Michigan State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels To Penn State
2/23/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2001
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Michigan State (21-3)at Penn State (16-8)February 24, 20017:00 p.m. ESTBryce Jordan CenterUniversity Park, Pa.
Media Coverage
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - George Blaha (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color), Will Tieman (Broadcast Host). Flagship - WJIM (1240 AM/97.5 FM) - 35 affiliates. TV: ESPN - Dave Strader (Play by Play), Tim McCormick (Color)
Michigan State-Penn State Game Notes
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Note Of The Game
A Class Act - The senior class of Charlie Bell, Mike Chappell, Andre Hutson, Brandon Smith and David Thomas has a record of 108-23 in the last three-plus seasons. With a win against Penn State, they would set the Big Ten record for most wins by a senior class, surpassing the mark of 108 wins set by Indiana from 1972-73 to 1975-76 and from 1990-91 to 1993-94. Indiana also posted 105 wins from 1989-90 to 1992-93, 102 from 1973-74 to 1976-77 and 100 from 1974-75 to 1977-78. Last year's Spartan seniors had a four-year mark of 104-32, the fifth-most number of wins by a Big Ten senior class.(Note: Thomas is a fifth-year senior, while Smith and Chappell transferred into MSU.)
And The Rest Of The Starting Five
1. The Biggest Show In Town (Any Town) - Michigan State has sold out 49 consecutive home games, including 15 in 2000-01. But the Spartans are also proving to be a big draw on the road. The Seton Hall contest at Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands and the games at Northwestern and Minnesota are the only games MSU has played in front of a less than capacity crowd. MSU has provided Loyola, Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan with their first sell-outs of the year. In addition, the Spartans filled the Palace of Auburn Hills for a neutral-site game against Bowling Green.
2. DT's Big Games - David Thomas has performed at a high level since returning to the starting lineup three games ago. Over the last three contests he is averaging 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals. Thomas is also returning to the site of one of his best games last season. A year ago, he recorded eight points and 10 rebounds to key a 79-63 victory at Penn State.
3. Defending The Three - Over the last five games, Michigan State opponents are shooting 42.5% (51-120) from three-point range. In the five games before that, opponents were 32.0% (24-75) from behind the arc. While Penn State leads the Big Ten in three-point field goals made per game (8.58), the Spartans held the Nittany Lions to 30.4% (7-23) in the first meeting this year.
4. Top 10 Streaks - Michigan State has been ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll for 24 consecutive weeks. Only Stanford (34) and Duke (28) have longer active streaks.
Coach Izzo - In his sixth year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 141-51 (.734), 69-28 (.711) in the Big Ten, as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. He is the third winningest coach in MSU history, trailing only Jud Heathcote (340) and Benjamin VanAlstyne (232) in total wins. Izzo's 120 wins in his first five years tied him for seventh most by a coach in his first five seasons of coaching. 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 Vs. Penn State - Tom Izzo is 8-1 against Penn State.
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 is also in his sixth year.
Izzo Ranks Among Best Active Coaches - Tom Izzo ranks eighth (.734) in winning percentage among active coaches with at least five full seasons of coaching experience. College of Charleston's John Kresse is first at .803. He is followed by Jerry Tarkanian (Fresno State, .803), Roy Williams (Kansas, .800), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse, .744), Rick Majerus (Utah, .742), Lute Olson (Arizona, .737) and Bob Huggins (Cincinnati, .735). (Through games of Feb. 22.)
Penn State Notes
Nittany Lion Tidbits - Penn State owns a 16-8 record, 6-7 in the Big Ten as the Spartans head into University Park. Prior to losing, 62-61, at Northwestern on Wednesday night, the Nittany Lions had won three-straight games and four of five. PSU is 10-2 at home this season, including a 98-95 overtime victory vs. Illinois.
Michigan State Spartans (21-3, 10-3) Ppg. Rpg. Apg.F - #34 Andre Hutson (Sr., 6-8, 240) 13.2 7.0 1.8F - #25 Aloysius Anagonye (So., 6-8, 255)5.0 3.1 0.7F - #11 David Thomas (Sr., 6-7, 210) 5.2 4.5 2.0G - #23 Jason Richardson (So., 6-6, 220)15.5 5.8 2.2G - #14 Charlie Bell (Sr., 6-3, 200) 14.6 4.6 5.5
Penn State Nittany Lions (16-8, 6-7) Ppg. Rpg. Apg.F - #23 Gyasi Cline-Heard (Sr., 6-8, 230)15.0 8.6 1.7F - #35 Tyler Smith (Jr., 6-8, 230) 8.3 4.6 1.2G - #33 Titus Ivory (Sr., 6-4, 210) 16.7 4.8 4.4G - #3 Joe Crispin (Sr., 6-0, 185) 20.2 3.5 3.4G - #5 Jon Crispin (So., 6-2, 195) 7.5 1.6 1.5
TALE OF THE TAPE - MSU/PSU STAT BREAKDOWNSCategory MSU PSUScoring Offense 80.3 77.9Scoring Defense 62.9 74.0Scoring Margin +17.4 +3.9Field Goal Pct. .497 .430Field Goal Pct. Defense .396 .4623Pt. FG Pct. .340 .376Free Throw Pct. .738 .334Rebound Margin +15.6 -5.8Turnovers per game 14.0 13.0
Coach Dunn - Jerry Dunn (George Mason, '80) is in his sixth season as head coach at Penn State with a career record of 98-75. Dunn served as an assistant coach at Penn State under Bruce Parkhill from 1983-95.
MSU Vs. Penn State - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Penn State by a 15-2 margin, including seven straight victories. The Spartans hold a 4-2 advantage in games played in University Park. Penn State's last victory was a 54-50 win in University Park on Feb. 10, 1996.
The Big Three - Penn State is the only team in the Big Ten to feature three players that average over 15 points per game. Joe Crispin (20.3 ppg) leads the conference in scoring. Titus Ivory is fourth at 16.7 ppg and Gyasi Cline-Heard is eighth at 15.0 ppg. No other Big Ten team even features two players over 15 points per game.
Looking Ahead - Wisconsin
Badger Senior Night - Michigan State's last road game of the season will be Tuesday, Feb. 27, at Wisconsin. The Badgers will say goodbye to five seniors in front of what should be a packed house. UW will also be looking for a bit of revenge as they nearly ended the MSU home-winning streak on Jan. 13. With one minute remaining in the game at Breslin, the Badgers held a 57-52 advantage before falling, 69-59, in overtime.
More On MSU Basketball
Road Warriors - MSU has received a lot of publicity for its home winning streak, but the Spartans are almost as impressive on the road. Since the beginning of the 1997-98 season, MSU is 53-20 away from the Breslin Center, 21-9 in the Big Ten.
Balanced Scoring Keys Victories - Michigan State is most successful when multiple players shoulder the offensive load. The Spartans are 14-0 when four or more players score in double figures. When three Spartans reach 10 points, they are 6-2. When only two players score 10, MSU is 0-1.
20 Win Seasons - Michigan State has won 20 games for a fourth-consecutive season. The Spartans had never before collected four-straight 20-win seasons. This is the 11th 20-win season in Michigan State history.
JR Earns Player Of The Week Honors Again - Jason Richardson was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 19 after recording 21 points and a career high seven steals against Iowa. Richardson shared the honors with Illinois' Frank Williams. This is the second time Richardson has been honored as he was also rewarded on Jan. 15 for averaging 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game against Northwestern and Wisconsin.
Conference Leaders - The Big Ten Conference issues team rankings for 19 statistical categories in men's basketball. Michigan State currently ranks first in 10 of those 19 categories (scoring offense, scoring margin, FG percentage, rebounding offense, rebounding defense, rebound margin, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, assists and assist/turnover ratio). The Spartans place in the top three in 13 categories.
Team Effort - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in both scoring offense and rebounding in all games, but does not have an individual in the top four of either category. Jason Richardson is the top scorer, ranking fifth in the conference at 15.5 ppg. Andre Hutson's 7.0 rebounds per game rank seventh in the conference.
Dre's Shooting Touch - Andre Hutson leads the Big Ten in field-goal percentage in conference games, shooting 63.5%. Over the last 10 games, Hutson is shooting 65.9% (54-82). Following Hutson in Big Ten field-goal percentage is Zach Randolph in second at 58.0%.
You'll Miss More Than You Make - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage defense at 39.6 percent. The Spartans, however, are the only Big Ten school to not allow an opponent to shoot over 50% from the field in a game this season. Bowling Green came the closest, shooting 48.1% (26-54). The last Spartan opponent to shoot better than 50% was Utah in the second round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament when the Utes shot 52.1% (24-46). By contrast, MSU has shot over 50% in 11 games this year.
The 700 Club - With nine rebounds against Wisconsin, Andre Hutson topped 700 for his career. Currently standing at 752 career boards, Hutson is in seventh place on the MSU career rebounding list. He needs 52 rebounds to pass Lindsay Hairston (803 rebounds) for sixth place on the MSU career list.
CB Climbing The Assist Ladder - With 335 career assists, Charlie Bell is among the career leaders in Michigan State history. Bell is currently in eighth place on the MSU career assists list. Bell needs 15 more assists to pass Kevin Smith (349 assists) for seventh place on the all-time list.
Charlie Bell Getting Defensive - Look for Charlie Bell to regularly defend the opponent's top scorer. Also look for Bell to regularly hold the opposition's leading scorer under his normal scoring average. The chart below demonstrates Bell's defensive prowess, showing the opponent's points in the game before playing Bell, points in the game being guarded by Bell and points the game after playing Bell. It's important to note that MSU's defensive system employs a lot of switching.
1,000 - 500 Club - With six rebounds against Florida, Charlie Bell (1,372 points, 579 rebounds) became the 17th player in school history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career. Teammate Andre Hutson (1,256 points, 752 rebounds) reached the milestone against North Carolina when he topped the 1,000-point mark.
1,000, 500, 300 - With six assists against Northwestern, Charlie Bell became just the third Spartan to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists for his career. Steve Smith and Ken Redfield are the two other players to reach the mark. For his career, Bell has 1,372 points, 579 rebounds and 335 assists.
Second Chances - Through 24 games, Michigan State owns an impressive 379-232 advantage on the offensive glass. In fact, MSU has almost as many offensive rebounds (379) as its opponents have defensive boards (410). This means that the Spartans get the rebound after 48.0% of their own missed shots. In seven games, MSU has posted more offensive rebounds than its opponent had defensive boards.
Taking Boardwork To New Levels - Michigan State outrebounded Seton Hall by an impressive 60-39 margin, setting a few records in the process. The 60 rebounds were the most in the Tom Izzo era. The previous high was 56 against Oakland on Nov. 19, 2000. The last time MSU grabbed 60 rebounds was Dec. 1, 1992 vs. Morehead State. The 27 offensive rebounds are also the most recorded in school history.
There's Always A First Time - For the first time all season, Michigan State was outrebounded by Iowa. The Spartans, however, still lead the nation in rebounding margin at +15.6 rebounds per game through 24 games. During the 1999-2000 season, Michigan State led the nation in rebounding margin at +11.7 rebounds per game.
In Fact, It's So Much About Boardwork That We Provide More Stats -
* In the Spartans 21 victories, MSU is outrebounding opponents 909-557, an average of 43.3-26.5 (+16.8).
* In the three losses, the count is 108-85, an average of 36.0-28.3 (+7.7).
* The Spartans have a rebound advantage of 39.9-26.5 (+13.4) in the Big Ten.
* MSU owns a rebounding advantage of 42.9-26.9 (+16.0) at home.
* MSU owns a rebounding advantage of 41.6-26.6 (+15.0) on the road.
* In Tom Izzo's tenure, MSU has outrebounded 163 of 192 opponents, posting a 128-35 record in those games.
MSU Rebounds vs. Opponent Points - Against Seton Hall, the Spartans had more rebounds (60) than the Pirates had points (57). Michigan State accomplished the same feat vs. Illinois-Chicago, with 54 boards compared to 53 points for the Flames. 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.).
Mr. Double-Double (Almost) - Andre Hutson has posted three double-doubles this season with 11 points, 12 rebounds against Illinois-Chicago, 20 points, 13 rebounds vs. Penn State and 15 points and 10 rebounds vs. Michigan. In five other games, Hutson was just a single point or rebound shy of a double double, including contests against Eastern Washington (11 pts., 9 reb.), North Carolina (14 pts., 9 reb.), Seton Hall (9 pts., 13 reb.), Northwestern (19 pts., 9 reb.) and Wisconsin (10 pts., 9 reb.) For his career he has 12 double-doubles.
Home Cooking - Michigan State owns the longest home winning streak in Division I basketball at 43 games. Over the 43-game stretch the Spartans have won by an average of 21.7 points. Six of the 43 games have been decided by fewer than 10 points.
Home Winning Streak Among Big Ten's Best - MSU's 43-game home winning streak has a long way to go before it reaches the NCAA record of 129 set by Kentucky (1943-55). It ranks fifth by a school currently in the Big Ten and third by a school competing in the Big Ten at the time of the streak. Minnesota holds the record among Big Ten schools at 53-straight home wins from 1899-1905. Indiana (50, 1991-95), Ohio State (50 games, 1959-63) and Penn State (45, 1951-55) also own streaks longer than MSU's current streak.
C-Bell Earns Big Ten Honors - Charlie Bell earned Big Ten Co-Player of the Week honors on Dec. 31, 2000. In games against Bowling Green and Wright State, Bell averaged 22.0 points, 8.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds. He shared the honor with Northwestern's Tavaras Hardy. This marked the second time Bell was named player of the week, as he also earned the honor after a triple-double against Oakland in the first game of the season.
High Flying J-Rich - Everyone has heard the stories of Jason Richardson's dunks. He's on Dick Vitale's All-Dipsy-doo Dunk-a-roos Team and leads MSU with 26 dunks, but there is much more to his game. He leads the team with a 15.5 points-per-game scoring average. He is shooting 54.3% from the field, including 41.9% from three-point range, sixth-best in the Big Ten.
Stat Sheet Stuffer - Charlie Bell continues to contribute to the team's success in a variety of ways. He ranks among the leaders in the Big Ten in assists (1st, 5.54 apg), scoring (12th, 14.6 ppg), free throw percentage (8th, .802) and assists-to-turnover ratio (4th, 2.11). In the season opener against Oakland, Bell joined Earvin Johnson as the only two Spartans to record a triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Perfect At The Charity Stripe - Michigan State was a perfect 18-of-18 from the foul line against Michigan, tying the school record for free-throw percentage. MSU also shot 18-of-18 from the foul line against Illinois on Jan. 12, 1986.
The Champs! Round Four - Michigan State was 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.
A Floor Fit For A Champion - The Spartans' current basketball court is the floor used at the 2000 Final Four. As the NCAA Champion, Michigan State purchased the floor for $75,000. It was placed in Breslin with the Final Four paint job on Sept. 23 for a National Championship celebration. It was then shipped to Dollar Bay in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the same place it was built, for a new paint job. It was reinstalled in Breslin in time for the Coca-Cola Classic.
The 70-Point Barrier - Through 24 games, Michigan State has scored more than 70 points in every game but six, while holding its opponents to fewer than 70 points in all but six games. MSU is 18-0 when scoring 70 points or more. Last season, MSU posted a 22-2 record when scoring more than 70 points. This has also led to some happy Spartan fans who receive a free crunchy taco if MSU scores 75 points or more, courtesy of a promotion on the ticket stubs.
Poll Cats - Michigan State has spent the last 59 weeks ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including 52-straight weeks in the top 15. This includes the Spartans' number-five ranking in the current AP poll.
Reaching A Milestone - Andre Hutson (1,256 career points) needs 20 points to pass Quinton Brooks (1,275) and become MSU's 16th-leading scorer. Teammate Charlie Bell has also reached 1,000 career points, with a current total of 1,372, good for 14th place. With six more points, Bell can become MSU's 13th-leading all-time scorer, passing Julius McCoy (1,377).
Offensive Explosions - Michigan State has topped the 90-point mark eight times this season, the highest season total for a Tom Izzo-coached squad. The last MSU team to score at least 90 points eight times in a season was the '85-86 unit that topped 90 points in eight games. The last squad to score 90 points or more nine times was the 1964-65 unit.
Streak Busters - With a 72-68 win over the Harlem Globetrotters on Nov. 13, 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.
In Order To Be The Best, You Have To Play The Best - The Spartans boast one of the nation's most difficult schedules. Five of MSU's opponents are ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25, including three in the top seven. They include North Carolina (2), Illinois (4), Florida (7), Kentucky (16) and Wisconsin (17).
In Case You Missed The Trip To Indy Last March - Wisconsin was the fourth and final member of the 2000 Final Four to play in the Breslin Center this season. MSU defeated North Carolina, 77-64, on Nov. 29, and defeated Florida, 99-83, on Dec. 6. 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.
Wizards Of Westwood - Senior Charlie Bell and sophomore Jason Richardson are among the 30 midseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award and All-America Team. Andre Hutson was named to the John Wooden Award Preseason All-American Team, but did not make the midseason list. Last year, Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson earned spots on the 10-man Wooden All-American Team. Bell and Richardson are also two of 15 finalists 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.
