Spartans Host Jacksonville Saturday At 7 p.m.
11/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#10/13 Michigan State (5-1)
vs. Jacksonville (3-2)
December 1, 2007
7 p.m. EST
East Lansing, Mich.
Breslin Center
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM 1240 AM/WMMQ 94.9 FM
TV: Big Ten Network - Tom Hamilton (Play by Play), Tim McCormick (Color)
The Opening Tip
Michigan State faces Jacksonville in the final game of a three-game homestand. The Spartans will look to build off an impressive 81-58 win over NC State on Wednesday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. This will be the second meeting between the two schools and the first since the mid 70's. Jacksonville enters the game having split its first two road trips of the season, while MSU is 4-0 at home.
The Starting Five
1. Suton's Last Two Games - Goran Suton is averaging 15.5 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 2.5 steals in his last two contests. In addition, he is averaging 7.0 offensive rebounds per game. Against Oakland, he grabbed 20 rebounds, becoming the first Spartan to record 20 in a game since Kevin Willis in March 1983, while tying the school record with 11 offensive rebounds. Not to be out-done, Raymar Morgan is averaging 17.5 points over the last two, shooting .714 from the field.
2. Non-Conference Home Winning Streak - Michigan State has won 30 straight non-conference games at the Breslin Center, good for the fourth-longest active streak in the nation. Only Duke (55 - vs. Michigan-12/8), Sam Houston State (40 - vs. Texas-Lutheran-12/4) and Washington (31 - vs. Pittsburgh-12/8) have longer active streaks. Bradley (vs. Southeast Missouri State-12/1) has won 28 straight non-conference home games.
3. First Half Shooting - Michigan State has led at halftime of every game this season and one reason is its first-half shooting. The Spartans have shot 50 percent or better in all six first halves this season, including a season-best 61.5 percent against ULM. Overall, MSU is shooting 54.2 percent in the first half (91-of-168).
4. Attacking The Offensive Glass - Through six games, Michigan State has nearly as many offensive boards (86) as its opponents have defensive rebounds (91). Against Chicago State, ULM and Oakland, the Spartans had more offensive rebounds than their opponent had defensive boards. MSU is averaging 14.3 offensive rebounds per game, and has recorded at least 10 offensive boards in every game this season except for the UCLA contest.
5. Spartan Depth - Nine different Spartans are averaging 14.7 minutes or more. At the same time, no Spartan is averaging 30 minutes. Drew Neitzel, leads the Spartans at 28.0 minutes per game, nearly eight fewer than he averaged last season (35.7 mpg), when he played more minutes than any Spartan since 1991.
MSU vs. Jacksonville Notes
Series History - Jacksonville leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 1-0. In the only prior meeting, the Dolphins defeated the Spartans, 65-63, on Dec. 30, 1976, in Jacksonville.
Coach Warren - Cliff Warren (Mount St. Mary's, 1990) is 19-42 in his third season as a collegiate head coach. The Dolphins were 1-26 in 2005-06, but bounced back to post a 15-14 record last season. Prior to getting his head coaching job, Warren served as an assistant at Georgia Tech, Siena and Mount St. Mary's.
Dolphin Notes - Jacksonville was picked fourth in the Atlantic Sun preseason coaches poll; by comparison Gardner-Webb, who won at Kentucky earlier this season, was selected eighth ... The Dolphins have scored 70 or more points in four of the five games this season ... JU is led in scoring by Ben Smith at 17.0 points per game ... The Dolphins are shooting .780 from the foul line, led by Ben Smith at .938 (45-of-48) ... Jacksonville's most famous alum is Artis Gilmore, who led JU to the 1970 Final Four, making the All-Final Four Team, and was the Consensus National Player of the Year in 1971.
Slam Dunk Alums - Both Michigan State and Jacksonville boast former players who went on to capture the NBA Slam Dunk title. JU's Dee Brown won the 1991 crown as a rookie. MSU's Jason Richardson won the event in 2002 and 2003, joining Michael Jordan as the only player to ever win back-to-back slam dunk titles.
Game Six Notes • Michigan State 81 - NC State 58
* Michigan State improved to 5-3 in Big Ten/ACC Challenge history, the best record among all Big Ten teams.
* Michigan State held North Carolina to five first-half field goals en route to building a 41-19 halftime lead.
* Michigan State committed a season-low 10 turnovers, and held a 19-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
* Goran Suton recorded his seventh career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds; Suton also added a career-best four steals.
* Michigan State shot 52.2 percent from the field; the previous best by a NC State opponent was 42.6 percent by Villanova, as the Wolfpack was holding opponents to 35.4 percent shooting on the season.
* In the first half, MSU's defense held NC State to field goal droughts of 8:21, 4:22, 3:45 and 3:00.
MSU Basketball Notes
Finding Success At The Foul Line - Michigan State is shooting a Big Ten-best .759 from the foul line. The Spartans are averaging 24.2 attempts and 18.3 makes per contest. In fact, MSU has made nearly as many free throws (110) as its opponents have attempted (121). In the Spartans' lone loss to UCLA, they made 93.3 percent of their attempts, but attempted just 15 free throws. Last season, MSU averaged 19.2 attempts and 13.8 makes. Individually, Raymar Morgan has the most trips to the foul line (36), averaging 4.2 points per game at the stripe. Drew Neitzel is MSU's career leader in free-throw percentage (.860).
I Love The 80's - The Spartan offense has scored more than 80 points in four of six games this season. Last season, MSU scored 80 or more points in just five of 35 contests.
Hitting The Boards - Through six games, Michigan State has a +11.3 rebound margin. Goran Suton paces the Spartans at 9.0 boards per contest, having grabbed 20 against Oakland, becoming the first Spartan since Kevin Willis in 1983 to record 20 boards in a game. In MSU's five wins, the Spartans have a +15.4 rebound margin, but lost the only game in which they were outrebounded (UCLA; 37-28). In 2006-07, MSU posted a +7.0 rebounding margin, outrebounding 24 of 35 opponents while tying three other teams. Last season, three different Spartans (Marquise Gray, Drew Naymick and Goran Suton) grabbed 10 or more rebounds in a single game.
Maintaining The Defense - Michigan State is holding its opponents to 37.7 percent shooting overall, and 30.5 percent shooting from 3-point range. Last year, MSU allowed opponents to shoot just 38.4 percent, the lowest percentage since 1958-59.
Freshmen Contributions - Michigan State has played three true scholarship freshmen (Chris Allen, Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers) this season. The trio is averaging 22.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 55.2 minutes.
Home Sweet Home - During Tom Izzo's career as head coach, the Spartans are 168-22 (.884) at home, including 145-13 (.918) over the last 11 years.
Morgan Named Big Ten POW - Raymar Morgan was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 19, sharing the honor with Indiana freshman Eric Gordon. The Spartan sophomore averaged 19.0 points and 14.5 rebounds in the East Lansing Regional of the CBE Classic, earning Regional MVP honors.
Neitzel Among Career Leaders - Drew Neitzel sixth in MSU history with 465 career assists. He is the Spartan career leader in free throw percentage (.860) and ranks fourth in 3-point field goals attempted (472) and fifth in 3-point field goals made (192).
Neitzel Moving Up Scoring List - Drew Neitzel ranks 31st in Michigan State career scoring with 1,123 points. He needs 24 points to pass Pete Gent (1,146 points) and 33 points to Lindsay Hairston (1,155 points). Neitzel scored his 1,000th-career point against Marquette in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
MSU's Sixth Starter - Under head coach Tom Izzo, Michigan State has a tradition of bringing an experienced starter off the bench on its most successful teams. On the 1999 Final Four squad, Morris Peterson became the first non-starter in league history to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors. In 2000, David Thomas started early in Mateen Cleaves' absence, then became a key reserve. During MSU's run to the 2005 Final Four, seniors Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert, two three-year starters, accepted reserve roles to aid the bench depth. This season, Izzo has opted to bring junior co-captain Travis Walton off the bench to lend experience to MSU's depth. Last year, Walton was the only Spartan to start all 35 games, while ranking second in assists per game. In addition, he is one of the nation's best on-the-ball defenders.
MSU's Block Party - In 2006-07, Michigan State blocked a school single-season record 162 shots. Drew Naymick led the Spartans with 55 rejections, good for the second-best single-season total in MSU history. Idong Ibok had 33 blocks, the seventh-best single-season total at MSU. Naymick currently stands in fifth place on the MSU career blocked shots chart with 79 rejections. He is 18 blocks shy of Matt Steigenga in first place.
Returning Talent - The Spartans return 89.8 percent of their scoring (2,043 points), 92.6 percent of their rebounding (1,021 rebounds), 93.2 percent of their assists (522 assists) and 89.4 percent of their minutes (6,256 minutes) from the 2006-07 squad.
Playing With Team USA - Raymar Morgan and Drew Neitzel had the opportunity to play for Team USA over the summer. Morgan made the 2007 USA U19 World Championship Team, winning a silver medal at the FIBA U19 World Championships. He started six of the nine contests, averaging 9.2 points (sixth most on the team) and 4.3 rebounds (fourth most). Neitzel made the 2007 USA Pan American Games Team, helping the team to a 3-2 mark. He led Team USA in minutes (29.6 mpg) and assists (2.2 apg), while ranking fifth in scoring (8.2 ppg).
Big Ten Favorites - Michigan State was selected the preseason Big Ten favorite by a 22-member media panel at Big Ten Media Day on Oct. 28 in Chicago. MSU was followed in the polls by Indiana and Ohio State. At the event, Drew Neitzel was also selected Preseason Big Ten Player of The Year, becoming the first Spartan to earn the preseason nod since Mateen Cleaves was the coaches' pick in 1999. Indiana's D.J. White, Ohio State Jamar Butler, Penn State's Geary Claxton and Illinois' Shaun Pruitt joined Neitzel on the all-league team.
MSU Among Decade's Best - In early May 2007, ESPN.com released a ranking of the top 10 programs of the last 10 years. Michigan State was tied for second in the consensus ranking of five college basketball experts. One of the five voters, Andy Katz, ranked MSU as the top program over the last 10 seasons. In ranking the Spartans at the top of the list, Katz used several supporting arguments including: appearing in a nation's best four Final Fours; winning four Big Ten Championships, two Big Ten Tournament Titles and the 2000 NCAA Championship; 10 straight NCAA Tournament appearances; 10 players selected in the NBA Draft; playing 32 ranked regular-season non-conference opponents; 30 graduates; 145 consecutive home sellouts and a .916 winning percentage at Breslin over the last 10 years.
Spartans On The Run - After Michigan State's season-ending loss to North Carolina in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Tom Izzo promised that the Spartans would return to the up-tempo style of basketball that he prefers to play. Look for the Spartans to significantly improve on the 65.0 points they averaged last season. Instead, expect something similar to the 2004-05 squad that averaged 78.5 points per contest, the most by any Izzo-coached team.
The Other Foundations - While an up-tempo offense is Tom Izzo's preferred style, his best teams are also built around exceptional rebounding and strong defense. In fact, MSU led the Big Ten in rebounding margin in 2006-07 for the eighth time in the last 10 years. Defensively, the Spartans allowed opponents just 57.2 points per game, the lowest total since 1951-52. While that number might increase due to a faster pace of game, the field-goal percentage defense need not increase. Last year, MSU allowed opponents to shoot just 38.4 percent, the lowest since 1958-59.
Preseason All-American - A second-team All-American as selected by Dick Vitale and CBS Sports.com in 2006-07, Drew Neitzel opens the 2007-08 season as a popular pick for first-team All-America honors. In fact, Neitzel is a preseason first-team All-American according to The Associated Press, Athlon Sports College Basketball, Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and Dick Vitale. Teammate Raymar Morgan made Vitale's fourth team.
Neitzel On Cousy List - Senior 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. 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. Neitzel is the only Big Ten player on the list, which also includes two Division II and Division III candidates.
Spartans Make Wooden And Naismith Lists - Raymar Morgan and Drew Neitzel are two of 50 players nationwide to earn a spot on the 2007-08 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T preseason candidate watch list. The Naismith watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its preseason criteria on player performances from last season and expectations for the 2007-08 season. Morgan and Neitzel are two of just four Big Ten players on the Naismith watch list, where they are joined by Penn State's Geary Claxton and Indiana's D.J. White. Neitzel was also selected one of the top 50 preseason candidates for the 2007-08 John R. Wooden Award. The John R. Wooden Award, presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, has been presented annually since 1976. Neitzel and White are the only Big Ten players on the preseason list for the Wooden Award. Last season, Neitzel was one of 22 players to appear on the final ballot for the Wooden Award.
A Perfect 10 - Michigan State made its 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007. It is the longest current streak among Big Ten schools and fifth longest in the nation. Only Arizona (23), Kansas (18), Kentucky (16) and Duke (12) have longer current streaks. It is also the second longest streak in Big Ten history. Indiana appeared in 18 consecutive tournaments between 1986 and 2003.
Spartan Opponents In The Polls - Six Michigan State opponents are ranked in the latest The Associated Press Top 25, including No. 2 UCLA, No. 8 Texas, No. 15 Indiana, No. 20 Wisconsin, No. 21 Brigham Young and No. 24 North Carolina State. (Based on Nov. 26 rankings.)
Spartans In The NBA - Eight former Spartans are currently on NBA rosters, including Maurice Ager (Dallas Mavericks), Charlie Bell (Milwaukee Bucks), Shannon Brown (Cleveland Cavaliers), Paul Davis (Los Angeles Clippers), Morris Peterson (New Orleans Hornets), Zach Randolph (New York Knicks), Jason Richardson (Charlotte Bobcats) and Eric Snow (Cleveland Cavaliers).
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 13th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 283-122 (.699), and 133-63 (.679) 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 12 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 The Associated Press, Basketball News and the USBWA in '98.
Among The Big Ten's Best - Tom Izzo's .679 winning percentage in Big Ten games ranks third all-time among league coaches with at least 10 years of service, behind former Indiana coach Bob Knight (.700) and Purdue's Ward Lambert (.685). In all games, Knight ranks first at .734, followed by Wisconsin's Walter Meanwell (.712), Lambert (.709) and Izzo (.699). With 133 conference victories, Izzo ranks 13th all-time, five behind Northwestern's Arthur Lonborg.
Izzo Among Best Ever - Through his first 12 seasons, Tom Izzo won 278 games, ranking ninth in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 12 years.
Graduating Student-Athletes - In Tom Izzo's 12 full years directing the Spartan program, 82 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last eight years, 27 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees, including five each in 2001, 2003 and 2007.
Izzo's Coaching Tree - Six current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Jim Boylen (Utah), Tom Crean (Marquette), Brian Gregory (Dayton), Stan Heath (South Florida), Stan Joplin (Toledo) and Doug Wojcik (Tulsa). Gregory is in his fifth 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 third season at Tulsa. Mike Garland served as head coach at Cleveland State for three seasons after leaving Izzo's staff in 2003. He is now back as an assistant coach at MSU. Most recently, Jim Boylen left MSU following the 2007 season, and is in his first season with Utah.
