Michigan State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Opens Big Ten Season At Iowa
1/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#-/24 Michigan State (13-2)
vs. Iowa (8-6)
January 4, 2007
9 p.m. EST
Iowa City, Iowa
Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM
TV: ESPN2 - Brent Musburger (PBP), Steve Lavin (Color)
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
For the fourth-straight season, Michigan State opens the Big Ten schedule on the road. The Spartans enter the 2007 calendar year after closing out 2006 with a perfect 7-0 December. Iowa is also on a roll, having won its last three games. Last season, the Hawkeyes and Spartans split the two regular-season meetings, with each team winning on their home court, while Iowa won in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
The Starting Five
1. Big Ten Openers - In its 56 seasons playing basketball in the Big Ten Conference, Michigan State has compiled a 24-32 record in Big Ten openers, including a 10-23 record away from East Lansing. Tom Izzo is 6-5 in Big Ten openers, 2-5 on the road.
2. 65 Is The Limit - The Spartans have not allowed more than 65 points in a game this season. In fact, Michigan State and Texas A&M are the only two teams in the nation who have not allowed a team to score more than 65 points in a single game.
3. 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 (.366), while ranking second in scoring defense (54.9 ppg) and blocked shots (5.80 bpg). Maryland shot a season-high 54.8 percent from the field, and is the only one of MSU's 15 opponents to shoot better than 46 percent from the field, as 12 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 ninth in scoring defense (54.9 ppg), ninth in field-goal percentage defense (36.6%) and 20th in blocked shots (5.80 bpg), according to the most recent NCAA stats (Jan. 2).
4. Hitting The Boards - Michigan State has made a commitment to rebounding in 2006-07, as the Spartans boast a Big Ten-best +9.8 rebounding margin, out-rebounding 12 of their 15 opponents, while tying two other teams. According to the most recent NCAA statistics (Jan. 2), the Spartans rank eighth in the nation (+9.8). 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).
5. 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 18.3 points per game. In eight of the last 11 games, Neitzel has scored 20 or more, averaging 19.9 points over those 11 contests. He is averaging 12.7 shots and 4.1 free-throw attempts per game. Despite taking more shots, he is shooting a career-best 45.0 percent from the field, including 42.1 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhile, he has continued to be a distributor of the ball, averaging 4.9 assists per contest. For his efforts, Neitzel was named the co-Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 20 and Nov. 27. He ranks second in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals made (3.20 pg), free-throw percentage (.902) and minutes played (34.27 mpg), fourth in scoring (18.3 ppg), fifth in assists (4.93 apg), seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.95) and eighth in 3-point field-goal percentage (.421).
MSU vs. Iowa Notes
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Iowa, 56-50. The Hawkeyes, however, own a 31-19 advantage in games played in Iowa City. The Spartans have won 13 of the last 18 meetings. Tom Izzo is 14-6 in his career against Iowa, including 4-4 in Iowa City.
Coach Alford - Steve Alford (Indiana, '87) is 299-175 in his 16th season as a collegiate head coach, including 143-98 mark in eight seasons at Iowa. Prior to his arrival in Iowa City, he served as the head coach at Southwest Missouri State for four seasons and at Division III Manchester College for four years.
Hawkeye Notes - Iowa is led by senior guard Adam Haluska, who ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (20.1 ppg) and leads the league in free-throw percentage (.908) and 3-point field goals made (3.21 pg) ... Iowa leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage (.770), but ranks 11th in field-goal percentage (.444) ... Starting guard Mike Henderson missed the first seven games of the year with a broken finger; the Hawkeyes were 3-4 in his absence ... Freshman Tyler Smith is Iowa's second leading scorer (15.6 ppg), ranking second among league freshmen.
The Last Meeting - Iowa defeated Michigan State, 53-48, on March 11, 2006 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Playing their third game in three days, the Spartans were sluggish on offense, scoring a season-low 48 points and shooting a season-low 28.3 percent. Iowa shot just 36.6 percent from the field. Maurice Ager led all scorers with 21 points, while Jeff Horner scored 14 to lead the Hawkeyes. MSU led 29-26 with 14:47 left, but an 8-1 Iowa run gave the Hawkeyes a lead they would not give up.
The Last Meeting In Iowa City - Iowa defeated Michigan State, 66-54, on Feb. 14 in Iowa City. MSU led 37-35 early in the second half, but Iowa took control with an 8-0 run. The Spartan defense held Iowa to 40 percent shooting in the first half, but the Hawkeyes shot 53.8 percent in the second, including 66.7 percent from 3-point range. Jeff Horner and Greg Brunner each scored 15 points to pace the Hawkeyes, while Brunner added 10 rebounds. Paul Davis led all scorers with 17 points, adding 11 rebounds.
Game #15 Notes - Michigan State 74 - Loyola 61
* Michigan State closed out the non-conference part of its schedule with a 13-2 record, including 11-0 at the Breslin Center.
* MSU established a school record with its 13th non-conference victory.
* Goran Suton scored a career-high 27 points, including 18 in the second half, connecting on 7-of-9 second-half shots and 4-of-6 from the foul line.
* Marquise Gray recorded his third career double-double, with a career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. Gray scored 16 of his 19 points in the first half, shooting 7-of-9 from the field.
* Drew Neitzel posted his second career double-double, with 10 points and 12 assists, tying his career high.
* The Spartans closed the first half on a 5-0 run and opened the second half on a 12-4 run.
* Michigan State out-scored Loyola, 36-14, in the paint.
* Loyola tied Michigan State on the boards, with each team grabbing 37 rebounds.
Michigan State Notes
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 2.68 assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking second in the Big Ten, while ranking fourth in the league in assists (5.53 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 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.
Neitzel Among All-Time Assists Leaders - Drew Neitzel ranks ninth in MSU history with 360 career assists. Neitzel needs 12 assists to pass Charlie Bell (371) for eighth place all-time at MSU.
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.
From Way Downtown - Michigan State leads the Big Ten Conference in 3-point field-goal percentage, connecting on 40.6 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 (48-114, .421) and Maurice Joseph (22-49, . 449) are MSU's two most prolific long-range shooters.
Neitzel's Second Halves - As a general rule, Drew Neitzel has been a more explosive scorer in the second half. Through 15 games, Neitzel is averaging 7.0 points in the first half and 11.3 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.
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 six games without Morgan in the lineup, Dahlman has averaged 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 32.3 minutes, shooting 17-of-34 from the field. He has started the last four games, averaging 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 34.0 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.
MSU's Block Party - Michigan State has blocked 87 shots through the first 15 games, an average of 5.8 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 28, followed by Idong Ibok with 20 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.
Gray Raises Level Of Play - Marquise Gray has enjoyed the most consistent stretch of his Spartan career over the last seven games. During that stretch, Gray is averaging 12.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in just 22.0 minutes, shooting 64.3 percent (36-of-56) from the field. He has started the last three contests, averaging 12.7 points and 8.7 rebounds, including most recently posting a double-double vs. Loyola, with a career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Ibok Perfect From The Field - Idong Ibok has increased his offensive productivity over the last six games, averaging 4.7 points per game. He has scored 28 points in the last six contests after scoring just seven points through the first nine games. During the last six games, Ibok is shooting a perfect 12-of-12 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 four games, he is averaging 2.8 points in 14.3 minutes per contest.
Morgan's Contributions - Raymar Morgan has missed the last six games 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 15.0 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 4.6 per game, while both rank in the top seven in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio. In the last two games, MSU is averaging just 9.5 turnovers. Against UW-Green Bay, 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 missing the last four games with a stress reaction in his right foot, 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.
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 268-111 (.707), 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 (.707). 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.
