Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Hit The Road Again In Conference Play
1/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Michigan State (15-4, 2-2)
vs. Penn State (10-7, 1-3)
January 20, 2007
4:37 p.m. EST
University Park, Pa.
Bryce Jordan Center
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM
TV: ESPN Plus Regional - Eric Collins (Play by Play), Bob Ford (Color)
Michigan clearances include: Detroit - WXYZ; Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek - WXSP; Lansing - WLAJ; Traverse City/Cadillac - WFQX
Michigan State Game Notes
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Opening Tip
After a thrilling second-half comeback on Sunday against Illinois, Michigan State did not play a mid-week game before traveling to Penn State for a Saturday afternoon contest in University Park. The Nittany Lions lost at Michigan on Wednesday night. MSU is looking for its first true road win of the season, while PSU is 10-3 at the Bryce Jordan Center. This will be the only meeting of the season between the Spartans and Nittany Lions.
The Starting Five
1. 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 (.375) and scoring defense (55.8 ppg), while ranking second in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.303) and fourth in blocked shots (5.26 bpg). Maryland shot a season-high 54.8 percent from the field, and is the only one of MSU's 19 opponents to shoot better than 46 percent from the field, as 14 opponents have shot below 40 percent. The Spartans have held four opponents (Brown, The Citadel, Bradley and IPFW) below 30 percent shooting. MSU's defense is also among the nation's best, ranking seventh in scoring defense (55.8 ppg), 11th in field-goal percentage defense (37.4%) and 28th in blocked shots (5.50 bpg), according to the most recent NCAA stats (Jan. 16).
2. Lending A Helping Hand - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in assists with 16.63 per contest. In fact, MSU has recorded an assist on 316 of its 438 baskets (72.1 percent). That percentage ranks fourth in the nation. Individually, Travis Walton (4th, 5.11 apg) and Drew Neitzel (5th, 4.58 apg) rank among the league leaders in assists.
3. For Starters - Due to a variety of factors, including injuries, Michigan State has used seven different starting lineups this season. The most popular starting lineup consists of Drew Neitzel, Travis Walton, Raymar Morgan, Marquise Gray and Goran Suton, and has been used in five contests, sporting a 4-1 record in the first five games of the season.
4. Leading Scorers - Although Drew Neitzel is unquestionably Michigan State's number one scoring threat, his teammates have also contributed to the attack as six different Spartans have led MSU in scoring in a game this season. Neitzel has been the leading scorer on 14 occassions, followed by Maurice Joseph (2 games), Goran Suton (2), Marquise Gray (1), Raymar Morgan (1) and Travis Walton (1).
5. From Way Downtown - Michigan State ranks third in the Big Ten Conference in 3-point field-goal percentage, connecting on 37.6 percent of its attempts from behind the arc. 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 (55-137, .401) and Maurice Joseph (25-58, .431) are MSU's two most prolific long-range shooters.
MSU vs. Penn State Notes
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Penn State, 23-3, including a 7-2 advantage in games played in University Park. The Nittany Lions' three wins in the series have been by a combined seven points. The Spartans have won seven straight games in the series and 15 consecutive regular-season meetings. Tom Izzo is 16-2 in his career against Penn State.
Coach DeChellis - Ed DeChellis (Penn State, '82) is 146-157 in his 11th season as a collegiate head coach, including 41-64 in four seasons seasons at Penn State. He served as head coach at East Tennessee State from 1996-2003.
Nittany Lion Notes - The 129 points Penn State scored on Dec. 30 against VMI established a Big Ten record ... The Nittany Lions ranks second in the Big Ten in assists, averaging 16.59 per game ... At 6-foot-5, Geary Claxton leads the Big Ten in rebounding at 8.3 rpg and ranks fifth in scoring (16.7 ppg) ... Danny Morrissey is shooting a remarkable 57.1 percent from 3-point range in Big Ten games (16-of-28), averaging 4.0 makes per league contest.
The Last Meeting - Michigan State defeated Penn State, 69-60, on Jan. 28, 2006 in East Lansing. Penn State held a 32-27 halftime lead as the Spartans shot just 34.4 percent in the first half, including just 18.8 percent from 3-point range (3-of-16).With Paul Davis out of action with a head injury and Maurice Ager struggling with a 3-of-19 effort from the field, the burden fell on the shoulders of Shannon Brown and Drew Neitzel. The duo responded, scoring 39 of MSU's 42 second-half points. Brown scored a game-high 29 points and Neitzel scored a season-best 19. As a team, MSU shot 60.9 percent in the second half, including 57.1 percent from 3-point range. Penn State still held a 58-57 lead with 5:31 left in the game, but Michigan State closed on a 12-2 run.
The Last Meeting In University Park - Michigan State defeated Penn State, 84-58, on Jan. 5, 2005. In the Big Ten opener, Penn State held a 16-13 lead with 14:01 left in the first half. Michigan State responded with a 17-2 run to take a 30-18 lead with 7:39 remaining. Leading 40-30 at the half, MSU allowed PSU to score the first basket of the second half. Kelvin Torbert answered with a 3-pointer and the Nittany Lions never got closer than 10 points after that. When Chris Hill hit a 3-pointer at the 14:07 mark, the Spartan lead stood at 19. After shooting 45.5 percent in the first half, MSU shot 57.7 percent in the second half, including 50 percent from behind the arc. With 11 points, Kelvin Torbert scored the 1,000th point of his career. The Spartans turned 20 PSU turnovers into 33 points. Alan Anderson led MSU with 17 points, while Geary Claxton paced the Nittany Lions with 20 points.
Game #19 Notes - Michigan State 63 - Illinois 57
* Trailing 34-23 at halftime, Michigan State opened the second half on a 28-5 run.
* MSU's defense held Illinois to scoring droughts of 6:10 and 6:05 in the second half.
* Illinois made just six second-half field goals and three of those came in the final 2:34 of the game.
* MSU held a 14-13 lead at the 12:08 mark of the first half, but Illinois closed the half on a 21-9 run as Michigan State did not score a field goal over the final 9:08 and managed just five free throws during that stretch.
* Illinois had an 11-4 advantage in points off turnovers in the first half, but MSU out-scored the Illini, 17-9, in that stat in the second half.
* For the second time this season, Drew Neitzel was a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line.
* Michigan State recorded all six of its steals in the second half.
* Led by Raymar Morgan's 10 points, MSU's bench outscored Illinois', 21-14.
Michigan State Notes
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 18.0 points per game. In nine of the last 15 games, Neitzel has scored 20 or more, averaging 19.1 points over those 15 contests. He has scored 17 or more points in 14 games. On the season, he is averaging 12.5 shots and 4.7 free-throw attempts per game. Despite taking more shots, he is shooting a career-best 43.5 percent from the field. Meanwhile, he has continued to be a distributor of the ball, averaging 4.6 assists per contest. For his efforts, Neitzel was named the co-Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 20 and Nov. 27. He leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage (.900), while ranking second in 3-point field goals made (2.89 pg), third in minutes played (34.68 mpg), fourth in scoring (18.0 ppg), fifth in assists (4.58 apg) and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.85).
Morgan's Contributions - After missing seven games with a stress reaction in his right shin, Raymar Morgan has appeared in the last three games off the bench, averaging 6.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 23.0 minutes. Against Illinois, he recorded 10 points and five rebounds in 30 minutes, all of which were highs since returning from the injury. There were 35 days between games for Morgan. 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 10.4 ppg, and has scored in double-figures in nine of his 12 contests. He scored a game-high 18 points in MSU's win over No. 19 Texas, and also scored 18 against Bradley.
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 2.26 assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking third in the Big Ten, while also ranking fourth in the league in assists (5.11 apg). 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 five 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.
Hitting The Boards - Michigan State has made a commitment to rebounding in 2006-07, as the Spartans boast a Big Ten-best +9.5 rebounding margin, out-rebounding 15 of their 19 opponents, while tying two other teams. According to the most recent NCAA statistics (Jan. 16), the Spartans rank fifth in the nation (+9.9). MSU's greatest margin came against Northwestern (+24, 37-13), while Indiana (30-26) and Boston College (37-36) are the only teams to out-rebound the Spartans. MSU's rebound margin has been at least +15 in seven games. In three games, the Spartans have grabbed more offensive rebounds than their opponents totaled defensive boards. MSU accomplished this feat against Youngstown State (MSU - 15 off. reb.; YSU - 9 def. reb.), Maryland (MSU - 17 off. reb.; UMD - 16 def. reb.) and Northwestern (MSU - 16 off. reb.; NU - 7 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 & Loyola), Drew Naymick (10 vs. Bradley) and Goran Suton (15 vs. UW-Green Bay, 12 vs. Youngstown State & 11 vs. BYU).
Too Many Turnovers - Michigan State has struggled with turnovers this season, averaging 15.2 per game. In the most recent game, MSU committed 17 against Illinois, but just six came in the second half. For the most part, the turnover problem has not been due to poor guard play as MSU's starting backcourt of Drew Neitzel and Travis Walton are averaging a combined 4.7 per game, while both rank in the top seven in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Neitzel's Second Halves - As a general rule, Drew Neitzel has been a more explosive scorer in the second half. Through 19 games, Neitzel is averaging 6.7 points in the first half and 11.3 after halftime. He scored 17 of his 20 points vs. Iowa in the second half. 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 five 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.
Neitzel Among All-Time Assists Leaders - Drew Neitzel ranks eighth in MSU history with 373 career assists. Chris Hill ranks seventh on the MSU career charts with 452 assists.
MSU's Block Party - Michigan State has blocked 100 shots through the first 19 games, an average of 5.3 blocks per contest, ranking fourth in the Big Ten. According to the most recent NCAA stats (Jan. 16), MSU ranks 28th in the nation (5.3 bpg). 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. Since blocked shots were first kept as an official statistic in 1977-78, MSU's greatest single-season total was 133 in 2001. The Spartans are led in blocks by Drew Naymick with 30, followed by Idong Ibok with 24 and Marquise Gray with 16. Naymick's 30 blocks already rank him tied with Matt Steigenga (1989-90) for the eighth-best single season total in Spartan history. With six more blocks, Naymick will move into sole possession of fourth most in a single season.
Dahlman On The Shelf - Isaiah Dahlman is currently out of action with an injury in his right foot. He suffered the injury during practice on Jan. 16, and will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. While Maurice Joseph and Raymar Morgan were both out of the Spartan lineup with injuries, Dahlman saw significantly increased playing time. In the seven games without Morgan in the lineup, Dahlman averaged 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 31.7 minutes, shooting 20-of-40 from the field. He started the last eight games, averaging 6.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 25.6 minutes. 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.
Gray Raises Level Of Play - Marquise Gray has enjoyed the most productive stretch of his Spartan career over the last 11 games. During that stretch, Gray is averaging 10.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in just 22.3 minutes, shooting 70.4 percent (50-of-71) from the field. He is shooting 93.3 percent (14-of-15) in Big Ten games.
Ibok On Offense - Idong Ibok has increased his offensive productivity over the last 10 games, averaging 3.9 points per game. He has scored 39 points in the last 10 contests after scoring just seven points through the first nine games. During the last nine games, Ibok is shooting 16-of-17 from the field. He had made 15 straight shots until a miss against Northwestern, but he grabbed his own miss and made the put back.
What A Difference A Year Makes - Prior to missing four games with a stress reaction in his right foot, MSU guard Maurice Joseph had opened his sophomore campaign on a strong note. In 15 games this season, he is averaging 7.5 points, including a career-best 16 points vs. Youngstown State, and 17.7 minutes. Joseph returned to action against Iowa, and has averaged 5.3 points and 14.3 minutes over the last four games. 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 (19 vs. Loyola), Goran Suton (27 vs. Loyola) and Idong Ibok (7 vs. Belmont & Indiana) are returning players who have also posted career highs in scoring this season.
Non-Conference Victories - Michigan State won 13 non-conference games, establishing a school record for regular-season non-conference victories since joinint the Big Ten in 1950-51. Last year's squad won 12 non-conference games. The 1989-90, 1998-99 and 2000-01 squads won 11 non-conference games during the regular season.
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.
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.
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.
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 159-21 (.883) at home, including 136-12 (.919) over the last 10 years.
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.
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 270-113 (.705), and 127-57 (.690) in the Big Ten, as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. In 2005, 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 .690 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 (.704). With 126 conference victories, Izzo currently ranks 13th all-time, having passed former Iowa head coach Tom Davis with a win over Northwestern
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.
