Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Set To Play Texas In College Hoops Classic
11/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches Vs. Cancer
vs. Texas (2-0)
November 16, 2006
9:30 p.m. EST
New York, N.Y.
Madison Square Garden
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM TV: ESPN2 - Dave Pasch (Play by Play), Len Elmore (Color), Heather Cox (Sidelines)
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
After capturing the East Lansing Regional of the College Hoops Classic with victories over Brown and Youngstown State, the Spartans are ready to play the Championship Rounds in New York City. Michigan State and Texas are very similar in that they both lost a lot of their experience, scoring and rebounding from last year. MSU fills the void with a mix of returners and freshman, while UT leans heavily on first-year players.
The Starting Five
1. East Lansing Regional Recap - Michigan State defeated Brown (45-34) and Youngstown State (86-61) to advance to the Championship Rounds of the College Hoops Classic. In the season opener, MSU managed to score just 45 points, but held Brown to 34, the lowest total by a Spartan opponent since Northwestern scored 29 on Jan. 27, 2000. The next day, the Spartan offense erupted for 86 points, with Drew Neitzel's four 3-pointers to open the game, serving as the catalyst. As a team, Michigan State shot 60.8 percent from the field, while holding YSU to 36.5 percent shooting. The Spartan offense scored more points in the second half (46) than it did in the entire game against Brown. Drew Neitzel was named East Lansing Regional MVP.
2. A Stingy Defense - Through three games, Michigan State leads the Big Ten in scoring defense (45.3 ppg) and field-goal percentage defense (.320), while ranking tied for second in blocked shots (5.33 bpg) and third in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.281).
3. Morgan In Select Company - Raymar Morgan is just the second freshman in MSU history to score 10 points or more in each of his first three games, joining Sam Vincent (1981-82). Morgan has scored 10 points in each of his first three games. No Spartan freshman has done it in his first four contests.
4. Hitting The Boards - Michigan State has made a commitment to rebounding in 2006-07 and it has come to the forefront in the first few games of the regular season, as the Spartans boast a +14.7 rebounding margin through three games. MSU out-rebounded Brown, 36-20, in the season opener. The Spartans were even more impressive against Youngstown State, out-rebounding the Penguins, 39-18. In the game, MSU had 15 offensive rebounds, compared to just nine defensive boards for YSU.
5. Playing For A Good Cause - The 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches Vs. Cancer is in its 11 year as the signature event for the Coaches Vs. Cancer program. Since 1996, the tournament has raised over $2.8 million for Coaches Vs. Cancer. Coaches Vs. Cancer, a collaboration between the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society, exists to leverage the strength, community leadership and celebrity of the country's basketball coaches to raise awareness and in turn, reduce cancer risk through education programs while raising funds for the fight against cancer. More than $12 million have been raised since 1994.
MSU vs. Texas Notes
Series History - Texas leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 2-0, with both games having been played on a neutral court. The Longhorns defeated MSU, 81-74, on Nov. 27, 1999 in the Puerto Rico Shootout, and 85-76 on March 30, 2003 in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in San Antonio.
Coach Barnes - Rick Barnes (Lenoir-Rhyne, '77) is 395-210 overall in his 20th season as a collegiate head coach, including 193-76 in nine seasons at Texas. His coaching career also includes stints at George Mason, Providence, Clemson and Texas. Along the way he has guided his teams to a total of 14 NCAA and three NIT appearances.
How They Got To New York - Texas advanced to New York with two victories in the Austin Regional by an average margin of victory of +42.5 points. In the regional semifinal, UT defeated Alcorn State, 103-44, behind 20 points from freshman Kevin Durant. In the second game, the Longhorns used a 28-point effort from A.J. Abrams to defeat Chicago State, 92-66.
Longhorn Notes - Like Michigan State, Texas had three players drafted in the 2006 NBA Draft (LaMarcus Aldridge, P.J. Tucker and Daniel Gibson) ... The Longhorns return just 14 percent of their scoring, 10 percent of their rebounding and 17 percent of their minutes played from last season ... Texas' roster features seven true freshmen and the probable starting lineup consists of three freshmen and two sophomores.
The Last Meeting - Texas defeated Michigan State, 85-76, in the 2003 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight on March 30, 2003 in San Antonio. Texas led 43-38 at the half. There were seven occasions in the second half where MSU trailed by just five points, but could never get the defensive stop or the offensive basket it needed to put a dent in the lead. UT was able to secure its victory by making 24-of-30 free-throw attempts in the second half, 29-of-38 for the game. Longhorn guard T.J. Ford led all scorers with 19 points and added 10 assists. MSU was led by freshman Paul Davis with 15 points and seven rebounds. For MSU, it was the fourth appearance in an Elite Eight in five seasons.
MSU vs. Maryland Notes
Series History - The Spartans hold a 2-0 advantage in all-time meetings against the Terrapins, with the most recent victory for MSU in the Sweet Sixteen on March 28, 2003. Michigan State narrowly defeated Maryland, 60-58, to advance to the Elite Eight.
Coach Williams - Gary Williams (Maryland, `68) is in his 29th season as a collegiate head coach, and has amassed a record of 560-319 in 28 years. In his 17 seasons with the Terrapins, Williams has compiled a 353-191 mark, which includes a 22-10 record and one championship (2002) in the NCAA Tournament.
Terrapin Notes - The Maryland Terrapins are led in scoring by senior D.J. Strawberry (16.7 ppg) ... Maryland is averaging 10.3 steals, with Strawberry also leading the team with 12 steals this season ... The Terrapins have five players averaging over 5.0 rebounds per game, and hold a +8.0 rebound margin over opponents in their first three games ... Senior Ekene Ibekwe leads the team in rebounding at 6.3 rpg.
How They Got To New York - Maryland opened the college basketball season with a 102-75 win over Hampton, followed by a 81-63 victory over Vermont.
MSU vs. St. John's Notes
Series History - The Red Storm holds a 2-0 advantage over the Spartans in all-time meetings. St. John's came away with a 88-73 win, in the most recent meeting on Dec. 1, 1979 in Queens, N.Y.
Coach Roberts - Norm Roberts (Queens College, `87) is in his third year as a collegiate head coach. Roberts compiled a 21-33 record in his first two seasons at St. John's. A longtime assistant under current University of Kansas head coach Bill Self, Roberts arrived at St. John's after serving one year as the Associate Head Men's Basketball Coach for the Jayhawks. Roberts served under Self at three different institutions, with one year at Illinois as the Associate Head Coach (2002-03) and two years as an assistant coach (2000-01 to 2001-02), three seasons on staff at Tulsa (1997-2000) and two years at Oral Roberts (1995-97).
Red Storm Notes - Avery Patterson led the Red Storm, averaging 19.5 points, in the team's first two games of the season ... Of Patterson's 39 points, 36 have come off three point shots ... Lamont Hamilton is the current team leader for rebounds, averaging 7.5 rpg, and follows Patterson in points, averaging 12.5 ppg.
How They Got To New York - St. John's earned the short bus ride to Madison Square Garden with back-to-back wins over North Florida (74-53) and Navy (72-49).
Game #3 Notes - MSU 73 - The Citadel 41
* With 10 points Raymar Morgan joined Sam Vincent as the only two freshmen in Spartan history to open their career with three straight games scoring in double figures.
* After not scoring in the first two games of the season, freshman Isaiah Dahlman scored 10 points against the Bulldogs.
* Michigan State committed just 10 turnovers, after averaging 18.0 through the first two games.
* MSU out-rebounded The Citadel, 36-29, but the Bulldogs did grab 16 offensive boards.
* MSU improved to 49-3 at home in the month of November.
* The Citadel shot just 29.4 percent from the field, the lowest percentage by a Spartan opponent since Iowa shot 28.8 percent on Feb. 5, 2005.
Michigan State Notes
What A Difference A Year Makes - After a quiet freshman season, MSU guard Maurice Joseph has opened his sophomore campaign with a bang. Through three games, he has scored 37 points (12.3 ppg) in 69 minutes (23.0 mpg), including a career-best 16 points vs. Youngstown State. In 2005-06, Joseph scored 16 points for the entire season, playing just 54 minutes. Joseph is just one example of a player having made giant strides for the Spartans since last year. Drew Naymick (14 vs. YSU) and Travis Walton (11 vs. YSU) have also posted career highs in scoring this season. In fact, Naymick scored more points against Youngstown State (14), than he did in the seven games he played last season (8).
MSU In November - Michigan State has an all-time record of 68-20 in games played in the month of November. This year, however, marks the earliest start ever to a regular season. Prior to this year, the earliest start was Nov. 12, 2001, against Detroit in the Preseason NIT.
A Familiar Situation - While much is made of Michigan State losing three starters to the 2006 NBA Draft, it's encouraging to know that the Spartans are not in an unfamiliar setting. On the stat sheet, MSU returns just 22.4 percent of their points, 30.8 percent of their rebounds, and 40.5 percent of their minutes from last year's team. By comparison, the 2001-02 team returned just 19.0 percent of the points, 18.0 percent of the rebounds and 26.3 percent of the minutes from the 2001 team that won the Big Ten and advanced to the Final Four. In 2002, the Spartans finished just one game out of first place and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The key was that players stepped up their level of performance: Marcus Taylor went from averaging 7.4 points to being a first-team all-league selection, and Adam Ballinger increased his scoring average from 1.9 ppg to 11.2, securing third-team All-Big Ten accolades.
Backcourt Leadership - Michigan State will be led in 2006-07 by the backcourt duo of Drew Neitzel and Travis Walton, having been voted co-captains by their teammates. Neitzel is MSU's leading returning scorer, having averaged 8.3 points per game last season. He also led the Big Ten in assists in conference games, dishing out 5.56 helpers per contest. Although just a sophomore, Walton is an unquestioned leader on the Spartan squad. He averaged just 1.8 points and 2.4 assists last year, but in just under 20 minutes per game, he provided good defense and solid leadership. Walton becomes the third sophomore captain under head coach Tom Izzo, joining Antonio Smith in 1996-97 and Mateen Cleaves in 1997-98.
Winning Freshmen - If there is one common trait for freshmen Isaiah Dahlman, Tom Herzog and Raymar Morgan, it is that they are all winners. Over the last two years, the trio posted a combined mark of 152-8 with their high school teams, winning a combined four state championships. Dahlman was 95-4 over the last three years, including winning 65-straight games at one point, while Braham Area won three-consecutive Minnesota 2A state championships. Morgan led Canton McKinley to back-to-back Ohio Division 1 state championships, becoming the first school to win two straight crowns in Ohio's largest division since 1974. Herzog was 37-3 over the last two seasons, winning a district championship in 2005.
Neitzel On Cousy List - Junior point guard Drew Neitzel is one of 36 Division I candidates for the 2007 Bob Cousy Award. Presented annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the award recognizes the top collegiate point guard participating in NCAA Divisions I, II and III. As a sophomore, Neitzel ranked third in the Big Ten in overall assists (5.56 apg) and tied for the conference lead in league games (5.56 apg). Additionally, he led the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.78). The selection committee is comprised of college basketball experts including media members, former coaches and players. Candidates are evaluated on their ability to maximize their team's collective potential, their leadership, their core basketball skills and overall team acheivement. Wisconsin's Kammron Taylor is the only other Big Ten player on the list, which also includes two Division II and one Division III candidates.
Looking For No. 10 - Last year, Michigan State made a ninth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. It is the longest current streak among Big Ten schools and fifth longest in the nation. Only Arizona (22), Kansas (17), Kentucky (15) and Duke (11) have longer current streaks.
Tough Competition - Michigan State will play nine teams that appeared in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, including five league foes (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State and Wisconsin) and four non-conference teams (Belmont, Boston College, Bradley and Texas). In addition, five other opponents appeared in the 2006 NIT (BYU, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and Penn State), making it likely that 20 of the Spartans' 31 regular-season games will be against team that played in the 2006 postseason. For comparison, Michigan State played eight 2005 NCAA Tournament teams last season, six 2004 NCAA Tournament teams in 2004-05 and 10 2003 NCAA Tournament teams in 2003-04, a year which featured one of the most difficult schedules in recent college basketball history.
Spartans On TV - Michigan State will have a minimum of 24 games televised in 2006-07, including at least 12 on national television networks (ESPN - 6, CBS - 3, ESPN2 - 2, ESPNU - 1). In addition, if MSU advances to the Coaches vs. Cancer semifinals in New York, two more games will be carried on ESPN2. Plus, the final two regular-season games could be picked up by national networks. Michigan State has appeared on CBS 71 times and on ESPN and ESPN2 91 times since 1997-98. Over the last nine years, MSU has averaged 29 televised games per year, including 18 per season on national television networks.
Spartans In The NBA - Nine former Spartans were on NBA rosters on opening day of the 2006-07 season. They include Maurice Ager (Dallas Mavericks), Alan Anderson (Charlotte Bobcats), Charlie Bell (Milwaukee Bucks), Shannon Brown (Cleveland Cavaliers), Paul Davis (Los Angeles Clippers), Morris Peterson (Toronto Raptors), Zach Randolph (Portland Trail Blazers), Jason Richardson (Golden State Warriors) and Eric Snow (Cleveland Cavaliers). The nine active players gives MSU the most of any Big Ten school and ranks tied for fifth in the nation behind UConn (14), Duke (13), North Carolina (12) and Arizona (10). UCLA also has nine active players.
Experience In The Front Court - While Drew Neitzel is the only full-time returning starter for Michigan State, there are three Spartans in the frontcourt that gained starting experience in 2005-06, combining for 22 starts. Red-shirt junior Drew Naymick started the first seven games of the season before a shoulder injury forced him to miss the rest of the year. Red-shirt sophomore Marquise Gray started nine contests as an athletic power forward, while classmate Goran Suton used his wide array of skills to earn the starting job in six games, including all four postseason contests.
Spartans In The NBA Draft - With three Spartans selected in the 2006 NBA Draft, Michigan State has had 10 players drafted in the last seven drafts, ranking behind only Connecticut (11) and Duke (11). With Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown being selected in the first round, the Spartans have produced six first rounders in the last seven years, ranking behind only Connecticut (8) and Duke (7) and tied with North Carolina.
Winning The Right Way - In Tom Izzo's 11 full years directing the Spartan program, 82 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last seven years, 21 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees, including five each in 2001 and 2003.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 12th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 258-109 (.703), and 125-55 (.694) 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 as a head coach, 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.
Among The Big Ten's Best - Tom Izzo's .694 winning percentage in Big Ten games ranks second all-time among league coaches with at least 10 years of service, behind former Indiana coach Bob Knight (.700). In all games, Knight ranks first at .734, followed by Wisconsin's Walter Meanwell (.712), Purdue's Ward Lambert (.709) and Izzo (.703). With 125 conference victories, Izzo is currently tied for 13th all-time with former Iowa head coach Tom Davis.
Izzo Among Best Ever - Through his first 11 seasons, Tom Izzo won 255 games, ranking ninth in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 11 years.
Graduating Student-Athletes - In Tom Izzo's 11 full years directing the Spartan program, 82 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last seven years, 21 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees, including five each in 2001 and 2003.
Izzo's Coaching Tree - Five current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Tom Crean (Marquette), Brian Gregory (Dayton), Stan Heath (Arkansas), Stan Joplin (Toledo) and Doug Wojcik (Tulsa). Gregory is in his fourth 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 second season at Tulsa. Former assistant Mike Garland served as head coach at Cleveland State for three seasons after leaving Izzo's staff in 2003. He is currently an assistant coach at SMU.
Vs. Ranked Opponents - Tom Izzo has a career record of 59-54 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. This includes a 52-43 record since 1997-98.
