Spartans Get Final Tune-Up Before Big Ten Play
12/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#9/9 Michigan State (11-2)vs. Coppin State (0-10)
Dec. 31, 20051 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), Tim McCormick (Color)
Michigan State-Coppin State will be televised locally on the following affiliates through ESPN Plus: Detroit - WKBD; Grand Rapids/K'zoo/Battle Creek - WXSP; South Bend-Elkhart - WAAT; Lansing - WLAJ; Traverse City/Cadillac - WFQX
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
The Spartans enter their final non-conference game of the season on a 10-game winning streak, the longest since 2001 and the fourth longest of Tom Izzo's coaching tenure. Michigan State is facing a Coppin State squad that has not played a home game this season. Following this game, MSU will open the Big Ten season with four of its first six games on the road, including road contests at Illinois and Wisconsin next week. The Spartans' first four Big Ten games will also be against teams ranked in the top 25.
The Starting Five (And A Sixth Man)
Spartans Are Streaking - Michigan State has won 10 games in a row entering the Coppin State contest. It marks the fourth-longest one-season winning streak of Tom Izzo's coaching career, and the longest since opening the 2000-01 season with 12 straight victories. In 1998-99, the Spartans won 22 in a row after losing the Big Ten opener. Michigan State closed out the 1999-2000 season by winning its final 11 games en route to the NCAA Championship. Over the course of two seasons, MSU won 23 straight games at the end of 1999-2000 and the start of 2000-01.
Ager Leads Big Ten - Maurice Ager leads the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 21.8 points per game. Northwestern's Vedran Vukusic is second at 21.7 ppg, while Ager's teammates Paul Davis (20.2 ppg) and Shannon Brown (17.3 ppg) rank fourth and sixth, respectively. A Spartan has not led the league in overall scoring since Shawn Respert's 25.6 ppg paced the conference in 1995. Marcus Taylor led the league in scoring in conference games in 2002, averaging 17.7 ppg.
Non-Conference Victories - Michigan State has won 11 non-conference games, tying the school record since joining the Big Ten in 1950-51. A win over Coppin State would make the 2005-06 Spartans the first team in school history to win 12 non-conference games. The 1989-90, 1998-99 and 2000-01 squads also won 11 non-conference games during the regular season.
Safe At Home - Since the start of the 1998-99 season, MSU has won 104 of its last 111 regular-season games in Breslin, a winning percentage of .937. MSU has sold out 117 consecutive regular-season games at the Breslin Center.
Defending The Three - Through the first 11 games, Michigan State was allowing opponents to shoot 38.9 percent from 3-point range. The defense has improved remarkably over the last two games, allowing Wisconsin-Green Bay and Tennesseee Tech to shoot a combined 18.2 percent (8-of-44) from behind the arc.
Happy New Year - Entering today's game, Michigan State has posted a 29-7 record in the 2005 calendar year. MSU finished the 2004-05 season with an 18-5 mark in 2005, advancing to the 2005 NCAA Final Four. The Spartans are 11-2 in the first part of the 2005-06 season. MSU is playing its first game on New Year's Eve since 1958 and its first home game on New Year's Eve since 1940.
Coppin State Notes
Coach Mitchell - Ron "Fang" Mitchell (Edison State, '84) is 318-253 in his 20th season at Coppin State. In 1997, he led the Eagles to an upset of South Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. His coaching career also includes an eight-year stint as head coach at Gloucester County College.
Eagle Notes - Coppin State University is located in Baltimore, Md., and is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference ... The Eagles have no seniors and just three juniors on their roster ... 10 different players have started a game ... Three different Eagles are averaging double figures in scoring, led by Tywain McKee at 12.7 points per game ... Coppin State has not played a home game this year, playing seven road games and three neutral-site contests ... The Eagles are shooting just 36.8 percent from the field this season, while allowing opponents to shoot 50.8 percent.
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series, 1-0. The Spartans defeated the Eagles, 78-72, on Dec. 30, 2003, behind 22 points from Paul Davis and 21 from Kelvin Torbert.
Game 13 Notes - Michigan State 80 - Tennessee Tech 63
* After shooting 35.7 percent in the first half, Michigan State shot 56.7 percent in the second half.
* For the first time this season, all five Michigan State starters scored in double figures.
* Marquise Gray posted season highs in points (10) and rebounds (9), while Shannon Brown grabbed a season-high eight boards.
* Michigan State opened the second half with a 20-6 run to turn a 28-25 halftime advantage into a 48-31 lead.
* Michigan State grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, the most by the Spartans in a regulation game. (MSU grabbed 18 offensive boards in the triple-overtime game with Gonzaga.)
* Michigan State attempted a season-high 35 free throws, but converted just 22 (62.9 percent).
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 11th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 244-99 (.711), 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 139-19 (.880) in the Breslin Center, including a 104-7 (.937) 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
A High Octane Offense - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 83.2 points per game. It's the highest scoring average at MSU since the 1964-65 squad averaged 85.9 points per contest. According to the most recent NCAA stats (Dec. 19), MSU ranks 20th in the nation at 82.1 ppg. Last season, MSU 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.
Statistical Leaders - A quick glance at the Big Ten stats (through Dec. 28) will find several Spartans at the top of nearly every category. Michigan State players are leading the conference in scoring (Maurice Ager - 21.7 ppg), assists (Drew Neitzel - 5.62 apg) and defensive rebounds (Paul Davis - 6.85 drpg). Davis (20.2 ppg) and Shannon Brown (17.3 ppg), rank fourth and sixth, respectively, in scoring. Davis ranks second in rebounding (9.8 rpg) and free-throw percentage (.880) and fourth in field-goal percentage (.632), while Brown ranks fourth in the league in steals (1.85 spg) and tied for fourth in free-throw percentage (.833). Ager is third in minutes played (34.38 mpg) and fifth in 3-point field goals made (2.38) and Neitzel is fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.52).
What Can Brown Do For You? - Shannon Brown was named the men's basketball Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 26. Brown led the Spartans with 26 points in a 98-69 road win at Wisconsin-Green Bay on Dec. 21, and dished out a career best eight assists while committing no turnovers. He shot 9-of-13 from the field against the Phoenix, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, establishing career highs for field goals and 3-point field goals. The game marked the third straight contest in which Brown led the team in scoring, recording 20 points or more in all three games.
Davis Among Career Leaders - Paul Davis ranks among the Michigan State career leaders in several different statistical categories, including free throws (5th, 383), free throws attempted (7th, 516), rebounds (9th, 736), field-goal percentage (10th, .542), blocked shots (t-9th, 68) and scoring (13th, 1,402). (For complete charts, see sidebars on pages 5-6.)
Ager And Davis In Select Company - Maurice Ager (21.8) and Paul Davis (20.2) 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. 19). They are joined by Gonzaga's Adam Morrison (28.4) and J. P. Batista (20.1) and Villanova's Randy Foye (22.0) and Allan Ray (20.4). In the 106 previous seasons of Spartan basketball, two players have never averaged 20 points in the same season.
Lending A Helping Hand - Drew Neitzel leads the Big Ten in assists, averaging 5.62 per game. Over the last seven games, he has a 4.0-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His best effort in that stretch was a nine assist, one turnover effort against Arkansas-Little Rock.
Money At The Charity Stripe - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage, shooting .782 (240-of-307). MSU also leads the conference in free throws made (240) and attempted (307). Drew Neitzel (.895) and Paul Davis (.880) pace the Spartans, as Davis ranks second in the Big Ten (Neitzel does not have enough makes to qualify). 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.
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 13 games, the trio has not disappointed, averaging a combined 59.2 points, or 71.2 percent, of MSU's 83.2 points per game. The trio has each scored 20 points or more in two of the last four games (vs. Cleveland State and UW-Green Bay), accomplishing a feat that had not been done at MSU since Feb. 15, 2000.
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 four games, he has raised his rebounding average from 2.8 to 4.6 boards per contest.
Playing A Lot Of Minutes - Through the first 13 games, Maurice Ager (34.4 minutes), Shannon Brown (34.0 mpg), Paul Davis (31.2 mpg) and Drew Neitzel (31.2 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.
Trannon's Addition - Senior forward Matt Trannon has played in six games since joining the basketball team after the conclusion of the football season. Prior to sitting out the Tennessee Tech contest with a sprained ankle, he had averaged 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 16.5 minutes. 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. He scored a career-high 10 points against Wisconsin-Green Bay. During the football season, he ranked second on the team in receptions, with 40 for 573 yards and four touchdowns.
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 35 assists and 22 turnovers in the last eight 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 eight 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 1,181 points, he joins Paul Davis (1,402 points) as current Spartans over 1,000. Davis ranks 13th in career scoring, while Ager ranks 26th. Ager needs five points to pass Mike Peplowski (1,185 points) and 15 to pass Alan Anderson and Kelvin Torbert (1,195 points) while Davis needs 67 points to pass Charlie Bell (1,468 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 823 points.
Mr. Double-Double - With seven double-doubles in the first 13 games of this season, Paul Davis has now recorded a double-double in 15 of the last 28 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 13 games, a few Spartans are putting up impressive numbers in the early going. Maurice Ager is currently averaging 21.8 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 9.8 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 19.4 minutes, 1.7 points and 2.9 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 4.3 points and the fourth-leading rebounder at 4.0 boards in 19.2 minutes per contest. Gray is averaging 4.0 points and ranks third on the team with 4.1 boards per game and has started four 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 9.2 points and 6.8 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.
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.
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. 26)
Alan Anderson (Charlotte): 5 GP, 7.0 mpg, 1.8 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): 17 GP, 9.8 mpg, 3.6 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 1.7 apg Morris Peterson (Toronto): 27 GP, 22 GS, 33.4 mpg, 13.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.6 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 26 GP, 25 GS, 35.9 mpg, 18.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.8 apg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 28 GP, 28 GS, 38.9 mpg, 22.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.6 apg Eric Snow (Cleveland): 26 GP, 26 GS, 27.3 mpg, 4.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 4.2 apg
