Michigan State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Opens Season With Oakland
11/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2000
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#3/5 MICHIGAN STATE BASKETBALL (0-0)
vs. Oakland Golden Grizzlies (1-0)
November 19, 2000
2:00 p.m. EST - East Lansing
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Note Of The Game
Winning Streaks - While Michigan State opens the regular season with a nation's best 11-game winning streak, Oakland owns the country's second-longest streak at seven games after defeating Michigan, 97-90, in the season opener at home on Friday night.
Four More Notes No Media Person Should Be Without
1. For Openers - The Oakland contest marks the open of the 102nd season in Michigan State basketball history. MSU is 80-21 all-time in openers, including 23-straight wins in openers. The last loss in a season opener came on Nov. 29, 1976, when the Spartans fell to Central Michigan, 81-76. Tom Izzo has won his five season openers by an average of 28.0 points.
2. For Openers, Part II - Michigan State is 83-18 in home openers. The Spartans last lost a home opener on Dec. 4, 1976, falling to Western Michigan, 74-73. Overall, they are 69-11 in season openers at home. The Spartans last lost a season opener at home Dec. 1, 1970, to Northern Illinois, 76-75.
3. Streak Busters - With a 72-68 win over the Harlem Globetrotters on Monday night, the Spartans snapped the Globetrotters' 1,270-game winning streak. The Trotters had not lost since 1995 and had not dropped a game to a college squad since 1962 when they lost, 101-89, to a group of college all-stars.
4. Home Cooking - Michigan State enters the 2000-01 season with a 28-game home winning streak. It marks the second-longest active streak in the nation behind only Utah's 53-straight wins. In 1999-2000, the Spartans won their 14 home games by an average of 25 points. The 16 games at the Breslin Center this season mark the most regular-season home games for Michigan State since the 1996-97 season.
Probable Starters - Last Game StatsMichigan State Spartans Pts. Reb. Ast.F - #34 Andre Hutson (Sr., 6-8, 245) 10 5 1F - #25 Aloysius Anagonye (So., 6-8, 255)6 3 1 (vs. NMU)F - #23 Jason Richardson (So., 6-6, 220)10 12 1G - #14 Charlie Bell (Sr., 6-3, 200) 21 5 6G - #11 David Thomas (Sr., 6-7, 210) 2 2 0or #20 Mike Chappell (Sr., 6-9, 220) 2 3 0
Oakland Golden Grizzlies Pts. Reb. Ast.F - #3 Kelly Williams (Fr., 6-5, 185) 18 7 1F - #25 Dan Champagne (Jr., 6-7, 220) 10 4 0G - #21 Jason Rozycki (Jr. 6-4, 190) 32 5 8G - #2 Mychal Covington (Jr., 6-4, 175) 5 3 8G - #34 Brad Buddenborg (Jr., 6-5, 210) 22 2 4
Coach Izzo - In his sixth year, Tom Izzo is 120-48 (.714), 59-25 (.702) 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. With MSU's 77-71 overtime win over Indiana on Jan. 11, 2000, Izzo became just the fourth Spartan coach to reach the 100-win mark. Izzo's 120 wins are tied for seventh most by a coach in his first five seasons of coaching.
Much Too Young To Feel This Old - Although just in his sixth year, Tom Izzo is currently tied for the second-longest coaching tenure in the Big Ten, trailing only Purdue's Gene Keady (21st year). Penn State's Jerry Dunn and Wisconsin's Dick Bennett are also in their sixth year.
Thirty-Something x 2 - Michigan State is the only school in the nation to record 30 or more victories in each of the past two seasons, posting a 33-5 mark in 1998-99 and 32-7 record in 1999-2000.
Thirty Something x 2 (Take Two) - MSU is just the second school in Big Ten history to record 30 or more wins in consecutive seasons. Indiana did it in 1974-75 and 1975-76. The 65 Spartan wins over the past two years are the most ever by a Big Ten school in a two-year period.
Oakland Golden Grizzlies Notes
TALE OF THE TAPE - MSU/OU STAT BREAKDOWNS (99-00 STATS)Category MSU OUScoring Offense 74.1 72.1Scoring Defense 58.9 75.1Scoring Margin +15.1 -3.0Field Goal Pct. 47.4% 40.9%Field Goal Pct. Defense 39.4% 45.6%3Pt. FG Pct. 37.8% 33.7%Free Throw Pct. 73.5% 74.3%Rebound Margin +11.7 -5.5Turnovers per game 14.6 16.2
Bear Hunting - Michigan State leads the series with Oakland by a 2-0 count. The first meeting between the schools came Nov. 17, 1998 when MSU defeated Oakland, 96-66, as the Golden Grizzlies opened their new home court, the Athletics Center `O'rena.
When Last We Met - Michigan State defeated Oakland 86-51 on Dec. 18, 1999. Charlie Bell scored 20 points, marking his third-consecutive 20-point effort. The Spartans used a 10-0 run midway through the first half to break open a tie game and grab a 43-28 halftime lead. After scoring the first five points of the second half, MSU never led by fewer than 15 points. Mike Chappell scored a career-high 19 points and tied a career high with 6 rebounds.
Domination On The Boards - Oakland learned first hand why Michigan State was the top rebounding team in the nation last season. The Spartans outrebounded the Golden Grizzlies, 33-12, last December. Oakland's 12 rebounds marked the fewest by a Spartan opponent since 1989.
BG's Roots - Michigan State assistant coach Brian Gregory graduated from Oakland University in 1990 with bachelor's degree in education. A three-time All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection, Gregory also earned honorable mention All-America honors. As a junior, Gregory finished second in the nation in assists (10.7 apg.), and still holds the school record for career assists. Gregory was also a third-team Academic All-American.
Bell Tames The Grizzlies - Charlie Bell has had a great deal of success against Oakland in his career. In two games against the Golden Grizzlies, he is averaging 23 points, 6 rebounds and 22 minutes. Two of his nine career games have come against Oakland.
MSU Players Against Oakland - Career StatsName G FG-FGA Pct. Pts Avg. Reb. Avg. Ast. Min.A. Anagonye 1 1-1 1.000 5 5.0 4 4.0 1 13Adam Ballinger 2 0-0 .000 0 0.0 2 1.0 2 16Charlie Bell 2 17-24 .708 46 23.0 12 6.0 2 44Mike Chappell 1 5-10 .500 19 19.0 6 6.0 1 20Andre Hutson 1 2-4 .500 9 9.0 7 7.0 1 28Mat Ishbia 1 0-0 .000 2 2.0 0 0.0 0 3J. Richardson 1 3-5 .600 6 6.0 5 5.0 2 24Brandon Smith 2 0-0 .000 0 0.0 1 0.5 4 8David Thomas 1 3-6 .500 7 7.0 0 0.0 4 22
Looking Ahead - Coca-Cola Classic
Have A Coke And A Smile - Michigan State will welcome Bradley, Cornell and Eastern Washington to East Lansing over Thanksgiving weekend for the 19th edition of the Spartan Coca-Cola Classic. MSU has won 14 of the previous 18 championships, including four in a row. The Spartans and Cornell will open the tournament on Friday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m.
More On MSU Basketball
Impressive Freshmen Debuts - It's no secret that Michigan State will rely on true freshmen Zach Randolph and Marcus Taylor to have productive seasons. While neither are slated to start the Oakland game, both will see considerable minutes. In the 1972-73 season, the NCAA restored eligiblity for freshmen. The chart below looks at some of the single-game highs posted by freshmen in their Spartan debuts.
Top Spartan Freshmen Debut Performances
ScoringPts. Name25 Jay Vincent15 Matt Steigenga15 Charlie Bell13 Sam Vincent13 Darryl Johnson12 Quinton Brooks11 Terry Furlow10 Kirk Manns10 Terry Donnelly10 Ben Tower
ReboundingReb. Name10 Matt Steigenga9 Earvin Johnson7 Charlie Bell6 Terry Furlow6 Sten Feldreich6 Jay Vincent6 Andre Hutson four tied at 5
AssistsAst. Name8 Earvin Johnson8 Randy Morrison7 David Hart5 Terry Donnelly4 Steve Smith4 Mark Brown3 Doug Davis
The Champs! Round Four - Michigan State was recently tabbed as the preseason favorite by the league's coaches at Big Ten Basketball Media Day. Should the Spartans capture the conference crown, they will become just the fourth team to win four-consecutive Big Ten titles, joining Chicago (1907-10), Ohio State (1960-64) and Indiana (1973-76). The league's media selected Illinois to win the league with MSU picked to finish second.
Poll Cats - Michigan State has spent the last 46 weeks ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including 39-straight weeks in the top 15. This includes the Spartans' number-three ranking in the current AP poll.
MSU vs. Unranked Opponents - Michigan State has won 10-straight games against unranked opponents with the last loss coming at Purdue, 70-67, on Feb. 8, 2000. The Spartans have not lost a home game to an unranked opponent since Dec. 13, 1997, when they fell to Detroit, 68-65, a span of 25 straight wins.
Getting Comfortable At Home - The Spartans open the regular season with six games at the Breslin Center, including contests against 2000 Final Four participants North Carolina and Florida. MSU has not opened the season with six home games since the 1985-86 season, going 6-0 to open the year.
Missing Parts - Michigan State is without three starters from the 2000 NCAA Championship team. The trio of Mateen Cleaves, A.J. Granger and Morris Peterson accounted for 46 percent (1342) of the points, 32 percent (486) of the rebounds and 46 percent (276) of the assists in 1999-2000.
The Past Is Too Good To Ignore - While past success does not guarantee future championships, some stats from the past three years are worth repeating, including MSU's record in Big Ten action, 41-7, in the Breslin Center, 40-3, in postseason play, 18-3, in the NCAA Tournament, 12-2.
No Frequent Flyer Miles - Last year, Michigan State traveled 8,650 miles by the time the team took the first semester academic finals. Over a period of 20 days, the Spartans played nine games including a tournament in Puerto Rico and trips to North Carolina, Arizona and Chicago to play Kansas. Things are much different this season as the Spartans will only travel to Loyola (Chicago) before finals.
MSU Rebounds vs. Opponent Points - Against Northern Michigan, the Spartans had more rebounds (56) than the Wildcats had points (40). Last year, Michigan State posted similar efforts on seven occasions, including games against Wisconsin (4/1 - 42 reb., 41 pts.), Valparaiso (3/16 - 39 reb., 38 pts.), Minnesota (3/2 - 45 reb., 43 pts.), Wisconsin (2/12 - 50 reb., 44 pts.), Northwestern (1/27 - 42 reb., 29 pts.), Howard (12/3 - 54 reb., 45 pts.) and Toledo (11/22 - 45 reb., 33 pts.).
Double-Double Trouble - Last season, Andre Hutson was third in the Big Ten Conference with eight double-doubles. Although the Spartans have only played two exhibition games, it appears as if double-doubles will be a regular occurence for many team members. Hutson (10 pts., 14 reb.) and Zach Randolph (11 pts., 13 reb.) posted double-doubles against Northern Michigan. Jason Richardson, who just missed a double-double against Northern by one rebound, posted a 10-point, 12-rebound effort against the Harlem Globetrotters.
Carrying On With The Flintstone Tradition - Charlie Bell was named Preseason First-Team All-Big Ten by both the league's media and coaches. Should he finish the season with first-team all-conference honors it will mark the fourth consecutive season in which a Spartan has been named first-team all-league, joining former MSU stars and Flint natives Mateen Cleaves (1998-2000) and Morris Peterson (1999-2000).
Proving The Old Saying True - Rebounding and defense really do win championships. Just ask the Spartans. During Coach Izzo's tenure, they have regularly been ranked among the nation's leaders in both categories, including the 1999-2000 season when they led the country in rebounding margin at +11.7, two full rebounds ahead of second-place Stanford, and ranked eighth in scoring defense at 58.9 ppg.
In Case You Missed The Trip To Indy Last March - MSU plays host to the other three teams from the 2000 Final Four (Florida, North Carolina and Wisconsin) in East Lansing this season. This is the first time in history that a defending NCAA Champion has played the other three Final Four participants at home the following year. The always tough schedule also includes non-conference contests at home against Kentucky and in East Rutherford, N.J., against Seton Hall. Nine of the Spartans' 2000-01 opponents made an appearance in the 2000 NCAA Tournament.
In Order To Be The Best, You Have To Play The Best - Once again, the Spartans boast one of the nation's most difficult schedules. Six of MSU's opponents are ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Preseason Top 25, including five in the top 12. They include North Carolina (4), Illinois (9), Seton Hall (10), Florida (11), Kentucky (12) and Wisconsin (22).
No Slivers Here - Last year, ten Spartans averaged over 10 minutes per game with only Mateen Cleaves seeing more than 30 minutes of action. Look for this year's playing group to be just as deep.
The Golden Arches - Michigan State boasts one of the top freshmen classes in the nation with McDonald's All-Americans Zach Randolph and Marcus Taylor. Randolph earned MVP honors at the 2000 McDonald's All-American game. Randolph and Taylor join sophomore Jason Richardson as McDonald's All-Americans on the Spartan roster.
U-S-A, U-S-A - Three members of the MSU squad gained experience playing for Team USA over the summer. Zach Randolph and Marcus Taylor were on the 2000 USA Hoop Summit Team that defeated an International Select squad, 98-97. Randolph earned MVP honors at the Hoop Summit. Randolph and Jason Richardson were members of the silver-medal winning World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team, where Richardson ranked second on the team in points and third in rebounds, while Randolph ranked third in points and second in rebounds. Richardson also earned a spot on the Men's Select Team that competed against the 2000 US Olympic Dream Team, scoring a team-high 20 points along with a team-best five rebounds and four assists.
Wizards Of Westwood - Seniors Charlie Bell and Andre Hutson were named to the John Wooden Award Preseason All-American Team. Bell was also announced as a top-25 vote getter. Last year, Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson earned spots on the 10-man Wooden All-American Team. Bell is also one of 30 Preseason Candidates for the Naismith Award.
Spartans Sign Another Strong Recruiting Class - While Zach Randolph and Marcus Taylor teamed last year to give MSU one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, the Spartans have once again landed a strong group of high school athletes. On Nov. 8, 2000, Tom Izzo announced three players signed their National Letters of Intent to play for Michigan State. In keeping with a tradition of tough players at MSU, all three recruits played football in high school. Alan Anderson is a 6-5, 218-pound G/F from Minneapolis (De LaSalle HS). He averaged 21.3 points as a junior and is ranked by many to be among the top 25 seniors in the country after being named by The Sporting News as the number one surprise player of the summer. Chris Hill is a 6-3, 175-pound combo guard from Indianapolis (Lawrence North HS). He averaged 17 points and four assists as a junior in helping his team to an 18-4 mark. He was selected to the 2000 All-Tournament Team at the AAU adidas Big Time Tournament. Kelvin Torbert is a 6-4, 200-pound shooting guard from Flint, MI (Northwestern HS). He ranks among the top players in the nation including No. 2 by The Sporting News and Bob Gibbons. He averaged 25.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4 assists as a junior in helping his team to a 20-3 record, while also earning Parade Magazine third-team All-America honors.
MSU Career 3-Pt. Field GoalsNo. Player 3FGs1. Shawn Respert 3312. Kirk Manns 2123. Jason Klein 1524. Steve Smith 1475. Morris Peterson 1466. Mateen Cleaves 1437. Ray Weathers 998. Kris Weshinskey 979. A.J. Granger 7710. Charlie Bell 73
MSU Career 3-Pt. FG AttemptsNo. Player 3FGs1. Shawn Respert 7282. Mateen Cleaves 4573. Kirk Manns 4464. Jason Klein 4095. Morris Peterson 3876. Steve Smith 3537. Kris Weshinskey 2838. Ray Weathers 2229. Charlie Bell 212
MSU Career Field Goal Pct.No. Player Pct.1. Ron Charles .639 (376-588)2. Mike Peplowski .621 (488-786)3. Anthony Miller .609 (321-527)4. Andre Hutson .602 (345-573)5. Carlton Valentine .601 (384-639)
MSU Career BlocksNo. Player Pct.1. Matt Steigenga 972. Ken Johnson 963. Kevin Willis 71T4. DuJuan Wiley 69T4. Quinton Brooks 696. Mike Peplowski 687. Anthony Miller 618. Andre Hutson 58
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. Morris Peterson 1,58810. Mateen Cleaves 1,54111. Darryle Johnson 1,38312. Robert Champman 1,38213. Julius McCoy 1,37714. Matt Steigenga 1,29615. Quinton Brooks 1,27516. Stan Washington 1,242T17. Kirk Manns 1,212T17. Ken Redfield 1,21219. Mike Peplowski 1,18520. Lee Lafayette 1,17621. Lindsay Hairston1,15522. Pete Gent 1,14623. Al Ferrari 1,10924. Bill Kilgore 1,09925. Johnny Green 1,06226. Earvin Johnson 1,05927. Marcus Sanders 1,054T28. Kevin Smith 1,028T28. Charlie Bell 1,02830. Bob Anderegg 99231. Andre Hutson 952
