Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Face North Carolina In Second Round
3/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 16, 2007
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -
2007 NCAA Tournament
#9 Michigan State (23-11, 8-8)
vs. #1 North Carolina (29-6, 11-5)
March 17, 2007
8:15 p.m. EST
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM
TV: CBS - Dick Enberg (Play by Play), Jay Bilas (Color)
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
Michigan State got back to its defensive basics in its first-round victory over Marquette, holding the Golden Eagles to 31.9 percent shooting after allowing two opponents in the Big Ten Tournament to shoot 47.2 percent. The Spartans will now face No. 1 seed North Carolina. The Tar Heels and Spartans last met in the 2005 National Semifinals. MSU led by five at halftime, but UNC rallied for a 87-71 victory en route to the NCAA Championship.
The Starting Five
1. MSU In A Quick Turnaround - Under Tom Izzo, Michigan State is 11-1 in the second game of weekend during the NCAA Tournament with just one day of preparation. The lone loss came against Texas in the 2003 Elite Eight.
2. A Contrast In Styles - A quick look at the stats provides a clear look at the stark contrast in styles for Michigan State and North Carolina. The Tar Heels are averaging 86.3 points per game offensively. The Spartans have scored 86 points just twice this season. On the flip side, UNC is allowing opponents to score 68.0 points per game, while just two Spartan opponents have scored more than 68 points.
3. Battle On The Boards - Michigan State and North Carolina are two of the best rebounding teams in the nation. UNC out-rebounds its opponent by a +8.6 margin, while MSU owns a +7.6 margin. According to the most recent NCAA statistics (March 12), the Tar Heels ranks third in rebound margin, while the Spartans are fifth.
4. A Perfect 10 - Michigan State is making its school-record 10th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. 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.
5. Spartan Defense Is Big Ten's Best - Michigan State has established itself as the top defensive team in the Big Ten. The Spartans lead the league in field-goal percentage defense (.381) and scoring defense (56.5 ppg), and rank third in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.320) and fourth in blocked shots (4.76 bpg) (Big Ten rankings as of March 12). Maryland (54.8%) and Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament (51.1%) are the only two of MSU's 34 opponents to shoot better than 47 percent from the field, as 23 opponents have shot below 40 percent and 25 below 42 percent. The Spartans have held four opponents (Brown, The Citadel, Bradley and IPFW) below 30 percent shooting. Michigan State has also held nine of its 34 opponents under 50 points. MSU's defense is also among the nation's best, ranking fourth in scoring defense (56.7 ppg), seventh in field-goal percentage defense (38.3%) and 32nd in blocked shots (4.8 bpg), according to the most recent NCAA stats (March 12).
MSU vs. UNC Notes
About North Carolina - North Carolina finished the regular season 28-6 overall and 11-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference to enter the ACC Championship Tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Tar Heels went on to win their first ACC Tournament Championship since the 1998 season with an 89-80 victory over N.C. State on March 11. UNC is making its 39th NCAA Tournament appearance, tied with UCLA for second-most all-time. The Tar Heels are 89-37 in tournament play, winning four national titles.
UNC Vs. The Field - UNC is 11-5 vs. teams in this year's NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels split with Georgia Tech, defeated both Boston College and Duke twice, beat Winthrop, Tennessee, Ohio State, Kentucky, Virginia, and Arizona, and lost to Virginia Tech twice, while also losing to Gonzaga and Maryland.
Common Opponents - Michigan State and UNC have played three common opponents this season - Boston College, Maryland and Ohio State. MSU was 0-4 against those teams compared to 3-1 for UNC.
Series History - UNC leads the all-time series with MSU, 6-3. The teams last met in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, where UNC defeated State, 87-71, in the National Semifinals. The Tar Heels also defeated the Spartans in the 1957 Final Four and the 1998 Sweet Sixteen.
Coach Williams - Roy Williams (North Carolina, '72) is 522-130 in his 19th season as a collegiate head coach, including 104-29 in his fourth year at North Carolina. Prior to his arrival in Chapel Hill, Williams coached at Kansas for 15 years (1988-2003), where he finished his Jayhawk career with a 418-101 overall record.
Tar Heel Notes - With UNC's victory over N.C. State to win the ACC Tournament on March 11, Roy Williams won his first ACC Tournament title as a head coach... Sophomore Tyler Hansbrough was named First-Team All-American by the NABC, and was also named First-Team All-ACC for the second consecutive season... UNC is making its 11th appearance as a No. 1 seed ... UNC leads the nation in scoring margin (+18.1) and ranks in the top five nationally in scoring offense (2nd, 86.3 ppg), rebound margin (3rd, +8.2), assists per game (3rd, 18.6) and field-goal percentage (4th, 50.4) (as of March 12).
The Last Meeting - UNC defeated MSU, 87-71, in the 2005 National Semifinals. The Spartans led by as many as eight points in the first half and held a 38-33 halftime edge, but the Tar Heels broke up a 49-49 second-half tie with a 12-0 run. Maurice Ager led MSU with 24 points, and Paul Davis added 14 points and 15 rebounds, but Alan Anderson did not score in 20 minutes, suffering from a knee injury. Sean May led UNC with 22 points. MSU shot a season-low 33.8 percent in the contest.
NCAA Tournament Notes
MSU In The NCAA Tournament - Michigan State is making its 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a record of 41-19 in tournament play. MSU has made six trips to the Final Four (1957, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005) and captured the NCAA Championship in 1979 and 2000.
At His Best When It Counts - Tom Izzo ranks third among active coaches for the best NCAA Tournament winning percentage at .750 (24-8). Duke's Mike Krzyzewski ranks first at .773 (68-20) followed by Louisville's Rick Pitino at .762 (32-10).
Spartan Opponents In NCAA Tournament - Ten of Michigan State's opponents, including five non-conference teams, from the 2006-07 season are in the NCAA Tournament. The list includes Belmont, Boston College, BYU, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State, Purdue, Texas and Wisconsin. The Spartans were a combined 6-9 against the field of 65.
MSU As A No. 9 Seed - Since the NCAA Tournament began seeding the field in 1979, Michigan State has never been the No. 9 seed.
Exclusive Company - Michigan State ranks sixth among all schools in NCAA Tournament winning percentage for teams with at least 20 tournament games. MSU's .683 winning percentage (41-19) trails only Duke (.752, 85-28), UCLA (.735, 86-31), North Carolina (.709, 90-37), Kentucky (.698, 97-42) and UNLV (.698, 30-13). (Through games of March 15)
MSU In Second Round - Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, Michigan State has advanced to the second round 11 times. MSU has an 8-3 record in second-round games, including six straight wins under Tom Izzo.
Two Titles Not Too Shabby - Michigan State is one of just 13 schools to have won two or more NCAA Championships. Cincinnati, Connecticut, Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State and San Francisco join MSU with two titles. Only Duke (3), North Carolina (4), Indiana (5), Kentucky (7) and UCLA (11) have won more titles.
Game #34 Notes - Michigan State 61 - Marquette 49
* Michigan State improved to 16-5 in its first game of tournament action, including 12-5 in the first round since the field expanded to 64 games in 1985.
* Michigan State scored the first 14 points of the game, holding Marquette scoreless for the first 9:40 of the contest.
* Michigan State's defense held Marquette to a season-low 49 points.
* Marquise Gray's 12 points marked his first double-figure scoring effort since scoring 14 at Penn State (1/20).
* MSU's defense held Marquette to just five made two-point baskets, including none in the first half, tying a NCAA Tournament record for fewest two-point field goals.
* MSU shot 60.9 percent in the first half, compared to just 21.1 percent for Marquette.
* Travis Walton recorded four steals, tied for the third best effort in MSU tournament history.
* Marquette's 31.9 percent shooting was the sixth-lowest by a Spartan opponent in NCAA Tournament history, and the lowest since Alabama State shot 25 percent in the 2001 first round.
