Men's Basketball Faces Another Road Test
12/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#10/11 Michigan State (9-2)vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay (4-6)
Dec. 21, 20058 p.m. ESTGreen Bay, Wis.Resch Center (9,877)
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 Adamle (Play by Play), Greg Kelser (Color)
Michigan State-UWGB will be televised on the following affiliates through ESPN Plus: Detroit - WKBD; Grand Rapids/K'zoo/Battle Creek - WXSP; Lansing - WLAJ; South Bend-Elkhart - WAAT; Denver - Altitude. In addition, it will be carried nationally on ESPNU.
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
After back-to-back home games, Michigan State travels to Wisconsin-Green Bay for its eighth game away from home. The Spartans have won their last eight contests, marking their longest winning streak since the 2000-01 season. Playing in Green Bay is almost a trip home for Spartan head coach Tom Izzo, whose hometown of Iron Mountain, Mich., is less than 100 miles away. After the UWGB contest, the Spartans will get a few days off to enjoy the holiday season.
The Starting Five
Ager And Davis In Select Company - Maurice Ager (21.4) and Paul Davis (20.6) 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 20.6 points and 10.3 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 just 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 grabbed 11 rebounds against Florida International to move into the top 10 in career rebounds at Michigan State with 722. Davis also ranks among the Spartan career leaders in several other categories, including sixth in free throws (377), eighth in free-throw attempts (510), 10th in blocked shots (65) and 17th in scoring (1,367 points).
Lending A Helping Hand - Drew Neitzel has a 7.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last five games. His best effort in that stretch was a nine assist, one turnover effort against Arkansas-Little Rock. He had five assists and no turnovers against Boston College and Florida International, five assists and only one turnover against Wichita State and six assists and two turnovers against Cleveland State.
Ager Hits The Boards - Through the first 99 games of his career, Maurice Ager had never grabbed more than nine rebounds. In his 100th career game, Ager grabbed 10 boards against Cleveland State. He bettered that effort in game No. 101, recording 14 boards against Florida International. In the last two games, he has raised his rebounding average from 2.8 to 4.5 boards per contest.
Wisconsin-Green Bay Notes
Coach Kowalczyk - Tod Kowalczyk (Minnesota-Duluth, '89) is 48-48 in his fourth season at Wisconsin-Green Bay. Prior to taking the UWGB position, Kowalczyk served two years as an assistant at Marquette under former MSU assistant Tom Crean.
Phoenix Notes - Wisconsin-Green Bay is 3-0 at home this season ... Six players are averaging more than six points per game, but Ryan Evanochko (15.6 ppg) is the only player averaging double figures ... UWGB's probable starting lineup features three freshmen
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Wisconsin-Green Bay, 3-0. The two teams have never played in Green Bay. MSU won the last meeting, 104-46, on Nov. 23, 2004. Six Spartans scored in double figures, led by 18 from Alan Anderson and 16 points and 11 rebounds from Paul Davis. MSU held a 49-26 advantage on the boards. In the 1991 NCAA Tournament, No. 5 seed Michigan State defeated No. 12 UWGB, 60-58.
Game 11 Notes - Michigan State 85 - Florida International 58
* Maurice Ager (18 points, 14 rebounds) and Paul Davis (18 points, 11 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles for the second straight game. For Ager it was his second-career double-double, while it was the 20th of Davis' career and seventh this season.
* Ager's 14 rebounds were a career high and tied the most by a Spartan this season.
* Shannon Brown tied his career high with five 3-pointers, equalling his effort against Kentucky in the 2005 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
* Brown scored 20 points after scoring 27 against Cleveland State, marking the first back-to-back 20-point games of his career.
* Michigan State out-rebounded Florida International, 51-26. The +25 margin was the greatest of the season for MSU, bettering a +20 effort against Arizona.
* MSU's defense held Florida International to just 58 points and 31.0 percent shooting, both season lows for Spartan opponents.
* FIU shot 11-of-22 from 3-point range, but just 7-of-36 from inside the arc.
* MSU recorded an assist on 21 of its 27 baskets, marking its highest percentage (77.8 percent) of the season.
* MSU's 27-point margin of victory was its greatest of the season.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 11th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 242-99 (.710), 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 138-19 (.879) in the Breslin Center, including a 103-7 (.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 five 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 18.3 minutes, 2.5 points and 3.8 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.
Money At The Charity Stripe - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage, shooting .801 (205-of-256). MSU also leads the conference in free throws made (205) and attempted (256). Drew Neitzel (.882) and Paul Davis (.870) 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 11 games, Maurice Ager (34.5 minutes), Shannon Brown (33.9 mpg), Paul Davis (31.9 mpg) and Drew Neitzel (31.4 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.
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 28 assists and 17 turnovers in the last six contests. In fact, he recorded a career-best six assists against Boston College. He has recorded five assists or more in five of the last six games, after having never tallied more than four in the first 95 games of his career.
1,000-Point Spartans - Earlier this season, Maurice Ager became the 35th player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 career points. With 1,133 points, he joins Paul Davis (1,367 points) as current Spartans over 1,000. Davis ranks 17th in career scoring, while Ager ranks 29th. Ager needs 14 points to pass Pete Gent (1,146 points), while Davis needs 11 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 784 points.
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 11 games, the trio has not disappointed, averaging a combined 58.9 points, or 71.7 percent, of MSU's 82.1 points per game.
Mr. Double-Double - With seven double-doubles in the first 11 games of this season, Paul Davis has now recorded a double-double in 15 of the last 26 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 21.4 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 10.3 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 19.5 minutes, 1.5 points and 3.1 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 4.9 points and the second-leading rebounder at 4.2 boards in 20.5 minutes per contest. Gray is averaging 3.5 points and 3.6 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 9.0 points and 6.5 shots per game, while maintaining a 2.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
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.
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."
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 82.1 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.
Spartans In The NBA - Listed below is an update on seven former Spartans currently on NBA rosters: (Stats through Dec. 17)
Alan Anderson (Charlotte): 4 GP, 7.8 mpg, 2.3 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 1.0 apg Charlie Bell (Milwaukee): 18 GP, 12.2 mpg, 4.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.9 apg Mateen Cleaves (Seattle): 14 GP, 10.9 mpg, 4.4 ppg, 0.4 rpg, 2.0 apg Morris Peterson (Toronto): 23 GP, 18 GS, 32.0 mpg, 13.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.3 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 22 GP, 21 GS, 36.5 mpg, 17.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.0 apg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 23 GP, 23 GS, 39.1 mpg, 22.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.6 apg Eric Snow (Cleveland): 22 GP, 22 GS, 27.3 mpg, 4.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.1 apg
