Spartans Face Wisconsin In Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals

March 9, 2007

CHICAGO, Ill. -
2007 Big Ten Tournament
#7 Michigan State (22-10, 8-8)
vs. #2 Wisconsin (27-4, 13-3)

March 9, 2007
6:40 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 Plus - Mike Gleason (Play by Play), Shon Morris (Color)

Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
After a 62-57 win over Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, Michigan State will face Wisconsin. This will be the Spartans' third game against the Badgers in MSU's last six contests. The two teams split the two previous games this season, with the home team winning both times. The winner of this contest will play in the second semifinal game on Saturday afternoon against the winner of the Illinois-Indiana contest.

The Starting Five
1. MSU In The Big Ten Tournament - The Spartans are looking to capture their third Big Ten Tournament championship. In 10 years of the Big Ten Tournament, MSU has a record of 11-7. 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 has played on the opening day of the tournament, winning both times. The Spartans are 8-4 when the tournament is held in Chicago.

2. MSU Vs. Wisconsin In Big Ten Tournament - Michigan State is 2-1 against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament. In 1999, the Spartans defeated Wisconsin, 56-41, in the semifinals. Mateen Cleaves had 14 points and 11 assists and the Spartan defense held Wisconsin to 29.3 percent shooting. The two teams also met in the 2000 semifinals, with MSU claiming a 55-46 victory. Morris Peterson paced MSU with 18 points and the defense led the way once again, allowing the Badgers to shoot just 30.9 percent. Most recently, Wisconsin defeated Michigan State, 68-66 in the 2004 semifinals. Devin Harris led UW with 21 points and Mike Wilkinson added 20. Paul Davis led MSU with 16 points.

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 (.380) and scoring defense (56.3 ppg), and rank second 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.314) and fourth in blocked shots (4.88 bpg). Maryland shot a season-high 54.8 percent from the field, and is the only one of MSU's 32 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 32 opponents under 50 points. MSU's defense is also among the nation's best, ranking third in scoring defense (56.3 ppg), fifth in field-goal percentage defense (37.8%) and 33rd in blocked shots (4.9 bpg), according to the most recent NCAA stats (March 5).

4. Closing In On 1,000 - With 985 career points, Drew Neitzel needs 15 points to become the 37th player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 points in his career. Neitzel entered the season with just 398 points through two seasons, but has scored 587 so far this year.

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 3-1 on a neutral court, turning in some impressive performances. In addition to Thursday's win over Northwestern, MSU defeated Texas, 63-61, in Madison Square Garden in the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic. 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 19.5 points and 6.0 assists on a neutral court.

MSU vs. Wisconsin Notes
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Wisconsin, 66-55, including a 2-1 advantage in the Big Ten Tournament. Tom Izzo is 15-11 in his career against Wisconsin. The two teams won their two games this season, with the home team winning both contests.

Trends From The Season Series - Michigan State held Alando Tucker to 16 points, including just two in the second half, in the Spartans' 64-55 win in East Lansing, as he did not attempt a free throw. In UW's 52-50 victory, Tucker scored 26 points and was 9-of-12 at the foul line ... Drew Neitzel averaged 25.0 points against Wisconsin, shooting 10-of-21 from 3-point range ... MSU held a +17 (41-24) rebound advantage in East Lansing, but out-rebounded UW by just four (27-23) in Madison ... MSU's defense is holding UW to just 35.9 percent shooting ... Raymar Morgan recorded 12 points and eight rebounds in MSU's win, but scored just four points in the Spartans' loss, fouling out in eight minutes ... Travis Walton posted a double-double (13 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds) in the MSU win, but managed just one points and five assists in defeat ... The Badgers averaged 24 3-point attempts in the two games.

Coach Ryan - Bo Ryan (Wilkes, `69) is 522-156 in his 23rd season as a collegiate head coach, including 139-53 in his sixth year at Wisconsin. Prior to his arrival in Madison, Ryan coached at UW-Milwaukee for two years (1999-2001) and at UW-Platteville for 15 seasons (1984-99), winning four Division III National Championships.

Badger Bits - Four Badgers have started all 31 games this season ... The Badgers lead the Big Ten in scoring margin (+13.8) and rank third in the Big Ten in scoring offense (71.3) and second in turnover margin (+3.26) ... Alando Tucker ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (20.1 ppg) ... With 27 wins, Wisconsin has established a new single-season school record.

The Last Meeting - Kammron Taylor hit a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds remaining to give Wisconsin a 52-50 victory on March 3, in Madison. MSU had led 50-49 after Drew Neitzel scored his 20th point with 1:31 remaining. The Spartans did hold a 26-24 halftime lead. Neitzel and Goran Suton scored 22 of MSU's 24 second-half points. The Spartan defense held the Badgers to 35.9 percent shooting, but UW held a 17-5 advantage in points from the foul line. Alando Tucker led all scorers with 26 points.

Game #32 Notes - Michigan State 62 - Northwestern 57
* Drew Neitzel's 20-point effort tied him for the third-best effort by a Spartan in a Big Ten Tournament contest. His five 3-pointers tied Maurice Ager (vs. Iowa, 3/11/2006) for the most by a Spartan in the tournament.
* Michigan State shot 57.9 percent from the field (22-of-38), marking the second-best performance by the Spartans in the Big Ten Tournament.
* Michigan State improved to 3-0 all time vs. Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament.
* Drew Naymick blocked two shots, giving him 53 on the season, good for the second-best single-season total in MSU history.
* Raymar Morgan scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half.