12 years. In the National semifinal, they were defeated by Butler by two points.


text: The 2010–11 Spartans. let by senior Kalin Lucas, finished the non-conference portion of their season 8–4 and ranked No. 20 in the country. However, the Spartans were inconsistent in conference play, suffering nine losses and finishing 9–9 in conference and in danger of missing the NCAA tournament. After beating Iowa and blowing out No. 9 Purdue in the Big Ten tournament, the Spartans fell to Penn State in the semifinals. The blowout win over Purdue likely ensured the Spartans inclusion in the NCAA tournament. Michigan State received a No. 10 seed in the Southeast Region of the NCAA tournament, their 14th straight appearance, but the lowest seeding the Spartans had received in the NCAA tournament since 2002. MSU fell behind early to UCLA in the second round (formerly known as the first round) and made a furious rally, but fell short, losing by two points. The loss marked only the fourth time MSU failed to win a game in their 14 trips to the NCAA tournament under Tom Izzo.


text: The 2011–12 Spartans, led by senior Draymond Green, started the season 0–2. However, MSU won the next 15 games in a row to jump into the top ten in the polls. A loss in the regular season finale at home to No. 10 Ohio State meant the Spartans shared the Big Ten regular season championship with Ohio State and Michigan, all of which finished the Big Ten season with a 13–5 conference record. In that loss to Ohio State, key freshman reserve, Branden Dawson, tore his ACL, ending his season. As the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament, The Spartans beat Iowa, No. 14 Wisconsin, and No. 7 Ohio State to win the tournament championship, their first tournament championship since 2000. Draymond Green earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors, the fifth time a player had done so under Tom Izzo. Izzo was also named Big Ten Coach of the Year. MSU received a No. 1 seed in the West Region of the NCAA tournament, where they beat LIU–Brooklyn in the first round behind Green's triple-double. The Spartans overcame Saint Louis in the second round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. This marked the 10th time in 15 seasons that the Spartans advanced to at least the Sweet Sixteen. The Spartans, missing Dawson and struggling offensively, became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the Tournament, falling to No. 17 and No. 4-seeded Louisville.


text: MSU began the 2012–13 season 11–2 and ranked No. 18 in the country with wins over No. 7 Kansas and Texas and were led by junior Keith Appling and freshman Gary Harris. The Spartans remained ranked the entire year while finishing tied for second in the Big Ten with Ohio State, with a 13–5 conference record and ranked No. 10 in the country. As the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they beat Iowa in the quarterfinals, but fell to eventual tournament champion, Ohio State, in the semifinals. The Spartans received a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, their 16th straight appearance in the tournament. MSU defeated Valparaiso and Memphis to advance to their fifth Sweet Sixteen in six years and their 11th trip in 16 years. However, the Spartans were defeated by Duke, who was led by Seth Curry, in the Sweet Sixteen.


text: Michigan State began the 2013–14 season looking to continue Tom Izzo's Final Four streak: every player who had played four years for Izzo had made at least one Final Four. After beating No. 1 Kentucky in the Champions Classic, the Spartans moved to the No. 1 spot in the country. The Spartans held the No. 1 spot for three weeks before losing to North Carolina in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The Spartans cruised through the remaining non-conference schedule, finishing 11–1, to begin the Big Ten season ranked No. 5 in the country. The Spartans won their first seven conference games, but due to injuries to Keith Appling, Adriean Payne, and Brendan Dawson, MSU lost five of their last eight conference games to finish in a second-place tie with Wisconsin at 12–6. The Spartans, finally healthy and at full strength, beat Northwestern, No. 12 Wisconsin, and No. 8 Michigan to capture the Big Ten tournament championship. This marked Michigan State's fourth tournament championship. Michigan State earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament's East Region. With wins against Delaware and Harvard, they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the third straight year and the 12th time in 17 years. They defeated No. 1-seeded Virginia in the Sweet Sixteen to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2010. There they fell to No. 7 seed and eventual National Champion, Connecticut. With the loss, the Tom Izzo's Final Four streak ended. Shortly after the season, Gary Harris declared for the NBA draft.


text: In 2015, MSU started the season well, but with a shocking loss to Texas Southern at home in overtime, finished the non-conference season at 9–4 MSU rallied late in the Big Ten season, winning six of their last eight conference games. MSU finished the season in a tie for third place in conference and got hot in the Big Ten tournament beating Ohio State and No. 8 Maryland, before losing to No. 6 Wisconsin for the tournament title. The Spartans received an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament as a No. 7 seed in the East Region. The bid was MSU's 18th straight trip to the NCAA tournament. MSU beat Georgia in the second round and surprised No. 2-seeded and No. 6-ranked Virginia in the Third Round. With the win, the Spartans advanced to their fourth straight Sweet Sixteen and seventh Sweet Sixteen in eight years. Wins over Oklahoma and Louisville in overtime gave MSU a trip to their seventh Final Four under Tom Izzo. In the Final Four, the Spartans fell to the eventual National Champions for the second straight season, losing a rematch of their Champions Classic game to Duke in the National semifinal.


text: With senior Denzel Valentine leading the 2015–16 Spartans, MSU went undefeated in the non-conference with the school's best start in history and moved to No. 1 in the polls. However, Valentine suffered a knee injury in late December and would miss four games as MSU lost its first game of the season in Big Ten play and fell from the top spot in the polls. Upon Valentine's return, MSU continued to struggle, losing four of their first seven conference games and marking their worst conference start since 2003. The Spartans recovered well, losing only one more conference game and finished 13–5 in conference, good enough for second place in the Big Ten. MSU's 26 regular season wins tied the most for a Michigan State team in the regular season. Following the regular season, "USA Today" named Valentine National Player of the Year. The Big Ten also announced that Valentine was the Big Ten's Player of the Year. As the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament, MSU defeated Ohio State for a third time on the season before dispatching Maryland and Purdue to win the tournament championship. With the win, MSU set the record for most Big Ten tournament championships with five (Ohio State has also won five, but one has been vacated due to NCAA violations). MSU, ranked No. 2 in the country, learned that it would not receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, instead receiving a No. 2 seed in the Midwest bracket. This marked the 19th consecutive year the Spartans made the NCAA tournament. Despite receiving the No. 2 seed, MSU was considered by some the favorite to with the NCAA Championship. However, MSU was shocked by No. 15-seeded Middle Tennessee in the first round in what some argued was the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history at the time.