Michigan State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Faces Illinois In Super Bowl Sunday Showdown
1/29/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2000
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#9/8 MICHIGAN STATE (14-5, 5-1 BIG TEN)
vs. Illinois (11-6, 3-3 BIG TEN)Jan. 30, 2000 - 1:00 p.m. ESTEast Lansing
Note Of The Night
The Breslin Advantage Approaches A Record - MSU has won 22 consecutive games in the Breslin Center, a record at the 10-year facility. With a win against Illinois, the Spartans could tie the school record for consecutive home wins, set in the early 1930's (Jan. 4, 1930 - Jan. 8, 1932) and again in the mid 1960's (Dec. 20, 1965 - Jan. 20, 1968). Under Coach Izzo, the Spartans have amassed a 56-12 home record. Since the facility opened in 1989, MSU has posted a record of 131-27 (.829) (60-7 vs. non-conference opponents and 71-20 vs. conference foes). The 22-game streak is also the fifth-longest current streak in Division I.
Three More Notes No Media Person Should Be Without
1. Back Before Color TV- Thursday night, Michigan State's defense held Northwestern to seven field goals and 29 total points. To find similar numbers in the record book, it's necessary to go back a half century. The last time MSU held an opponent to only seven field goals was its inaugural year in the Big Ten when Wisconsin won 35-29 on Feb. 24, 1951. The 29 points scored by Northwestern were the fewest ever by a Big Ten opponent. The Spartans last held an opponent under 30 points when they defeated Mississippi State, 74-28, on Dec. 29, 1948.
2. Fighting The Illini - Michigan State and Illinois meet for the only time this season on Super Bowl Sunday. Illinois leads the all-time series 45-43, although MSU has won the last three games. The Spartans own a 28-15 advantage in East Lansing.
3. Shooting For 70 - When Michigan State scores 70 points, chances are, it is going to win. The Spartans are 9-1 this season when scoring 70 points or more, with the only loss coming to Texas (81-74). Conversely, MSU is only 5-4 when failing to reach the 70-point mark.
Probable StartersMichigan State (14-5, 5-1) Ppg. Rpg. Apg.F - #42 Morris Peterson (Sr., 6-7, 215) 16.6 6.0 1.3F - #25 Aloysius Anagonye (Fr., 6-8, 250) 3.6 3.4 0.4F - #34 Andre Hutson (Jr., 6-8,, 240) 10.7 6.4 1.5G - #14 Charlie Bell (Jr., 6-3, 195) 12.0 4.6 3.5G - #12 Mateen Cleaves (Sr., 6-2, 205) 7.5 1.3 6.5
Illinois (11-6, 3-3) Ppg. Rpg. Apg.F - #21 Robert Archibald (So., 6-11, 228)5.1 4.9 0.8F - #34 Brian Cook (Fr., 6-10, 231) 7.4 3.4 0.6G - #40 Sergio McClain (Jr., 6-4, 222) 6.7 3.9 2.2G - #30 Frank Williams (Fr., 6-3, 197) 11.9 3.3 3.0G - #13 Cory Bradford (So., 6-3, 200) 15.9 2.6 1.8
MSU - ILL Stat ComparisonsCategory MSU (Big Ten) ILL (Big Ten)Scoring Offense 72.3 (70.5) 79.2 (75.3)Scoring Defense 58.2 (56.5) 66.5 (73.0)Scoring Margin +14.1 (+14.0) +12.7 (+2.3)Field Goal Pct. .461 (.450) .446 (.441)Field Goal Pct. Defense .393 (.364) .394 (.410)3Pt. FG Pct. .365 (.281) .364 (.297)Free Throw Pct. .718 (.748) .668 (.659)Rebound Margin +13.2 (+14.8) +0.9 (-0.7)Turnovers per game 16.4 (17.5) 14.7 (14.2)
Coach Izzo - In his fifth year, Tom Izzo is 102-46 (.689), 51-23 (.689) in the Big Ten, as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. In 1999, Izzo was named national coach of the year by Basketball Times, while earning similar honors from Associated Press, Basketball News and the USBWA in '98. Izzo is 6-3 in his career against Illinois. With the win over Indiana, Izzo became only the fourth Spartan coach to reach the 100-win mark.
Much Too Young To Feel This Old - Although just in his fifth year, Tom Izzo is currently tied for the third-longest coaching tenure in the Big Ten, trailing only Indiana's Bob Knight (entering his 29th season) and Purdue's Gene Keady (20th). Penn State's Jerry Dunn and Wisconsin's Dick Bennett are also in their fifth year.
Fast Starts - Michigan State has outscored its opponents 696-487 in the first half this season, for an average halftime score of 36.6-25.6. By comparison, the Spartans are outscoring opponents in the second half by a total of only 54 points, an average of 34.9-32.1.
It's All About Boardwork - In the most recent NCAA statistics (Jan. 24), MSU's rebounding margin of 12.8 ranked first in the nation. Michigan State has outrebounded 17 opponents and is yet to be outrebounded. Through 19 games, MSU has a rebound advantage of 760 (40.0) - 509 (26.8).
In Fact, It's So Much About Boardwork That We Provide More Stats - *In the Spartans' 14 victories, MSU is outrebounding opponents 589-343, an average of 42.1-24.5.
*In the five losses the count is 171-156, an average of 34.2-31.2.
*The Spartans have a rebound advantage of 41.8-27.0 in conference games.
*MSU owns a rebounding advantage of 43.3-22.5 at home.
*MSU owns a rebounding advantage of 37.6-29.9 away from East Lansing.
*In Tom Izzo's tenure, MSU has outrebounded 122 of 148 opponents, posting a 92-30 record in those games.
Mo Pete Loves The Big Ten - Morris Peterson was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the week ending Jan. 9. In two games against Penn State and Iowa, Peterson averaged 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 70% from the field. Last week, he recorded a double-double against Ohio State with a team high 20 points and 11 rebounds. Peterson's 18.0 ppg in conference action ranks 4th in the Big Ten while his 49.3 field goal percentage ranks 6th.
Getting Defensive - While the offense attracts a lot of attention, the secret to MSU's success lies on the defensive end of the floor. Through 19 games, Spartan opponents are averaging 58.2 ppg with a field-goal percentage of 39.3 (31.2% from three-point range).
Lending A Helping Hand - With eight assists against Indiana, Mateen Cleaves (676 career assists) passed Scott Skiles to become the all-time MSU assist leader. Cleaves now needs 15 assists to move past Purdue's Bruce Parkinson into third place on the Big Ten career chart. Illinois' Bruce Douglas holds the Big Ten career record with 765 assists. (See page 4 of the MSU Basketball Notes.)
Block Party - Junior forward Andre Hutson currently ranks eighth on MSU's career blocked shots list with 53 rejections. In 1998-99, Hutson shared the team lead of 22 blocks with Morris Peterson. If Hutson continues on his current pace, he will threaten Matt Steigenga's record of 97 rejections.
Moving On Up - Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson are currently ranked among the top-21 scorers in MSU history. Cleaves (1,271 points), ranked 14th, could move past Quinton Brooks into 13th place with 5 points. Peterson (1,246), ranked 15th, is quickly gaining ground on Cleaves. (See page 4 of the MSU Basketball Notes for a complete list.)
Battle Of The Benches - Much of Michigan State's success can be attributed to its bench production. Through 19 games, Spartan reserves are outscoring their counterparts by a 379-277 margin. There is, however, some room for concern as the Spartan bench has been outscored in three of the last seven games, including 24-6 against Ohio State.
Big Ten Favorites - The Big Ten Conference preseason picks were announced on Sunday, Oct. 31 at the Big Ten Basketball Media Day in Chicago. Michigan State will enter the upcoming season with a target on its back, having been selected by both the conference coaches and media as the favorite to win the school's third-consecutive Big Ten Title. The Spartans received seven of 11 first-place votes from the coaches and 79 of 93 from the media. Ohio State and Illinois are second and third, respectively in both polls.
Drive For Three, Part One - If the Spartans live up to the preseason expectations, they will capture their third-consecutive conference crown for the first time in school history. Only six schools in Big Ten history have won three consecutive regular season championships (Chicago 1907-10, Wisconsin 1912-14, Purdue 1934-36 & 1994-96, Ohio State 1960-64, Michigan 1964-66, Indiana 1973-76).
Role Reversal - The Big Ten Preseason Players of the Year were also announced at Big Ten Basketball Media Day. Two-time Big Ten Player of the Year Mateen Cleaves was selected by the media as their preseason choice for Player of the Year. Ohio State point guard Scoonie Penn was awarded similar accolades from the conference coaches. Ironically, Cleaves was awarded Player of the Year honors by the coaches last year, while Penn was the media's selection.
Drive For Three, Part Two - Should Mateen Cleaves garner his third-consecutive player of the year honors, he will become only the second player in Big Ten history to earn player of the year honors three years in a row. Since the Big Ten Chicago Tribune Most Valuable Player Award was first given out in 1946, only Ohio State's Jerry Lucas (1960-62) has taken home the hardware three straight years. In fact, Cleaves is only the seventh player to win the award twice.
To Be The Best, You Have To Play The Best -- Seven of Michigan State's 1999-2000 opponents are ranked in the ESPN/USA Today poll, including Arizona (4), Connecticut (6), Ohio State (10), Kansas (11), Indiana (12), Texas (14), and Kentucky (18).
Share The Wealth - Last season, five Spartans averaged at least 7.8 points per game, led by Morris Peterson's 13.6 average. In fact, seven different players led the team in scoring at least once during the season. The trend appears to be continuing this year as five different Spartans (Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell, Jason Richardson, Andre Hutson and A.J. Granger) have led the team through the first 19 games.
Spartans On TV -- Michigan State will appear on television 25 times during the regular season. At least 16 of the 25 games will be nationally televised, with nine on ESPN, four on CBS and three on ESPN2.
Wizards Of Westwood - On Dec. 30, 1999, Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson were named to the Mid-Season Top 30 candidates for the All-American Team and John Wooden Award. The list actually includes 33 names as Cleaves, Utah's Hanno Mattola and Stanford's Mark Madsen, who because of injury missed the minimum game requirements, were added to the list of 30 candidates.
Future Spartans - Michigan State announced the signing of two members of the class of 2004 on November 10. Marcus Taylor (G, 6-3, 190, Lansing, Mich./Waverly) is ranked as the number three player overall and number one point guard by Bob Gibbons. Zach Randolph (F, 6-9, 260, Marion, Ind./Marion) is the fifth-ranked senior in the nation according to Gibbons.
Izzo On The Radio - The Tom Izzo Show can be heard Monday nights from 7-8 p.m. The show is broadcast from Trippers (354 Frandor) in Lansing and is broadcast by the Spartan Radio Network. Locally, the Tom Izzo Show can be heard on flagship WJIM (AM 1240).
Big Ten Career AssistsNo. Player Assists1. Bruce Douglas (ILL) 7652. Gary Grant (MICH) 7313. Bruce Parkinson (PUR) 6904. Mateen Cleaves (MSU) 6765. Scott Skiles (MSU) 645
MSU Career AssistsNo. Player Assists1. Mateen Cleaves 6762. Scott Skiles 6453. Eric Snow 5994. Mark Montgomery 5615. Earvin Johnson 491
MSU Career 3-Pt. Field GoalsNo. Player 3FGs1. Shawn Respert 3312. Kirk Manns 2123. Jason Klein 1524. Steve Smith 1475. Mateen Cleaves 1136. Morris Peterson 1017. Ray Weathers 998. Kris Weshinskey 97
MSU Career StealsNo. Player Steals1. Scott Skiles 1752. Mark Montgomery 1683. Mateen Cleaves 166
MSU Career ScoringNo. Player Points1. Shawn Respert 2,5312. Steve Smith 2,2633. Scott Skiles 2,1454. Greg Kelser 2,0145. Jay Vincent 1,9146. Sam Vincent 1,8517. Terry Furlow 1,7778. Mike Robinson 1,7179. Darryl Johnson 1,38310. Bob Chapman 1,38211. Julius McCoy 1,37712. Matt Steigenga 1,29613. Quinton Brooks 1,27514. Mateen Cleaves 1,27115. Morris Peterson 1,24616. Stan Washington 1,242T17. Kirk Manns 1,212T17. Ken Redfield 1,21219. Mike Peplowski 1,18520. Lee Lafayette 1,176
MSU'S RECORD WHEN:At home: 8-0On road: 3-4Neutral: 3-1Leading at the half: 14-3Trailing at the half: 0-2Tied at halftime: 0-0
Shoot 50% or above from field: 4-0Shoot less than 50% from field: 10-5Opp. shoots 50% or above: 0-2Opp. shoots less than 50%: 14-3MSU outshoots opp.: 12-1Opp. outshoots MSU: 2-4Both teams shoot same from floor: 0-0
MSU outrebounds opp.: 13-4Opp. outrebounds MSU: 0-0Rebounds are equal: 1-1
MSU has more turnovers: 6-2Opp. has more turnovers: 4-2Turnovers are equal: 4-1
Game decided by 1-5 pts: 1-2Game decided by 6-10 pts: 2-1Game decided by 11-15 pts: 2-2Game decided by 16+ pts: 9-0
MSU scores less than 60 pts: 2-2MSU scores 60-69 pts: 3-2MSU scores 70-79 pts: 5-1MSU scores 80+ pts: 4-0
MSU allows less than 60 pts: 10-1MSU allows 60-69 pts: 2-1MSU allows 70-79 pts: 2-2MSU allows 80+ pts: 0-1
MSU in overtime: 1-0
EVEN MORE STATSLargest halftime lead: 30 vs. MVSULargest halftime deficit: 9 vs. Ohio St.MSU FG% at home: 49.3%MSU FT% at home: 73.5%MSU 3PT% at home: 37.0%MSU FG% on the road/neutral: 43.7%MSU FT% on the road/neutral: 70.3%MSU 3PT% on the road/neutral: 36.2%MSU point avg. at home: 78.9MSU point avg. on road/neutral: -- 67.5
Largest deficit overcome to win: -- 7 vs. Indiana (51-58)Largest lead surrendered in a loss: --15vs. Texas (38-23) and Kentucky (26-11)
