Spartans Conclude Non-Conference Action Against Loyola
12/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#-/25 Michigan State (12-2)
vs. Loyola (Md.) (5-5)
December 30, 2006
12 p.m. EST
East Lansing, Mich.
Breslin Center
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM
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Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
Michigan State hosts Loyola College in the final non-conference game of the regular season for the Spartans. With a victory, MSU would establish a new school record for regular-season non-conference victories. In the week ahead, the Spartans open the Big Ten season with road games at Iowa and Indiana. MSU is currently 10-0 at the Breslin Center, while the Greyhounds are 2-3 on the road, although they were leading at Northwestern at the half in their last game on Wednesday.
The Starting Five
1. Nitro's New Role - Last season, Drew Neitzel ranked among the Big Ten leaders in assists, but averaged just 8.3 points per game and attempted just 7.1 shots per game as he distributed the ball to three future NBA players. This year, Neitzel is averaging a team-best 18.9 points per game. In eight of the last 10 games, Neitzel has scored 20 or more, averaging 20.9 points over those 10 contests. He is averaging 13.0 shots and 4.2 free-throw attempts per game. Despite taking more shots, he is shooting a career-best 45.6 percent from the field, including 43.0 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhile, he has continued to be a distributor of the ball, averaging 4.4 assists per contest. For his efforts, Neitzel was named the co-Big Ten Player of the Week in on Nov. 20 and Nov. 27. He ranks first in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals made (3.29 pg), second in free-throw percentage (.898), fourth in scoring (18.9 ppg) and minutes played (34.07 mpg), seventh in assists (4.43 apg), ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.68) and 3-point field-goal percentage (.430).
2. Neitzel Among All-Time Assists Leaders - Drew Neitzel ranks 10th in MSU history with 348 career assists. Neitzel needs two assists to pass Kevin Smith (349) for ninth place all-time at MSU.
3. Walton's Improved Play - Sophomore co-captain Travis Walton has been asked to carry a lot of the point guard duties this season. He has responded by posting a 2.60 assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking second in the Big Ten, while ranking fourth in the league in assists (5.57 apg). In his last game against UW-Green Bay, Walton recorded eight assists, no turnovers and three steals, while shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the field. He dished out a career-high nine assists against Bradley, while also scoring a career-best 15 points. He has seven games with seven or more assists and four games scoring in double-figures, after not scoring more than seven in a game last season. In addition, Walton usually draws the opponent's top perimeter player as a defensive assignment.
4. Non-Conference Victories - Michigan State has won 12 non-conference games, tying last year's squad for the school record for regular-season non-conference victories since joining the Big Ten in 1950-51. A win over Loyola would establish a new school record. The 1989-90, 1998-99 and 2000-01 squads won 11 non-conference games during the regular season.
5. From Way Downtown - Michigan State leads the Big Ten Conference in 3-point field-goal percentage, connecting on 42.0 percent of its attempts from behind the arc. It also ranks 12th in the nation according to the Dec. 18 NCAA statistics. Coach Tom Izzo credits the success in large part to the right players attempting the shots, as just five Spartans have made more than one. Drew Neitzel (46-107, .430) and Maurice Joseph (22-49, . 449) are MSU's two most prolific long-range shooters.
MSU vs. Loyola Notes
Series History - This will be the first ever meeting between Michigan State and Loyola College.
Coach Patsos - Jimmy Patsos (Catholic, '89) is 26-40 in his third season at Loyola College. Prior to becoming a head coach, Patsos served as an assistant coach at Maryland for 13 seasons.
Greyhound Notes - Loyola College is located in Baltimore, Md. ... The Greyhounds feature four players averaging double figures in points, led by Gerald Brown at 21.0 points per game ... Loyola's active roster now includes Omari Isreal, who has played in the last two games after transferring from Notre Dame last season. Isreal has averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in two games ... Most recently, Loyola lost at Northwestern, 66-60, after leading by seven points at the half ... Loyola is averaging 8.5 steals per game.
Same Name, Different School - Although this is the first meeting between Michigan State and Loyola College of Maryland, it is not the first time the Spartans will face a team called Loyola. In fact, this is the fourth different opponent by that name. MSU is 8-2 against Loyola (Chicago), 1-1 against Loyola (La.) and 2-0 against Loyola Marymount.
Game #14 Notes - Michigan State 76 - UW-Green Bay 64
* Michigan State committed a season-low seven turnovers, marking the fewest by a Spartan team since committing five against Wisconsin on March 13, 2004.
* Goran Suton posted his third career double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds.
* Suton's 15 rebounds marked a career high, and were the most by a Spartan since Paul Davis grabbed 16 against North Carolina in the 2005 Final Four.
* Travis Walton dished out eight assists, while committing no turnovers, and had a perfect shooting day (4-of-4 from the field, including a 3-pointer, and 2-of-2 at the foul line).
* Although MSU never trailed, UWGB cut the lead to two points at 45-43 with 12:56 left in the game. The Spartans responded with a 12-5 run to push the lead back to 57-48.
Michigan State Notes
Neitzel's Second Halves - As a general rule, Drew Neitzel has been a more explosive scorer in the second half. Through 14 games, Neitzel is averaging 7.3 points in the first half and 11.6 after halftime. Recently, he scored 11 points in the first half against Chicago State and 21 after the break, followed by a two-point first half and 18-point second against Belmont. Earlier this season, he followed a four-point first half vs. Maryland with 17 points in the second. In four games this season, Neitzel has scored at least 10 more points in the second half than he did in the first. On the flip side, however, he has also shown a knack for some quick starts. He knocked down four first-half 3-pointers against Youngstown State and Vermont and three in the first against IPFW and Chicago State.
Spartan Defense Among Big Ten's Best - Michigan State ranks among the top defensive teams in the Big Ten. The Spartans lead the league in field-goal percentage defense (.367), while ranking second in scoring defense (54.5 ppg) and blocked shots (6.00 bpg) and fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.301). Maryland shot a season-high 54.8 percent from the field, and is the only one of MSU's 14 opponents to shoot better than 46 percent from the field, as 11 opponents have shot below 40 percent. The Spartans have held four opponents (Brown, The Citadel, Bradley and IPFW) below 30 percent shooting. No Spartan opponent has scored more than 65 points this season. MSU's defense is also among the nation's best, ranking sixth in scoring defense (53.4 ppg), ninth in field-goal percentage defense (35.7%) and tied for 21st in blocked shots (6.0 bpg), according to the most recent NCAA stats (Dec. 18).
Dahlman's Opportunity - With Maurice Joseph and Raymar Morgan both out of the Spartan lineup with injuries, freshman Isaiah Dahlman will see significantly increased playing time. In the five games without Morgan in the lineup, Dahlman has averaged 9.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 33.4 minutes, shooting 15-of-29 from the field. He has started the last three games, averaging 10.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 36.3 minutes, scoring a career-best 11 points vs. Chicago State and grabbing a career-high-tying six boards vs. Belmont. In the first nine games of the season, with Morgan in the lineup, Dahlman averaged just 11.1 minutes, 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
Non-Conference Home Winning Streak - Michigan State has won 25-straight home games against non-conference opponents. MSU's last home loss outside of Big Ten competition was a 72-50 defeat against Duke on Dec. 3, 2003. The Spartans were 7-0 in 2004-05, 6-0 in 2005-06 and 10-0 this year against non-conference teams in the Breslin Center.
MSU's Block Party - Michigan State has blocked 84 shots through the first 14 games, an average of 6.0 blocks per contest, ranking second in the Big Ten. By comparison, MSU blocked just 101 shots last season in 34 games, an average of 3.0 per game. As recently as 2004, MSU blocked just 54 shots for the entire season. The Spartans are led in blocks by Drew Naymick with 26, followed by Idong Ibok with 19 and Marquise Gray with 15. Since blocked shots were first kept as an official statistic in 1977-78, MSU's greatest single-season total was 133 in 2001.
Hitting The Boards - Michigan State has made a commitment to rebounding in 2006-07, as the Spartans boast a Big Ten-best +10.5 rebounding margin, out-rebounding 12 of their 14 opponents, while tying one other team. According to the most recent NCAA statistics (Dec. 18), the Spartans rank eighth in the nation (+10.8). MSU's greatest margin came against Youngstown State (+21, 39-18), while Boston College is the only team to out-rebound the Spartans (37-36). MSU's rebound margin has been at least +15 in six games. In two games, the Spartans have grabbed more offensive rebounds than their opponents totaled defensive boards. MSU accomplished this feat against both Youngstown State (MSU - 15 off. reb.; YSU - 9 def. reb.) and Maryland (MSU - 17 off. reb.; UMD - 16 def. reb.). Three different Spartans have grabbed 10 or more rebounds in a game, including Marquise Gray (12 vs. Oakland & BYU, 11 Vs. Chicago State), Drew Naymick (10 vs. Bradley) and Goran Suton (15 vs. UW-Green Bay, 12 vs. Youngstown State & 11 vs. BYU).
Gray Raises Level Of Play - Marquise Gray has enjoyed the most consistent stretch of his Spartan career over the last six games. During that stretch, Gray is averaging 11.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in just 21.7 minutes, shooting 65.1 percent (28-of-43) from the field.
Spartans Strong At Home - The Spartans are 10-0 at home this season, thanks in large part to outstanding defense, holding opponents to just 51.4 points per game, allowing them to shoot just 34.6 percent from the field, including 31.7 percent from 3-point range. Offensively, the Spartans are shooting 48.2 percent, including 45.4 percent from behind the arc, scoring 71.5 points per contest. MSU's rebounding margin is +12.2 at the Breslin Center.
Ibok Perfect From The Field - Idong Ibok has increased his offensive productivity over the last five games, averaging 5.2 points per game. He has scored 26 points in the last five contests after scoring just seven points through the first nine games. During the last five games, Ibok is shooting a perfect 11-of-11 from the field.
Ducre Steps In - With Raymar Morgan and Maurice Joseph out of action with injuries, DeMarcus Ducre is MSU's first perimeter sub off the bench. Ducre saw a career-high 18 minutes of action against Chicago State and scored a career-best four points vs. Belmont. He also owns a career high of four rebounds (vs. Coppin State, 12/31/05). Over the last three games, he is averaging 3.0 points in 13.7 minutes per contest.
Morgan Out Of Action - Raymar Morgan is currently out of action with a stress reaction in his right shin. He opened his freshman season with six double-figure efforts, becoming the first Spartan freshman to open his career with six games scoring in double figures. In fact, no other Spartan freshman had scored double figures in more than their first three games. Previously, Sam Vincent (1981-82) was the only Spartan freshman to score 10 or more in his first three games. Morgan is currently the team's second-leading scorer at 11.7 ppg, and has scored in double-figures in eight of his nine contests. He scored a game-high 18 points in MSU's win over No. 19 Texas, and also scored 18 against Bradley.
College Hoops Classic Recap - Michigan State finished second in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches Vs. Cancer. MSU defeated Brown, 45-34, and Youngstown State, 86-61, to advance to the Championship Rounds in New York's Madison Square Garden. In the semifinals, MSU upset No. 19 Texas, 63-61, when Drew Neitzel made a driving layup with 2.4 seconds remaining. The next day, the Spartans lost a close 62-60 decision to Maryland. Neitzel was named the East Lansing Regional MVP and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team in New York.
Too Many Turnovers - Michigan State has struggled with turnovers, averaging 15.2 per game. The problem, however, is not due to poor guard play as MSU's starting backcourt of Drew Neitzel and Travis Walton are averaging a combined 4.8 per game. In the last contest, MSU committed a season-low seven turnovers, the fewest by a Spartan team since March 2004.
Looking For No. 10 - Last year, Michigan State made its 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.
What A Difference A Year Makes - Prior to his injury, MSU guard Maurice Joseph had opened his sophomore campaign on a strong note. Through 11 games, he scored 91 points (8.3 ppg) in 208 minutes (18.9 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), Drew Neitzel (32 vs. Chicago State), Travis Walton (15 vs. Bradley), Marquise Gray (15 vs. BYU), Goran Suton (18 vs. Boston College) and Idong Ibok (7 vs. Belmont) are returning players who have also posted career highs in scoring this season.
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 players on opening day rosters gives MSU the most of any Big Ten school and ranks sixth in the nation behind UConn (14), Duke (13), North Carolina (12), Arizona (10) and UCLA (10).
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.
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.
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 its points, 30.8 percent of its rebounds, and 40.5 percent of its 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.
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.
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.
Home Sweet Home - Michigan State will play a record 19 regular-season home games at the Breslin Center this season, surpassing the previous mark of 17 established in 1996-97 and equaled in 2001-02. During Izzo's career as head coach, the Spartans are 156-21 (.881) at home, including 133-12 (.917) over the last 10 years.
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 26 games televised in 2006-07, including at least 14 on national television networks (ESPN - 6, ESPN2 - 4, CBS - 3, ESPNU - 1). In addition, the final two regular-season games could be picked up by national networks. MSU will also have one game (vs. IPFW) carried on ESPN360, ESPN's internet broadcast. From 1997-98 to 2005-06, MSU averaged 29 televised games per year, including 18 per season on national television networks. This includes 71 appearances on CBS and 91 on ESPN and ESPN2.
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.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 12th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 267-111 (.706), 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 (.706). 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 60-54 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. This includes a 53-43 record since 1997-98.
