Spartans In Search Of Eighth Straight Win
12/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#12/12 Michigan State (8-2)vs. Florida International (3-4)
Dec. 18, 20054 p.m. ESTEast Lansing, Mich.Breslin Center (14,759)
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM
TV: ESPN Plus Local - Mike Gleason (Play by Play), Greg Kelser (Color)
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
With just one day of preparation, Michigan State returns to action against Florida International, in just the fourth home game of the season for the Spartans. The Golden Panthers are led by Ivan Almonte, who leads the team in scoring, rebounding and assists, ranks second in the nation in rebounding and has six double-doubles in seven games. MSU counters with Paul Davis, one of just two players in the nation averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds. Davis has six double-doubles in 10 games for the Spartans.
The Starting Five
Ager And Davis In Select Company - Maurice Ager (21.7) and Paul Davis (20.9) are currently both averaging more than 20 points per game. In fact, they are one of just three pairs of teammates to currently average more than 20 points, according to the most recent NCAA statistics (Dec. 12). They are joined by Gonzaga's Adam Morrison (28.5) and J. P. Batista (20.3) and Villanova's Randy Foye (23.0) and Allan Ray (20.7). In the 106 previous seasons of Spartan basketball, two players have never averaged 20 points in the same season.
20 And 10 - Paul Davis is having a great senior season, averaging 20.9 points and 10.6 rebounds. According to the most recent NCAA statistics (Dec. 12), he is one of just two players, along with LaSalle's Steven Smith (20.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg) to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per contest. It's a feat that has happened only five previous times in Spartan history, including Julius McCoy (1956-57), Horace Walker (1959-60), Stan Washington (1964-65), Ralph Simpson (1969-70) and Greg Kelser (1976-77).
Davis Among Career Leaders - Paul Davis needs nine rebounds to break into the top 10 in career rebounds at Michigan State, tying Horace Walker (720 boards). Davis already ranks among the Spartan career leaders in several other categories, including sixth in free throws (375), eighth in free-throw attempts (508), 10th in blocked shots (65) and 17th in scoring (1,349 points).
Lending A Helping Hand - Drew Neitzel has a 6.25 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last four games. His best effort in that stretch was a nine assist, one turnover effort against Arkansas-Little Rock in his hometown of Grand Rapids. He had five assists and no turnovers against Boston College, five assists and only one turnover against Wichita State and six assists and two turnovers against Cleveland State.
Ager's Improved Decision Making - One of the biggest improvements in Maurice Ager's game is his decision making. Recently, it can be seen in his assist-to-turnover ratio. After opening the season with eight assists and 15 turnovers in the first five games, he has totaled 26 assists and 15 turnovers in the last five contests. In fact, he recorded a career-best six assists to go along with his 22 points against Boston College. He has recorded five assists or more in each of the last five games, after having never tallied more than four in the first 95 games of his career.
Florida International Notes
Coach Rouco - Sergio Rouco (Nova Southeastern, '87) is 16-21 in his second season at Florida International. He is the only Cuban-born head coach in Division I. Previously, he served as an assistant coach at Florida International and Texas-El Paso.
Golden Panther Notes - Senior forward Ivan Almonte ranks second in the nation in rebounding, averaging 13.1 boards per game, while also scoring 16.7 points per contest ... Florida International's roster is made up of players from five foreign countries and seven different states ... Former Golden Panthers include the Phoenix Suns' Raja Bell and the Detroit Pistons' Carlos Arroyo ... FIU is 0-4 on the road and 3-0 at home this season.
Series History - This is the first meeting between Michigan State and Florida International.
Game 10 Notes - Michigan State 83 - Cleveland State 75
* The three 20-plus point performances by Shannon Brown (27), Paul Davis (24) and Maurice Ager (22) marks the first time since Feb. 15, 2000, that three Spartans scored 20 or more points in a game. In that contest, Morris Peterson (26), Mateen Cleaves (24) and Charlie Bell (23) all surpassed the 20-point mark against Ohio State.
* Ager recorded his first career double-double, grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds, including nine in the second half, to go along with his 22 points.
* Davis also posted a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. It was his sixth double-double of the season and marked the first time since Feb. 5, 2005, that two Spartans had recorded double-doubles in the same game.
* MSU led 23-14 with 12:41 left, but Cleveland State went on a 32-12 run over the next 11:15.
* MSU scored the last five points of the second half and the first seven of the second half, opening the second half with a 23-4 run.
* Ager, Brown and Davis combined to score 41 of Michigan State's 43 second-half points. Matt Trannon had the only two other points on a layup with 3:21 left.
* Brown's 27 points marked a career high.
* Michigan State shot 65.2 percent in the second half, marking the third straight game the Spartans have shot over 65 percent in the second half.
* After allowing Cleveland State to shoot 48.5 percent, including 55.6 perent from 3-point range in the first half, MSU's defense allowed the Vikings to shoot just 32.3 percent, including 30.8 percent from behind the arc in the second half.
* MSU out-rebounded CSU, 24-11, in the second half after tying, 18-18, in the first.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 11th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 241-99 (.709), 117-47 (.713) in the Big Ten, as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. With last year's win over Duke in the NCAA Tournament, he passed Benjamin Van Alstyne to become the second-winningest coach in MSU history, trailing only Jud Heathcote (340) in total wins. In his 10 seasons of coaching, Izzo has won National Coach of the Year honors four times, including the Clair Bee Award in 2005 and NABC honors in 2001. 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 Among Best Ever - Through his first 10 seasons, Tom Izzo has won 233 games, ranking seventh in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 10 years.
Graduating Student-Athletes - In Tom Izzo's 10 full years directing the Spartan program, 77 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last six years, 17 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees, including five each in 2001 and 2003.
Izzo's Coaching Tree - Six current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Tom Crean (Marquette), Brian Gregory (Dayton), Mike Garland (Cleveland State), Stan Heath (Arkansas), Stan Joplin (Toledo) and Doug Wojcik (Tulsa). Gregory and Garland are in their third year as head coach, after leaving MSU in the spring of 2003. Crean directed Marquette to the 2003 Final Four, while Heath directed Kent State to the Elite Eight in the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Wojcik is in his first season at Tulsa.
Safe At Home - Tom Izzo owns a career record of 137-19 (.878) in the Breslin Center, including a 102-7 (.936) mark over the last eight seasons. In Big Ten play, Izzo is 71-11 (.866) in Breslin, 52-4 (.929) over the last seven years.
Vs. Ranked Opponents - Tom Izzo has a career record of 55-49 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. This includes a 48-38 record since 1997-98.
At His Best When It Counts - Tom Izzo ranks second among active coaches for the best NCAA Tournament winning percentage at .767.
MSU Basketball Notes
Trannon's Addition - Senior forward Matt Trannon has played in four games since joining the basketball team after the conclusion of the football season. He has been a member of the regular rotation over the last three games, averaging 19.3 minutes, 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds. The ultimate "glue-guy," Trannon adds toughness, defensive skills and athleticism to the lineup. His stat line against Cleveland State was a great example of what he can add to the Spartans, recording two points, two assists, five rebounds, four steals and three blocks in 28 minutes, including 18 in the second half. During the football season, he ranked second on the team in receptions, with 40 for 573 yards and four touchdowns.
Davis' Second-Half Spurts - Recently, Paul Davis has been a dominating force in the second half after relatively quiet first halves. The trend started against Georgia Tech. After scoring just three points on 1-of-2 shooting in the first half, Davis scored 19 second-half points, shooting 9-of-10 from the field. Against Arkansas-Little Rock, Davis scored just six first-half points, but scored the first nine of the second half en route to a 23-point effort. Davis scored just four points against Boston College in the first half, but scored 14 in the second half. Against Wichita State, he scored eight points in the first half and 12 in the second, while he scored 10 in the first half and 14 in the second half against Cleveland State. Over the last five games, he is averaging 6.2 points in the first half and 15.2 points in the second half.
Money At The Charity Stripe - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage, shooting .796 (183-of-230). Drew Neitzel (.867) and Paul Davis (.866) pace the Spartans. This season, Davis has had three games in which he was perfect from the line with at least 10 attempts, shooting 12-of-12 against Gonzaga, 11-of-11 against Arkansas-Little Rock and 10-of-10 against Arizona. Last season, MSU led the Big Ten and ranked third in the nation in free-throw percentage (.777), while featuring the top four foul shooters in the league.
Playing A Lot Of Minutes - Through the first 10 games, Maurice Ager (34.9 minutes), Shannon Brown (34.2 mpg), Paul Davis (32.5 mpg) and Drew Neitzel (32.1 mpg) are all averaging more than 30 minutes per game. By comparison, Michigan State was the only Big Ten team last season without a single player averaging 30 minutes per game. In fact, Davis led MSU in minutes played at 26.9 per game.
Good To Be Back Home - The Florida International contest marks just the fourth home game in Michigan State's first 11 games. Since the start of the 1998-99 season, MSU has won 102 of its last 109 regular-season games in Breslin, a winning percentage of .936. MSU has sold out 115 consecutive regular-season games at the Breslin Center.
The Big Three - Spartan seniors Maurice Ager and Paul Davis and junior Shannon Brown will carry a lot of the scoring load for Michigan State this season. Through 10 games, the trio has not disappointed, averaging a combined 59.2 points, or 72.4 percent, of MSU's 81.8 points per game.
1,000-Point Spartans - Earlier this season, Maurice Ager became the 35th player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 career points. With 1,115 points, he joins Paul Davis (1,349 points) as current Spartans over 1,000. Davis ranks 17th in career scoring, while Ager ranks 29th. Ager needs 32 points to pass Pete Gent (1,146 points), while Davis needs 29 points to pass Julius McCoy (1,377 points). Three members of last year's team, Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert, were all 1,000-point scorers. The next Spartan to reach the milestone should be Shannon Brown, who currently has 764 points.
Mr. Double-Double - With six double-doubles in the first 10 games of this season, Paul Davis has now recorded a double-double in 14 of the last 25 games. Davis elevated his level of play over the last two months of last season, recording a double-double in eight of the final 15 games, including the last four NCAA Tournament contests. His best effort might have come in the Sweet 16 when he out-scored (20 to 19) and out-rebounded (12 to 8) Duke's Shelden Williams. In the Final Four, against North Carolina's Sean May, Davis recorded a career-best 15 rebounds.
It's Early, But ... - While it's impossible to project season statistics off just 10 games, a few Spartans are putting up impressive numbers in the early going. Maurice Ager is currently averaging 21.7 points per game. It's the best scoring average by a Spartan since Shawn Respert averaged 25.6 points as a senior in 1994-95. Paul Davis is currently averaging 10.2 rebounds, the best mark by a Spartan since Antonio Smith averaged 10.6 boards in 1996-97.
Freshmen Contributions - Nine Spartans are currently averaging more than 10 minutes per game. Of those nine, three are freshmen in Marquise Gray, Goran Suton and Travis Walton. A true freshman, Walton is the primary reserve in the backcourt averaging 20.0 minutes, 1.7 points and 3.0 assists, while playing strong defense. Gray and Suton are redshirt freshmen getting their first taste of college basketball games. Suton is the team's fifth-leading scorer at 4.8 points and the second-leading rebounder at 4.5 boards in 20.7 minutes per contest. Gray is averaging 3.4 points and 3.4 boards per game and has started two contests.
An Offensive Threat - By his own admission, Drew Neitzel just tried to run the offense last season as a true freshman point guard and get the ball to the other weapons on the team. He recorded an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.1-to-1, but averaged just 3.5 points per game and attempted just 3.4 shots per contest. A prolific scorer in high school, Neitzel will look to score more this season. He is averaging 8.8 points and 6.4 shots per game, while maintaining a 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Davis Named POW - Paul Davis was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 28. In four games, the senior center averaged 22.5 points and 12.3 rebounds. MSU posted a 3-1 record on the week, falling only to Gonzaga, 109-106 in triple overtime. Davis recorded double-doubles in three of the four games. Coach Izzo was impressed with his performance, saying "I'm pleased with the way he's playing on all ends of the court and really excited about the leadership I think he's showing. He's made some giant strides."
Big Ten Favorites - Michigan State was named the Big Ten preseason favorite at the league's media day on Oct. 30. The Spartans are followed by Illinois and Indiana in the poll. Paul Davis also earned a spot on the Preseason All-Big Ten squad.
MSU Is A "Powerhouse Program" - ESPN named Michigan State one of the 10 "Powerhouse Programs" in college basketball. Of the 10 schools featured, only seven were division I men's programs. MSU was joined by Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, division II Kentucky Wesleyan, and the Tennessee and Connecticut women's programs. The television program featuring the list was part of ESPNU's Honor Roll series.
Winning The Right Way - In addition to excelling on the court, the Spartans are standouts in the classroom. Seventeen Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees over the last six years, including five each in 2001 and 2003.
A High Octane Offense - Michigan State led the Big Ten and ranked 13th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 78.5 points per game. It was MSU's highest scoring-offense since the 1985-86 Spartans averaged 83.1 points. The Spartans return three of their top four scorers and a starting point guard to help key the attack. This year, MSU is averaging 81.8 points per contest.
America's Best Backcourt - Lindy's College Basketball preseason magazine ranked Michigan State's backcourt the best in the nation: "The backcourt was solid enough to get the Spartans to the Final Four last season and that should be the case again in 2006. Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager will be the `wings' and either could be defined as a `shooting guard,' if you like to see players locked into position descriptions. They're both explosive enough to jump over the top or drive past any variety of defender. Drew Neitzel was solid the last half of the season as the team's playmaker and should be much improved as a sophomore."
Izzo's Busy Summer - In addition to the always-busy summer recruiting season, Coach Tom Izzo enjoyed a few unique opportunities. In July, he had the opportunity to play golf with Tiger Woods at the Buick Open Pro-Am, prompting Woods to say "he's a guy that if I was playing ball, he's the type of guy that I'd want to go play for.' In mid-August, Izzo was one of a select number of coaches at Michael Jordan's Senior Flight School. The summer closed with Izzo traveling to Kuwait to take part in "Operation Hardwood - Hoops With The Troops." Izzo was one of eight coaches and sports personalities coaching 13-member military basketball teams on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, from Aug. 27-31. Camp Arifjan defeated the other bases to win the championship under the direction of Coach Izzo.
Home To Mr. Basketball - Five of the last seven 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 through Dec. 3)
Alan Anderson (Charlotte): 3 GP, 9.0 mpg, 3.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 1.3 apg Charlie Bell (Milwaukee): 14 GP, 11.5 mpg, 4.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.7 apg Mateen Cleaves (Seattle): 11 GP, 13.0 mpg, 5.3 ppg, 0.4 rpg, 2.4 apg Morris Peterson (Toronto): 18 GP, 13 GS, 31.4 mpg, 13.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 15 GP, 15 GS, 37.8 mpg, 18.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.9 apg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 18 GP, 18 GS, 38.6 mpg, 22.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 apg Eric Snow (Cleveland): 16 GP, 16 GS, 26.4 mpg, 3.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.9 apg
