Michigan State To Play Stanford In CITGO Spartan Clash
12/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
CITGO Spartan ClashMichigan State (4-2)vs. Stanford (2-3)
Dec. 11, 20043:45 p.m. ESTAuburn Hills, Mich.The Palace of Auburn Hills
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM (1240 AM/97.5 FM)
TV: CBS - Verne Lundquist (Play by Play), Billy Packer (Color)
Tickets: Tickets are still available for the CITGO Spartan Clash and may be purchased through the Palace of Auburn Hills box office by calling 248-377-0100 or online at www.palacenet.com.
The Opening Tip
Michigan State plays its fourth straight game away from the Breslin Center when it takes on Stanford in the second annual CITGO Spartan Clash. In the inaugural Spartan Clash, the Spartans fell to Oklahoma, 80-77, in an overtime thriller. Michigan State owns a 4-2 record all-time at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the site of the Midwest Regionals in the 2000 NCAA Tournament, where the Spartans won two games en route to a trip to the Final Four and a national championship.
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Starting Five
Spartan Clash History - This is just the second year of the Spartan Clash, but if the first year is any indication, it promises to be a great event. Last year, Oklahoma defeated Michigan State, 80-77, in overtime. The Spartans trailed 50-35 with 13:13 left in regulation, but staged a furious comeback. Paul Davis' three-point play with 6.9 remaining sent the game into overtime, where the Sooners would eventually claim victory.
Hitting The Boards - Michigan State is doing a much better job rebounding the basketball this season than it did last year. The Spartans are out-rebounding their opponents by a +9.7 margin. They are also hitting the offensive glass, grabbing 14.8 offensive boards per game. MSU leads the conference in both rebounding margin and offensive rebounds. Rebounding is also a good indicator of the team's success. MSU is 4-0 when it outrebounds its opponent, 0-2 when it is outrebounded.
Balanced Scoring - Michigan State's impressive offensive performance has been the result of a team effort. Six Spartans are averaging in double figures, led by Maurice Ager at 16.5 ppg. By comparison, just three Spartans averaged in double figures last year, after Chris Hill was the only player to do so in 2002-03.
Ager's Explosion - Several Spartans are putting up good numbers in the early going, but Maurice Ager has been arguably the most productive player. He leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game, and ranks third in rebounding with 4.8 boards per contest. He entered the season averaging 7.5 points for his career, shooting 39.2 percent, including 36.9 percent from 3-point range. His accuracy has improved greatly this season, shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 53.6 percent from 3-point range.
MSU In Big Ten Rankings - Michigan State currently leads the Big Ten in five statistical categories, including scoring offense (88.8 ppg), free throw percentage (.779), rebounding offense (40.5 rpg), rebounding margin (+9.7) and offensive rebounds (14.83 orpg). The Spartans also rank second in scoring margin (+21.0), assists (18.67 apg) and defensive rebounds (25.67 drpg).
Game 6 Notes - MSU 66 - George Mason 60 - Dec. 5, 2004
* Michigan State used just its second different starting lineup of the season, starting Delco Rowley and Tim Bograkos.
* Michigan State out-rebounded George Mason, 39-22, including 21-11 in the second half.
* Michigan State shot 43.8 percent from 3-point range, compared to 26.1 percent for George Mason.
* The Spartan bench out-scored George Mason's, 29-10.
* Maurice Ager was named to the BB&T Classic All-Tournament team, averaging 17.5 points in two games.
Stanford Notes
Coach Johnson - Trent Johnson (Boise State, '83) is in his first season as head coach at Stanford with a record of 2-3. Overall, he is 81-77 in his sixth season as a collegiate head coach, having previously served for five seasons at Nevada, where he led the Wolfpack to a 72-66 victory over Michigan State in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
Cardinal Notes - Stanford has not played a home game this season and has not played a game since Nov. 28 ... The Cardinal lost three players who started 18 or more games last season, including All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year Josh Childress ... Dan Grunfeld leads the Cardinal, scoring 19.4 points per game ... Grunfeld and Chris Hernandez are the only two players to attempt more than 10 3-pointers. Stanford is shooting 25.0 percent from 3-point range as a team.
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Stanford, 3-2. The Cardinal won the last meeting, 75-64, in the Pete Newell Challenge on Dec. 29, 2001, in Oakland, Calif. MSU's last victory in the series was a 72-62 win on Dec. 28, 1991 in East Lansing. Stanford is 2-0 against Michigan State on a neutral court.
MSU At The Palace Of Auburn Hills
Michigan State is 4-2 all-time at the Palace of Auburn Hills, including a few memorable games in recent Spartan history.
Dec. 15, 1990 - UNLV 95 - Michigan State 75 -
The No. 21 Spartans lost their first game at the Palace to a No. 1-ranked UNLV squad. All-American Larry Johnson led the Runnin' Rebels with 35 points and 14 rebounds. Steve Smith paced the Spartans with 23 points.
Nov. 28, 1995 - Michigan State 75 - Arkansas 72 -
In Tom Izzo's first season as head coach, the Spartans faced Arkansas in the Great Eight. With leading scorer Quinton Brooks out of the game with an injury, the Spartans were outmanned offensively. Coach Izzo and the Spartans made a commitment to rebounding, posting a 47-23 advantage on the boards, while grabbing 24 offensive rebounds. Michigan State won, 75-72, despite shooting just 42.1 percent from the field, giving Izzo his first victory over a ranked opponent.
March 23, 2000 - Michigan State 75 - Syracuse 58 -
In the Sweet Sixteen of the 2000 NCAA Tournament, the Spartans faced the Orangemen. Michigan State fell behind by 10 points at the half, and 14 points early in the second half. The Spartans started to slowly chip away at the lead and tied the score at 58 with 5:55 remaining. From that point, MSU closed the game on a 17-0 run. Morris Peterson scored 21 points, including 16 in the second half.
March 25, 2000 - Michigan State 75 - Iowa State 64 -
In the Elite Eight of the 2000 NCAA Tournament, Michigan State held a slim three-point lead at the half. Iowa State, however, controlled the first 15 minutes of the second half and held a nine-point lead with a little over five minutes left in the game. Once again, the Spartans used a late rally, this time outscoring the Cyclones, 23-5, over the final 5:49 in a 75-64 decision. The signature play in the game came with just over two minutes remaining. Leading 62-61, MSU called a timeout to set up a play. After the break, Mateen Cleaves threw a lob to Morris Peterson, who slammed it home. The Spartans were 11-of-12 from the foul line in the final 1:07. Peterson and Granger paced MSU with 18 points each, and Andre Hutson posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards against All-American Marcus Fizer.
Dec. 27, 2000 - Michigan State 85 - Bowling Green 69 -
Michigan State played Bowling Green in the Spartans' first game as the nation's No. 1-ranked team in the regular season since 1979. MSU built a 10-point lead in the first half, but BGSU cut the lead to five at the half. The Spartans started to pull away midway through the second half and were not threatened down the stretch. Jason Richardson led all scorers with 21 points, while Charlie Bell added 18. MSU dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Falcons, 41-18.
Dec. 3, 2003 - Oklahoma 80 - Michigan State 77, OT -
In the inaugural Spartan Clash, Michigan State trailed 50-35 with 13:13 left in regulation, but staged a furious comeback. Paul Davis' three-point play with 6.9 seconds remaining sent the game into overtime. In the extra period, the Sooners held a two-point lead with 7.7 seconds left. After a missed OU free throw, Maurice Ager grabbed the rebound and raced down the court. He hit a game-tying lay-up, but the shot was waved off on an offensive foul. The game featured an unusually high number of free throws as the Spartans were 42-of-48 from the foul line, just two makes short of a school record, and Oklahoma was 31-of-37 at the charity stripe. Davis and Anderson led the Spartans with 17 points each, while Anderson was 11-of-11 from the foul line.
MSU Basketball Notes
Hitting The Mark - Last season, Michigan State was the only team to rank in the top 10 nationally in field-goal percentage (5th, .492), free-throw percentage (4th, .771) and 3-point field-goal percentage (8th, .401). Through six games this year, the Spartans are even better, shooting 49.7 percent from the field, 43.5 percent from 3-point range and 77.9 percent from the free-throw line. MSU's shooting should come as no surprise considering the team returns its top six scorers from a 2003-04 squad that became the first team ever to lead the Big Ten in league games in field-goal percentage (.522), 3-point field-goal percentage (.434), free-throw percentage (.777) and scoring offense (71.3 ppg) (conference games only).
Spartans Share The Ball - One of the greatest traits of this Michigan State team is its unselfishness. Through six games, MSU is averaging 18.7 assists per game. The Spartans have recorded assists on 112 of their 185 baskets (60.5 percent).
Spartan Depth - Through six games, 10 Michigan State Spartans are averaging at least 10 minutes of action, with six players playing more than 20 minutes. No single player is averaging more than 26 minutes per contest.
Getting To The Charity Stripe - Michigan State has done a good job getting to the foul line this season, averaging 23.3 attempts per game. For the season, the Spartans have made more free throws (109) than their opponents have attempted (107).
Hill Moves Up Career Scoring List - Chris Hill currently stands at 1,314 points, in 16th place on the MSU all-time scoring list. He needs 64 points to pass Julius McCoy (1,377 points) and move into 15th place. With 227 points, he will move into the top 10.
Hill For Three - Chris Hill is among the best 3-point shooters in MSU history. He ranks second in career 3-point field goals made (263) and career attempts (604) and sixth in career 3-point field-goal percentage (.435). Hill has made at least one 3-point field goal in 98 of 102 games in his career. His 263 career 3-point field goals rank sixth in Big Ten history, 69 behind Penn State's Pete Lisicky. Over the last two seasons, he has averaged 89.5 3-pointers.
He Can Pass, Too - In addition to all of his scoring and long-range shooting, Chris Hill is positioned to finish his career among the school's all-time leaders in assists. He currently stands ninth in MSU history with 334 career assists, 16 behind 8th-place Kevin Smith.
Chris Hill Off The Court - Chris Hill has been named the 2004 Playboy Magazine Anson Mount Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In recognition of this honor, Michigan State University will receive a $5,000 check for its general scholarship fund in Hill's name. Now in its 17th year, the purpose of the award is to call attention to the importance of scholarship combined with excellence in collegiate athletics and to honor an individual who personifies the best qualities of both. In 2003-04, Hill earned first-team Academic All-America honors, becoming the first Spartan to accomplish that feat since Greg Kelser in 1979.
Torbert Hits The Mark - After shooting 41.1 percent from the floor in his first two seasons, Kelvin Torbert is shooting 54.3 percent in his last two years. In 2003-04, Torbert was the only player in the Big Ten to rank in the top 10 in field-goal percentage (8th, .534), 3-point field-goal percentage (1st, .484) and free-throw percentage (6th, .800). His .588 3-point percentage in conference games is the second highest mark in conference history. He is off to an equally impressive start this season, shooting 58.1 percent from the floor, 41.7 percent from 3-point range and 88.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Anderson Feeling Comfortable - With the addition of Drew Neitzel to help handle the point guard duties, Alan Anderson has been able to return to his natural forward position. The change has led to increased production, as he is currently averaging 13.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. Prior to this season, he had never averaged 10 points in any season.
No Sophomore Slump - In 2003-04, Shannon Brown earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team, averaging 7.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game. This season, he is averaging 12.7 points and 3.7 boards in 24.2 minutes per contest.
The Century Mark - Michigan State opened the season with three consecutive 100-point games for just the second time in school history (1963-64). Prior to this season, Tom Izzo's Spartans had topped 100 points just twice in his nine full seasons.
Davis Earns Preseason Honor - Junior center Paul Davis was selected to the Big Ten preseason all-conference team. As a sophomore, Davis averaged 15.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 56.8 percent from the floor. Last year, he was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and an Associated Press honorable mention All-American. This season, he has been named a John R. Wooden Award Preseason All-American and a preseason candidate for the Naismith Award.
Winning The Right Way - In addition to excelling on the court, the Spartans are standouts in the classroom. Fourteen Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees over the last five years, including five each in 2001 and 2003.
Experience Matters - Michigan State players have a combined 342 starts in their careers, including 247 career starts for Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert. Entering the season, MSU's returning players had 312 career starts (most in the Big Ten) and 601 career appearances (second most in the Big Ten). The trio of Anderson, Hill and Torbert had 235 career starts, making them the most experienced trio in the Big Ten. The Spartans also return 93.7 percent of their scoring, 85.6 percent of their rebounding and 88.3 percent of their minutes from last year.
Another Difficult Slate - Michigan State has put together another challenging schedule in 2004-05. It includes five teams that appeared in the 2004 NCAA Tournament (Duke, Illinois, Florida A&M, Stanford and Wisconsin) and five that appeared in the NIT (George Mason, George Washington, Iowa, Michigan and Purdue).
Spartans On TV - This season, 26 of Michigan State's 27 regular-season games will be televised, including seven on ESPN, one on ESPN2 and three on CBS. In addition, MSU could have one more game on either ESPN or ESPN2.
New Faces - Michigan State's 2004-05 roster features five new names, including freshmen Marquise Gray, Idong Ibok, Drew Neitzel, Goran Suton and junior Jason Aerts. Neitzel is an ambidextrous point guard who won the 2004 Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award. Gray is a 6-8 athletic power forward who was named The Associated Press Class C Player of the Year. Ibok is a Nigerian native who attended school in Florida last season. He features a 7-foot-5 wingspan and is a dangerous shot blocker. Suton is a 6-10 post player with solid ball skills who can score in the post or on the perimeter. He moved to Lansing from Bosnia-Herzegovina prior to high school. Aerts is a walk-on who played two seasons at Aquinas College.
The Golden Arches - Michigan State is becoming the home for McDonald's All-Americans. Over the past six seasons, seven McDonald's All-Americans have joined the Spartan squad, including Jason Richardson in 1999, Marcus Taylor and McDonald's All-American All-Star game MVP Zach Randolph in 2000, Kelvin Torbert in 2001, Paul Davis in 2002 and Shannon Brown and Brandon Cotton in 2003.
Home To Mr. Basketball - Five of the last six recipients of Michigan's Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award, presented to the top high school player in the state, have gone on to wear a Spartan jersey. Jason Richardson (Saginaw Arthur Hill HS) won the award in 1999, followed by Marcus Taylor (Lansing Waverly HS) in 2000, Kelvin Torbert (Flint Northwestern HS) in 2001, Paul Davis (Rochester HS) in 2002 and Drew Neitzel (Wyoming Park HS) in 2004. While the 2003 winner did not attend MSU, Shannon Brown (Proviso East HS) captured Illinois' Mr. Basketball Award that same year.
Spartans In The NBA - Listed below is an update on seven former Spartans currently on NBA rosters: (Stats current through Dec. 6.)
Mateen Cleaves (Seattle): 8 GP, 1.6 mpg, 0.3 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 0.3 apg Morris Peterson (Toronto): 20 GP, 20.6 mpg, 7.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.9 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 16 GP, 37.9 mpg, 21.3 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.1 apg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 17 GP, 36.6 mpg, 18.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.7 apg Steve Smith (Charlotte): 14 GP, 21.9 mpg, 10.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.4 apg Eric Snow (Cleveland): 17 GP, 21.8 mpg, 4.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.8 apg Kevin Willis (Atlanta): 11 GP, 16.2 mpg, 4.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.4 apg
