Spartans Open Four-Game Homestand With Michigan
2/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Michigan State (17-8, 4-6)
vs. Michigan (17-8, 5-5)
February 13, 2007
9 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
TV: ESPN - Dave Pasch (Play by Play), Steve Lavin (Color)
Michigan State Game Notes
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Final Four White-Out - With the Michigan State men's basketball team about ready to open its first ever four-game Big Ten homestand, the MSU Athletics Department is holding a "Final Four White-Out." All fans attending MSU's final four home games (Feb. 13 vs. Michigan, Feb. 17 vs. Iowa, Feb. 20 vs. Wisconsin, Feb. 24 vs. Indiana) are asked to wear white as a show of uniform support for the Spartan basketball team.
The Opening Tip
Michigan State opens its first-ever stretch of four-straight Big Ten home games by hosting rival Michigan. The Spartans are looking to snap a four-game losing streak with three of the four losses coming on the road. Prior to beating Minnesota on Saturday night, the Wolverines had lost four straight games. MSU and UM will play twice in the final six games of the conference season. The Spartans are 14-1 at the Breslin Center this year and have won eight straight at home against UM.
The Starting Five
1. Spartan Defense Is 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 (.381) and scoring defense (56.8 ppg), while ranking second in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.308) and fourth in blocked shots (5.00 bpg). Maryland shot a season-high 54.8 percent from the field, and is the only one of MSU's 25 opponents to shoot better than 47 percent from the field, as 17 opponents have shot below 40 percent and 19 below 42 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 (56.8 ppg), sixth in field-goal percentage defense (38.1%) and 31st in blocked shots (5.0 bpg), according to the most recent NCAA stats (Feb. 9).
2. A Lot Of Minutes - Drew Neitzel ranks second in the Big Ten Conference in minutes played, both overall (35.5 mpg) and in league games (37.3 mpg). These are the highest averages by a Spartan since 1990-91 when Steve Smith averaged 37.8 mpg overall and 38.4 mpg in conference action. Over the last four games, Neitzel is averaging 39.5 minutes.
3. An Increase In Scoring - Drew Neitzel is averaging 18.0 points this season after averaging 8.3 points in 2005-06, while starting every contest. His increase of +9.7 points per game ranks tied for the third-largest increase from one season to the next by a Spartan starter. In 1956-57, Julius McCoy averaged 27.3 points, after averaging 16.7 the year before, an increase of +10.6. Greg Kelser raised his scoring average from 11.7 as a freshman (1975-76) to 21.7 as a sophomore (1976-77), an increase of +10.0. Neitzel is tied with Scott Skiles, who averaged 27.4 points in 1985-86, after scoring 17.7 per game in 1984-85.
4. Nitro Leads Spartan Attack - 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. He has scored 20 or more points 12 times, and 17 or more points in 17 games. On the season, he is averaging 13.1 shots and 4.4 free-throw attempts per game. Despite taking more shots, he is shooting a career-best 42.4 percent from the field. 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 on Nov. 20 and Nov. 27.
5. Spartans Strong At Home - The Spartans are 14-1 at home this season, thanks in large part to outstanding defense, holding opponents to just 52.4 points per game, allowing them to shoot just 35.0 percent from the field, including 31.3 percent from 3-point range. Offensively, the Spartans are shooting 47.5 percent, including 40.8 percent from behind the arc, scoring 69.5 points per contest. MSU's rebounding margin is +10.8 at the Breslin Center.
MSU vs. Michigan Notes
Series History - Michigan leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 90-69. MSU, however, owns a 42-35 advantage in games played in East Lansing and has won 13 of the last 15 games overall. The Spartans have won eight straight at the Breslin Center. Tom Izzo is 13-7 in his career against the Wolverines.
Coach Amaker - Tommy Amaker (Duke, `87) is 172-133 in 10 seasons as a collegiate head coach, including 104-78 in six seasons at Michigan. Prior to his arrival in Ann Arbor, he spent four years at Seton Hall where he went 68-55.
Wolverine Notes - Michigan leads the Big Ten in blocked shots, averaging 6.20 rejections per game, led by freshman Ekpe Udoh (2.04 bpg) ... Courtney Sims leads the Big Ten in field-goal percentage (.616) ... In league games, the Wolverines rank second in the conference in field-goal percentage (.463) and 3-point field-goal percentage (.387).
The Last Meeting - Michigan State defeated Michigan, 90-71, on Feb. 18, 2006, in East Lansing. Trailing 13-5 early in the first half, Michigan State scored seven straight points to spark a 24-8 run. The Spartans led by 11 at halftime (39-28) and never looked back. For the game, MSU shot 54.7 percent from the field, including 58.8 percent from 3-point range. Michigan also shot well, connecting on 51.9 percent of its attempts, but just 23.1 percent from behind the arc. The Spartans held a 35-25 advantage on the boards and recorded 25 assists and just 11 turnovers. Drew Neitzel dished out a career-best 12 assists. Shannon Brown led MSU with 26 points and Paul Davis recorded a double-double (18 points, 12 rebounds). Daniel Horton paced the Wolverines with 19 points.
Game #25 Notes - Purdue 62 - Michigan State 38
* MSU scored 20 points in the first 9:54 of the game, and just 18 points over the final 30:06.
* MSU scored the first basket of the second half to take a 28-26 lead, but Purdue answered with a 33-4 run.
* For the first time all season, not a single Spartan scored in double figures.
* Michigan State recorded a season-low eight assists and tied a season high with 21 turnovers.
* Drew Neitzel failed to score in double figures (5 points) for the first time since the opening game of the season.
Michigan State Notes
Hitting The Boards - Michigan State has made a commitment to rebounding in 2006-07, as the Spartans boast a Big Ten-best +8.6 rebounding margin, out-rebounding 19 of their 25 opponents, while tying three other teams. MSU is 15-4 when out-rebounding its opponent, but 2-4 when failing to do so. According to the most recent NCAA statistics (Feb. 9), the Spartans rank sixth in the nation (+8.6). MSU's greatest margin came against Northwestern (+24, 37-13), while Purdue (32-28), 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 +14 in nine games. In four 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.), Northwestern (MSU - 16 off. reb.; NU - 7 def. reb.) and Penn State (MSU - 10 off. reb.; PSU - 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 & 10 vs. Ohio State).
Neitzel In Big Ten Statistics - Drew Neitzel leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage (.900), while ranking second in 3-point field goals made (2.96 pg) and minutes played (35.48 mpg), fourth in scoring (18.0 ppg), fifth in assists (4.40 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.86) and 14th in 3-point field-goal percentage (.394).
Lending A Helping Hand - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in assists with 16.20 per contest. In fact, MSU has recorded an assist on 405 of its 579 baskets (69.9%). That percentage ranks fourth in the nation, behind Sam Houston State (74.5%), Northwestern (72.3%) and Texas A&M (70.0%). Individually, Travis Walton (2nd, 5.12 apg) and Drew Neitzel (5th, 4.40 apg) rank among the league leaders in assists.
Close Losses - Of Michigan State's eight losses, five have been by seven points or fewer, including three by just a single basket. The Spartans lost by two points each to Maryland, Iowa and Ohio State, and fell by seven at Boston College and at Illinois.
Neitzel For Three - Drew Neitzel is shooting 74-of-188 from 3-point range (39.4%). The 74 made 3-pointers rank eighth on the single-season chart, seven behind Kirk Manns (81 - 1989-90) in seventh place. The 188 attempts rank sixth on the single-season list, 12 behind Morris Peterson (200 - 1999-2000) in fifth place.
Morgan Feeling Better - Raymar Morgan has started the last six games, averaging 10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 30.7 minutes. He missed seven games in December and January with a stress reaction in his right shin. He came off the bench in the first three games back from injury, before returning to the starting lineup against Penn State. There were 35 days between games for Morgan. He opened his freshman season with six straight 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 10.5 ppg, and has scored in double figures in 13 of his 18 contests. He scored a game-high 18 points in MSU's win over No. 19 Texas, and also scored 18 against Bradley.
Suton Looking To Score - Goran Suton was tentative offensively in the first three games of the Big Ten season, averaging just 4.3 points and shooting 27.8 percent. Over the last six games, however, he has been more offensive-minded, averaging 11.0 points, while shooting 60.3 percent (35-of-58) from the field.
From Way Downtown - Michigan State ranks fourth in the Big Ten Conference in 3-point field-goal percentage, connecting on 36.8 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 (74-188, .394) and Maurice Joseph (32-81, .395) are MSU's two most prolific long-range shooters.
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 2.29 assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking third in the Big Ten, while also ranking second in the league in assists (5.12 apg). He has nine games with seven or more assists and six 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.
On Target - Michigan State ranks fourth in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage (.465). In conference games, the Spartans are shooting 46.0 percent from the field, ranking third in the league.
Neitzel On Wooden List - Drew Neitzel is one of 30 players named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason All-American Team. Neitzel is one of 10 players named to the midseason team after not appearing on the preseason list. He joins Ohio State's Greg Oden and Wisconsin's Alando Tucker as the three Big Ten players on the list. In March, a group of approximately 20 players will be selected for the national ballot, which will determine the 10-member All-America Team and the Wooden Award winner.
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 17 occassions, followed by Raymar Morgan (3), Maurice Joseph (2 games), Goran Suton (2), Travis Walton (2) and Marquise Gray (1).
MSU's Block Party - Michigan State has blocked 125 shots through the first 25 games, an average of 5.00 blocks per contest, ranking fourth in the Big Ten. According to the most recent NCAA stats (Feb. 9), MSU ranks 31st in the nation (5.0 bpg). By comparison, MSU blocked just 101 shots last season in 34 games, an average of 3.0 per game. Since blocked shots were first kept as an official statistic in 1977-78, MSU's greatest single-season total was 133 in 2001. The 125 blocks rank second in MSU single-season history. The Spartans are led in blocks by Drew Naymick with 36, followed by Idong Ibok with 30 and Goran Suton with 20. Naymick's 36 blocks already rank him fourth in the Spartan single-season record book.
Neitzel's Second Halves - As a general rule, Drew Neitzel has been a more explosive scorer in the second half. Through 25 games, Neitzel is averaging 6.8 points in the first half and 11.2 after halftime. His most dramatic performance came at Ohio State where he scored 24 second-half points after five in the first half, nearly leading MSU back from a 20-point halftime deficit. In fact, he scored one more point in the second half (24) than did the Buckeyes (23). In the second game vs. OSU, he scored 21 of his 24 points after the break. He scored 17 of his 20 points vs. Iowa in the second half. 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 seven 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, Chicago State and Minnesota.
Too Many Turnovers - Michigan State has struggled with turnovers this season, averaging 15.2 per game. 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 4.72 per game, while both rank in the top six in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio. MSU is 7-0 when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent.
Neitzel Among All-Time Assists Leaders - Drew Neitzel ranks eighth in MSU history with 396 career assists. Next on the list is Chris Hill, who recorded 452 assists.
Dahlman On The Shelf - Isaiah Dahlman has missed six straight games with an injury in his right foot. He suffered the injury during practice on Jan. 16, and has been 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 before his injury, 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.
Ibok On Offense - Idong Ibok has scored 50 points in the last 16 contests after scoring just seven points through the first nine games. During the last 16 games, Ibok is shooting 21-of-24 from the field.
What A Difference A Year Makes - Maurice Joseph is averaging 6.8 points (including a career-best 16 points vs. Youngstown State) and 16.9 minutes. He missed the last four games of December with a stress reaction in his right foot. Joseph returned to action against Iowa, and has averaged 5.1 points and 14.7 minutes over the last 10 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.
For Starters - Due to a variety of factors, including injuries, Michigan State has used eight different starting lineups this season. The lineup of Drew Neitzel, Travis Walton, Raymar Morgan, Idong Ibok and Goran Suton is the most frequently used lineup, starting six games.
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.
Non-Conference Victories - Michigan State won 13 non-conference games, establishing a school record for regular-season non-conference victories since joining 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.
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 160-22 (.879) at home, including 137-13 (.913) over the last 10 years.
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.
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. Walton is 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.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 12th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 272-117 (.699), and 129-61 (.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 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 .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 129 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 60-56 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. This includes a 53-45 record since 1997-98.
