Michigan State Opens Big Ten Tournament Against Northwestern

3/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

March 5, 2007

EAST LANSING, Mich. -
2007 Big Ten Tournament
#7 Michigan State (21-10, 8-8)
vs. #10 Northwestern (13-17, 2-14)

March 8, 2007
2:30 p.m. EST
Chicago, Ill.
United Center

Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM
TV: ESPN - Brent Musburger (Play by Play), Steve Lavin (Color), Erin Andrews (Sidelines)

Michigan State Game Notes
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2007 Big Ten Tournament Bracket
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The Opening Tip
Michigan State enters the 2007 Big Ten Tournament as the No. 7 seed, facing No. 10 Northwestern. The Spartans and Wildcats met just once during the regular season, with MSU claiming a 66-45 victory on Jan. 10 in East Lansing. The winner of the MSU-NU contest will face Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday at 6:40 p.m. ET.

The Starting Five
1. MSU In The Big Ten Tournament - The Spartans are looking to capture their third Big Ten Tournament championship. In nine years of the Big Ten Tournament, MSU has a record of 10-7. The Spartans won the tournament in 1999 and 2000, and lost in the quarterfinals in 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2005. MSU lost in the semifinals in 2003, 2004 and 2006. This is just the second year in which Michigan State will play on the opening day of the tournament. The Spartans are 7-4 when the tournament is held in Chicago.

2. MSU Vs. Northwestern In Big Ten Tournament - Michigan State is 2-0 against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament. In the 1999 quarterfinals, the Spartans defeated NU, 61-59, behind 15 points from Andre Hutson and 13 from Jason Klein. Evan Eschmeyer almost led the Wildcats to the upset, scoring 30 points. The two teams met again in the 2004 quarterfinals, with MSU claiming a 68-55 victory. Chris Hill's 17 points led four Spartans in double figures, while Jitim Young scored 24 for the Wildcats. MSU shot 61.9 percent from the field, a mark that still stands as the MSU record for the Big Ten Tournament. MSU has out-rebounded NU by an average of +12.5 in the two games.

3. 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 (.378), scoring defense (56.3 ppg), and 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.308) and rank fourth in blocked shots (4.87 bpg). Maryland shot a season-high 54.8 percent from the field, and is the only one of MSU's 31 opponents to shoot better than 47 percent from the field, as 22 opponents have shot below 40 percent and 24 below 42 percent. The Spartans have held four opponents (Brown, The Citadel, Bradley and IPFW) below 30 percent shooting. Michigan State has also held eight of its 31 opponents under 50 points. MSU's defense is also among the nation's best, ranking fourth in scoring defense (56.4 ppg), fifth in field-goal percentage defense (37.9%) and 28th in blocked shots (5.0 bpg), according to the most recent NCAA stats (March 2).

4. Defense Among Best Ever - Not only is this year's Michigan State defense the best in the Big Ten, it ranks among the best in Spartan history. The Spartans allow opponents just 56.3 points per game, the lowest total since the 1951-52 squad allowed 56.0 points. Opponents are also shooting just 37.8 percent, the lowest percentage since 1957-58 (.343).

5. On A Neutral Court - As everyone knows, the NCAA Tournament is not played on an opponent's home court, but rather at a neutral site. This season, Michigan State is 2-1 on a neutral court, turning in some impressive performances. MSU defeated Texas, 63-61, in Madison Square Garden. One day later, the Spartans lost by two points to Maryland. In early December, MSU defeated BYU, 76-61, at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Mich., despite Raymar Morgan missing the game and Maurice Joseph missing one half with injuries. Drew Neitzel is averaging 19.3 points and 6.0 assists on a neutral court.

MSU vs. Northwestern Notes
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Northwestern, 73-36, including a 2-0 advantage in the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans have won eight straight games in the series, 15 of the last 16 and 35 of the last 37 contests. Tom Izzo is 18-2 in his career against Northwestern.

Coach Carmody - Bill Carmody (Union College, '75) is 187-137 in his 11th season as a collegiate head coach, including 95-112 in seven seasons at Northwestern. He served as head coach at Princeton from 1996-2000.

Wildcat Notes - Northwestern ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring defense (58.6 ppg), but ninth in field-goal percentage defense (.434) ... The Wildcats lead the Big Ten with 8.47 steals per game, while also leading the conference in turnover margin (+3.53) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.39) ... Senior guard Tim Doyle ranks third in the Big Ten in assists (5.03 apg), fourth in steals (1.70 spg) and third in minutes played (35.03 mpg) ... The Wildcats are led in scoring by Kevin Coble (13.3 ppg), who ranks third among league freshmen.

The Last Meeting - The Spartans and Wildcats met just once during the regular season, with Michigan State claiming a 66-45 victory on Jan. 10, 2007 in East Lansing. NU scored the first five points of the game, but MSU answered with a 9-0 burst that sparked a 23-6 run, giving Michigan State control of the game. The Spartans out-rebounded Northwestern, 37-13, recording their largest margin of the season. In the first half, the Spartans out-rebounded the Wildcats, 21-4, as NU did not get its first rebound until 8:43 left in the first half. Drew Neitzel led all scorers with 18 points, while Marquise Gray added 16 off the bench. Vince Scott was the only Wildcat in double-figures, scoring 11 points.

Game #31 Notes - Wisconsin 52 - Michigan State 50
* Kammron Taylor hit a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds remaining to give Wisconsin the 52-50 victory.
* MSU out-rebounded UW, 27-23, but grabbed a season-low three offensive rebounds.
* Wisconsin out-scored Michigan State, 17-5, from the foul line.
* Maurice Joseph grabbed a career-best six rebounds in a career-high 28 minutes.
* Drew Neitzel and Goran Suton scored 22 of Michigan State's 24 second-half points.
* Michigan State lost for the first time this season when leading at the half.

Michigan State Notes
Closing In On 1,000 - With 965 career points, Drew Neitzel needs 35 points to become the 37th player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 points in his career.

MSU In March - Michigan State is 39-15 in March since the 1998-99 season. For his career, Tom Izzo is 46-22 in March.

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 18.3 points per game. He has scored 20 or more points 15 times, and 17 or more points in 22 games. On the season, he is averaging 13.1 shots and 4.2 free-throw attempts per game. Despite taking more shots, he is shooting a career-best 43.7 percent from the field. Meanwhile, he has continued to be a distributor of the ball, averaging 4.1 assists per contest. For his efforts, Neitzel has been named Big Ten Player of the Week three times (Nov. 20, Nov. 27 and Feb. 26).

Morgan Beginning To Excel - Freshman Raymar Morgan has emerged as Michigan State's number-two scoring option. Over the last six games, Morgan is averaging 13.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in 28.2 minutes, despite playing just eight minutes against Wisconsin before fouling out. 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. He has started the last 12 games, averaging 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 29.4 minutes. 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 11.2 ppg, and has scored in double figures in 18 of his 24 contests. He has scored 18 points in four games, including against Indiana (2/24), Michigan (2/13), Bradley and No. 19 Texas.

Hitting The Boards - Michigan State has made a commitment to rebounding in 2006-07, as the Spartans boast a Big Ten-best +8.2 rebounding margin, out-rebounding 23 of their 31 opponents, while tying three other teams. MSU is 18-5 when out-rebounding its opponent, but 3-5 when failing to do so. According to the most recent NCAA statistics (March 2), the Spartans rank fifth in the nation (+8.3). MSU's greatest margin came against Northwestern (+24, 37-13), while only five teams have been able to out-rebound the Spartans. MSU's rebound margin has been at least +13 in 11 games. 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 & Michigan).

Crashing The Offensive Glass - Michigan State is averaging 11.61 offensive rebounds per game. In fact, MSU has grabbed the rebound on 40.1 percent of its missed shots. In five 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.), Penn State (MSU - 10 off. reb.; PSU - 7 def. reb.) and Iowa (MSU - 15 off. reb.; UI - 10 def. reb.).

For Starters - Due to a variety of factors, including injuries, Michigan State has used 10 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. Walton is the only Spartan to start all 31 games.

Neitzel For Three - Over the last six games, Drew Neitzel is shooting 48.1 percent (25-of-52) from 3-point range. On the season, Neitzel is shooting 99-of-240 (41.3%) from behind the arc. The 99 made 3-pointers rank second on the MSU single-season chart, trailing only Shawn Respert (119 - 1994-95). The 240 attempts rank second on the single-season list, 11 behind Respert (251 - 1994-95). Neitzel's 99 made 3-pointers rank tied for seventh on the Big Ten single-season list, one behind Troy Lewis from Purdue (100 - 1987-88) and eight behind Indiana's Steve Alford (107 - 1986-87). For his career, Neitzel ranks fifth in MSU history in 3-point field goals (161) and seventh in 3-point field-goal attempts (403).

Neitzel Earns Weekly Honors - Drew Neitzel was named the national Player of the Week by ESPN.com's Andy Katz and the co-Big Ten Player of the Week on Feb. 26. In two games, he averaged 22.5 points, shooting 55.6 percent from the field, including 52.9 percent from 3-point range. As a team, Michigan State also earned some national recognition, earning Team of the Week honors from Dick Vitale, Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News and Fox Sports.com's Jeff Goodman after wins over No. 1 Wisconsin and Indiana.

Spartan Injuries - Entering the season with five recruited scholarship players on the perimeter, the Spartans knew they could not afford many injuries. Yet, three players have been forced to miss significant stretches. Raymar Morgan missed seven games, as did Isaiah Dahlman, while Maurice Joseph missed four contests. MSU was 6-1 in Morgan's absence, but the one loss was a two-point defeat at Iowa. The Spartans were 3-4 with Dahlman sidelined. In addition, Drew Neitzel was unable to start the game at Michigan due to illness, snapping a string of 69 straight starts.

Close Losses - Michigan State has lost four games by a single basket (vs. Maryland, at Iowa, at #5 Ohio State, at #4 Wisconsin). Of Michigan State's 10 losses, six have been by seven points or fewer.

An Increase In Scoring - Drew Neitzel is averaging 18.3 points this season after averaging 8.3 points in 2005-06, while starting every contest. His increase of +10.0 points per game ranks tied as the second-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 In Big Ten Statistics - Drew Neitzel leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage (.884) and 3-point field goals made (3.19 pg), ranks second in minutes played (35.26 mpg), fourth in scoring (18.3 ppg), sixth in assists (4.10 apg), eighth in 3-point field-goal percentage (.413) and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.67). Nationally, Neitzel ranks 13th in free-throw percentage and 18th in 3-point field goals made (March 2).

Neitzel At The Charity Stripe - Drew Neitzel is one of the most prolific foul shooters in Michigan State history. For his career, he has made 86.6 percent of his free throws (168-of-194), ranking first in MSU history. This season, he is shooting 88.4 percent (114-of-129), leading the Big Ten and ranking as the fourth-best single-season percentage at MSU. According to the most recent NCAA statistics (March 2), he ranks 13th in the nation (.889).

A Lot Of Minutes - Drew Neitzel ranks second in the Big Ten Conference in minutes played overall (35.26 mpg) and third in league games (36.19 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.

MSU's Block Party - Michigan State has blocked 151 shots, establishing a single-season school record. The Spartans average 4.87 blocks per contest, ranking fourth in the Big Ten. Blocked shots were first kept as an official statistic in 1977-78, with the previous record being set in 2001 (133 blocks). According to the most recent NCAA stats (March 2), MSU ranks 28th in the nation (5.0 bpg).

The Last Line Of Defense - The Spartans are led in blocks by Drew Naymick with 51, followed by Idong Ibok with 33 and Goran Suton with 23. Naymick's 51 blocks rank him tied for second in the Spartan single-season record book with Ron Charles (51 - 1979-80). Naymick ranks fourth in the Big Ten in blocked shots (1.65 bpg) and has blocked at least one shot in 25 of 31 games this season and has eight games with three or more blocks, including a career-high tying four rejections at Michigan. With 70 blocks for his career, Naymick ranks eighth in MSU history, one behind Kevin Willis (71 - 1981-84) in seventh place and three behind Adam Ballinger (73 - 1998-2003) in sixth place.

Naymick In The Starting Lineup - After coming off the bench for the season's first 24 games, Drew Naymick has started the last seven games. He is averaging 27.0 minutes per game, recording 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per contest.

A Special Freshman - Raymar Morgan is having one of the most productive freshman campaigns in the Big Ten. He ranks fifth among league freshmen in scoring (11.2 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.3 rpg). In conference games, his 10.9 ppg scoring average ranks fourth.

Tops In Offense And Defense - Michigan State finished the conference season leading the Big Ten in field-goal percentage (.470) and field-goal percentage defense (.390), becoming just the 10th team to accomplish this feat since 1974. The last team to do it was Illinois in 2003 (FG% - .474; FG% Def. - .384).

20-Win Seasons - With its victory over Wisconsin on Feb. 20, Michigan State recorded its eighth 20-win season in the last 10 years, all under head coach Tom Izzo. Of the 16 20-win seasons in Spartan history, Izzo has been involved in 13 of them, eight as a head coach and five as an assistant.

Balanced Scoring Is Key - Michigan State is 15-3 when three or more Spartans score in double figures, but just 6-7 when two or fewer players score 10 or more points.

Lending A Helping Hand - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in assists with 15.81 per contest. In fact, MSU has recorded an assist on 490 of its 715 baskets (68.5%). That percentage ranks sixth in the nation, behind Sam Houston State (73.7%), Northwestern (71.4%), Lamar (69.5%), West Virginia (69.1%) and Texas-Pan American (68.6%). Individually, Travis Walton (2nd, 5.45 apg) and Drew Neitzel (6th, 4.10 apg) rank among the league leaders in assists.

On Target - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage (.469). In conference games, the Spartans shot a league-best 47.0 percent from the field.

From Way Downtown - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten Conference in 3-point field-goal percentage, connecting on 37.3 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 (99-240, .413) and Maurice Joseph (38-103, .369) 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 2.28 assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking third in the Big Ten, while ranking second in the league in assists (5.45 apg). He has 11 games with seven or more assists, including three of 10 or more, and eight 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 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 early March, Neitzel also became one of 22 players placed on the national ballot, from which the Wooden Award winner and 10-member All-America team will be selected.

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 21 occassions, followed by Raymar Morgan (5 games), Maurice Joseph (2), Goran Suton (2), Travis Walton (2) and Marquise Gray (1).

Neitzel Among All-Time Assists Leaders - Drew Neitzel ranks eighth in MSU history with 413 career assists. Next on the list is Chris Hill, who recorded 452 assists.

Neitzel's Second Halves - As a general rule, Drew Neitzel has been a more explosive scorer in the second half. Through 31 games, Neitzel is averaging 7.2 points in the first half and 11.1 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. In eight 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 Michigan, Youngstown State and Vermont and three in the first against IPFW, Chicago State, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Too Many Turnovers - Michigan State has struggled with turnovers this season, averaging 15.1 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 4.8 per game, while both rank in the top 10 in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio. MSU is 9-0 when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent.

Dahlman Back To Action - Isaiah Dahlman has played in four of the last five games after missing seven straight games with an injury in his right foot. In those four games, he is averaging 10.3 minutes, adding to MSU's perimeter depth. He had started the eight games before his injury, averaging 6.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 25.6 minutes. He played an important role during that stretch as Raymar Morgan was out with an injury for all but one of those eight games and Maurice Joseph missed four of the games with an injury. MSU was 3-4 with Dahlman out of the lineup.

What A Difference A Year Makes - Maurice Joseph is averaging 6.2 points and 16.9 minutes. He missed the last four games of December with a stress reaction in his right foot. Joseph returned to action in the Big Ten opener. 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.

Ibok On Offense - Idong Ibok has scored 58 points in the last 22 contests after scoring just seven points through the first nine games. During the last 22 games, Ibok is shooting 23-of-29 from the field.

Home Sweet Home - Michigan State played 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. MSU won a record 18 home games. The previous record was 16 home victories, set by the 2000-01 Spartans. During Izzo's career as head coach, the Spartans are 164-22 (.882) at home, including 141-13 (.916) over the last 10 years.

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.

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.

The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 12th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 276-119 (.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 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 133 conference victories, Izzo currently ranks 13th all-time.

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 61-57 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. This includes a 54-46 record since 1997-98.