Spartans Ready For Ford Field Showdown
12/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 2, 2008
DETROIT, Mich. -
ACC/Big Ten Challenge
#13/12 Michigan State (4-1)
vs. #1/1 North Carolina (7-0)
December 3, 2008
9:15 p.m. EST
Detroit, Mich.
Ford Field
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas and Matt Steigenga (Color), Adam Ruff (Host) Flagship - WJIM 1240 AM/WMMQ 94.9 FM
TV: ESPN - Dan Shulman (Play by Play), Dick Vitale (Color), Doris Burke (Sidelines)
Press Conference Coverage:
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The Opening Tip
Michigan State will face unanimous No. 1 North Carolina in the 10th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Spartans own a Big Ten-best 5-3 record in the challenge, including a 2-0 mark against the Tar Heels. The game is Michigan State's second ever at Ford Field, site of the 2009 Final Four. MSU and UNC are meeting for the third time in the last five seasons.
The Starting Five
1. Spartans Vs. No. 1
Michigan State is 2-15 all-time against teams ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25. In its most recent game against a top-ranked squad, MSU defeated Wisconsin, 64-55, on Feb. 20, 2007, in East Lansing. MSU's other win over a No. 1 team came in the 1979 NCAA Championship game against Indiana State. Tom Izzo is 1-4 in his career against No. 1 teams.
2. The Free Throw Story
Michigan State has done a good job getting to the foul line, making more free throws (89) than its opponents have attempted (83). The margin, however, could be even more impressive as the Spartans are shooting just .636 from the charity stripe.
3. Lucas Lends A Helping Hand
Through the first five games of the season, Kalin Lucas paces the Big Ten with a 5.17-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while ranking second in the conference at 6.2 helpers per contest. Against Oklahoma State, Lucas recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-best 10 assists. As a freshman, Lucas ranked fifth in the Big Ten in assists (3.81 apg) and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.88), while his 137 assists were the fourth most ever by a Spartan freshman.
4. Hitting The Offensive Glass
Michigan State leads the Big Ten in offensive rebounds, grabbing 14.2 per game. The Spartans are grabbing 40.6 percent of their missed shots, collecting 71 offensive rebounds compared to 104 defensive boards for the opponent. In the most recent game against Wichita State, MSU grabbed 19 offensive boards, while the Shockers collected just 16 defensive boards. Overall, the Spartans out-rebounded WSU, 42-24. It's a group effort for Michigan State, as not a single Spartan averages more than six rebounds per game, and four different players have led the team in rebounding in a single game, including freshmen Draymond Green and Delvon Roe.
5. Michigan State At Ford Field
Michigan State played Kentucky at Ford Field on Dec. 13, 2003, in front of a World Record crowd of 78,129. Played on a Saturday afternoon, "The Basketbowl - Hoops on the 50" was a once in a lifetime experience for all involved. The court from the Breslin Center was transported and placed in the middle of Ford Field, paving the way for the new Final Four set-ups in large stadiums.
MSU vs. North Carolina Notes
Series History
North Carolina leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 7-3. Two of the Spartans' three victories came in the first two years of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge as MSU defeated UNC, 86-76, in 1999 and 77-64 in 2000. The two most recent meetings between the teams have come in the NCAA Tournament as the Tar Heels beat the Spartans in the 2005 Final Four and the 2007 second round.
Coach Williams
Roy Williams (North Carolina, `72) is in his 21st season as a collegiate head coach, having amassed a record of 567-134. In his six seasons with the Tar Heels, Williams has compiled a 149-33 mark, including winning the 2005 NCAA Tournament. A 2007 Naismith Hall of Famer, he is a six-time National Coach of the Year and ranks No. 1 in the country in winning percentage (.809) among active coaches.
The Last Meeting
North Carolina defeated Michigan State, 81-67, in the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Tyler Hansbrough led the No. 1-seeded Tar Heels with 33 points and nine rebounds, shooting 10-of-17 from the field and 13-of-17 from the foul line. Drew Neitzel led the Spartans with 26 points and helped MSU hold a 57-54 lead with 8:48 left in the contest, before UNC took control with a 14-4 run. Raymar Morgan added 19 points for the Spartans, while Ty Lawson scored 20 for the Tar Heels.
Tar Heel Notes
North Carolina leads the nation in scoring margin (+29.7) and ranks second in scoring offense (96.9 ppg) and assists per game (21.3 apg) and fourth in field-goal percentage (.519) ... 2007 National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough averages 21.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 24.7 minutes, having played just three games due to a shin injury ... Ty Lawson leads the Tar Heels with a 5.22-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, averaging 6.7 assists per game ... In seven games, North Carolina has made 121 free throws, while opponents have attempted 114 .... UNC is averaging 107.8 points in the last four games ... Five active Tar Heels average double-figures in scoring.
ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Challenge History
This is the 10th season of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Michigan State is a Big Ten-best 5-3 in the challenge and had its 2001 game against Virginia in Richmond cancelled due to unplayable wet floor conditions. The ACC has won the Commissioner's Cup in each of the past nine seasons, although this is just the fourth season that all 11 Big Ten schools will participate.
Ranked Teams In Challenge Games
Forty-seven of the 86 Challenge games played to date have had at least one ranked team playing. This year's match-ups are no different. Five of the 11 games will feature ranked teams, including two games with both opponents ranked.
Storied Conferences
The ACC and Big Ten conferences are synonymous with the NCAA Tournament. The two conferences have combined for 625 NCAA Tournament victories. The Big Ten is the only conference since 2000 to advance five different programs to the Final Four. The ACC has had four different schools reach the national semifinals over that time. Michigan State leads the Big Ten with three appearances (2000, 2001 and 2005) while Illinois (2005), Indiana (2002), Ohio State (2007) and Wisconsin (2000) have each earned a Final Four spot since 2000. The Big Ten has accumulated a record 39 Final Four appearances, tying the ACC for the national lead. Since the inception of the NCAA Tournament in 1939, the Big Ten has recorded the most appearances of any conference in the Big Dance with 184 (ACC, 171) and has the second-most NCAA Tournament victories with 295 (ACC, 329).
Dec. 1, 1999 - MSU 86 - North Carolina 76 - Chapel Hill, N.C.
Morris Peterson scores 31 points to hand the Tar Heels their first loss in a home opener since 1928. All-American Mateen Cleaves missed the game with a stress fracture in his foot.
Nov. 29, 2000 - MSU 77 - North Carolina 64 - East Lansing, Mich.
Jason Richardson led MSU with 16 points and Charlie Bell tallied 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while holding UNC All-American Joseph Forte 11 points below his scoring average.
Nov. 28, 2001 - MSU vs. Virginia (Cancelled) - Richmond, Va.
The game was halted at the 15:04 mark of the second half due to unplayable floor conditions as unseasonably warm temperatures caused a steady supply of moisture to collect on the court laid over a sheet of ice used by a minor league hockey team.
Dec. 4, 2002 - MSU 82 - Virginia 75 - East Lansing, Mich.
Michigan State used a 17-0 first-half run to take control of the contest, as Chris Hill led four Spartans in double figures with 22 points.
Dec. 3, 2003 - Duke 72 - MSU 50 - East Lansing, Mich.
Duke out-shot MSU, 59.2%-40.0%, from the field and the Spartans committed 20 turnovers, including 17 in the first half.
Nov. 30, 2004 - Duke 81 - MSU 74 - Durham, N.C.
J.J. Redick and Daniel Ewing each scored 29 points for Duke, including a combined 35 in the first half. MSU pulled within a single point in the final three minutes, but could not overcome shooting 9-of-18 at the foul line in the second half.
Nov. 30, 2005 - MSU 88 - Georgia Tech 86 - East Lansing, Mich.
Paul Davis scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half, but Georgia Tech hit five 3-pointers in the final 1:26 and nearly rallied from a 10-point deficit. Shannon Brown also scored 22 for MSU.
Nov. 29, 2006 - Boston College 65 - MSU 58 - Boston, Mass.
Boston College turned 17 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points and held off a late Spartan run to take the victory.
Nov. 28, 2007 - MSU 81 - North Carolina State 58 - East Lansing, Mich.
Goran Suton's 16-point, 12-rebound double-double led the Spartans, as Michigan State jumped to a 41-19 halftime lead and cruised to victory.
Game 5 Notes - Michigan St. 65 - Wichita St. 57
* Delvon Roe grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds, marking the first double-figure rebounding game of his career.
* The game was delayed for 42 minutes at the 12:47 mark of the first half, as high winds outside the Milk House pushed rain through the ventilation system causing water to drop on various spots on the court.
* Michigan State's +18 rebound margin was its largest of the season. The Shockers had entered the game with a +13.2 rebound margin.
* Michigan State grabbed more offensive rebounds (19) than Wichita State defensive boards (16).
* Michigan State nearly doubled its scoring output in the second half, scoring 43 points in the stanza, after totaling just 22 in the opening stanza.
* Michigan State's defense held Wichita State to 38.0 percent shooting, including 30.4 percent from 3-point range, both of which were season lows for Spartan opponents.
* With 2:01 remaining in the first half, Wichita State held an eight-point lead at 26-18. The Spartans responded with a 32-13 run over the next 15:17, taking a 50-39 lead of their own.
* Michigan State held a 31-13 advantage in free throw attempts and did not allow the Shockers to get to the foul line in the first half.
MSU Basketball Notes
Finding A Shooting Touch
Travis Walton worked hard in the offseason to improve his offensive game, but was unable to find the range during the first two games of the season, making just one of his first six shots. He quickly found the shooting touch in the first two games of the Old Spice Classic, scoring a career-high 16 points in each contest, while shooting a combined 15-of-20 (.750) from the field. Over the three game tournament, Walton averaged 12.3 points.
MSU's X-Factor
Marquise Gray is a real X-factor for the Spartans in the sense that when he is productive, Michigan State will most always win. Gray has scored in double figures 16 times in his career, and the Spartans are 15-1 in those games. The lone loss came against North Carolina in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, where Gray tallied 11 points. In addition, MSU is 4-0 when Gray grabs 10 or more rebounds and 3-0 when he posts a double-double.
In The Rankings
Michigan State is ranked No. 13 in The Associated Press poll and No. 12 in the USA TODAY/ESPN coaches' poll. Five Spartan opponents are also ranked, including North Carolina (#1 AP/#1 USA Today/ESPN), Texas (#8/8), Purdue (#9/10), Kansas (#RV/25) and Wisconsin (#RV/t-22).
Spartans Among Big Ten's Leading Returners
Goran Suton is the Big Ten's leading returning rebounder, having averaged 8.2 boards per game in 2007-08, trailing only Indiana's D.J. White. At 14.0 points per game, Raymar Morgan ranked sixth in the conference in scoring last season, but is the second-leading returning scorer. Travis Walton (4.33 apg) and Kalin Lucas (3.81 apg) rank first and third, respectively, among all returning Big Ten players in assists.
Individual Accolades
Sophomore guard Kalin Lucas has been tabbed a preseason second-team All-American by The Sporting News. Lucas was also chosen as a second-team All-Big Ten selection by Lindy's College Basketball and Athlon Sports College Basketball. Junior forward Raymar Morgan was a first-team all-conference selection as chosen by Lindy's and Athlon. Athlon also selected senior center Goran Suton as a third-team all-league player.
Limiting Turnovers
Michigan State is averaging just 13.2 turnovers through the season's first five contests, down slightly from last year's average of 13.6, which was the lowest average of the Tom Izzo era. On the other side, the Spartans are forcing opponents to commit 15.6 turnovers per game. MSU has not had a positive turnover margin since its 2004-05 Final Four season.
Hitting The Century Mark
Michigan State opened the season with a 100-62 win over Idaho, marking the 40th time in school history the Spartans have scored 100 or more points in a game, although it is just the second time that MSU has scored exactly 100 points. It was the seventh 100-point effort during Tom Izzo's head coaching tenure.
Spartans On The Run
Michigan State leads the Big Ten in scoring offense at 78.2 points per game, a sign of the up-tempo pace the Spartans hope to play in 2008-09. This year's edition of the Spartans could challenge the 2004-05 squad for the highest-scoring team of the Tom Izzo era. In '04-05, MSU averaged 78.5 points en route to a Final Four appearance.
Keys To Success
If recent trends continue, look for Michigan State to pace the conference in rebounding and shooting. Last season, MSU led the league in field-goal percentage (.480) for a fifth-straight season, and in rebound margin (+6.8) for the ninth time in 11 years.
Morgan Makes Wooden Award List
Raymar Morgan was selected one of the top 50 preseason candidates for the 2008-09 John R. Wooden Award. The John R. Wooden Award, presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, has been presented annually since 1976. Neitzel and Purdue's Robbie Hummel are the only Big Ten players on the preseason list for the Wooden Award.
An Impressive Streak
Michigan State made its 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008. It is the longest current streak among Big Ten schools and fifth longest in the nation. Only Arizona (24), Kansas (19), Kentucky (17) and Duke (13) 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.
Spartans In The NBA
Eight former Spartans are currently on NBA rosters, including Maurice Ager (New Jersey Nets), Charlie Bell (Milwaukee Bucks), Shannon Brown (Charlotte Bobcats), Paul Davis (Los Angeles Clippers), Morris Peterson (New Orleans Hornets), Zach Randolph (Los Angeles Clippers), Jason Richardson (Charlotte Bobcats) and Eric Snow (Cleveland Cavaliers).
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo
In his 14th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 309-131 (.702), and 145-69 (.678) 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 14 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 .678 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 (.702). With 145 conference victories, Izzo ranks 11th all-time.
Izzo Against Ranked Opponents
In his 14 years of coaching, Tom Izzo is 65-64 against ranked opponents.
Izzo Among Best Ever
Through his first 13 seasons, Tom Izzo won 305 games, ranking seventh in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 13 years.
Graduating Student-Athletes
In Tom Izzo's 13 full years directing the Spartan program, 83 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last nine years, 29 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees, including five each in 2001, 2003 and 2007.
Izzo's Coaching Tree
Five current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Jim Boylen (Utah), Tom Crean (Indiana), Brian Gregory (Dayton), Stan Heath (South Florida) and Doug Wojcik (Tulsa). Gregory is in his sixth 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 fourth 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 second season with Utah. Stan Joplin, an assistant during Izzo's first season, spent 12 seasons as head coach at Toledo.
Home Sweet Home
During Tom Izzo's career as head coach, the Spartans are 182-22 (.892) at home, including 159-13 (.924) since the start of the 1997-98 season.
Coaches Vs. Cancer
During the 2007-08 season, Tom and Lupe Izzo launched the Michigan State chapter of the Coaches Vs. Cancer program. Now in its second season, the Izzos are looking for an even better year. Signature events for 2009 include the Suits and Sneakers Fundraising Challenge, where employees donate funds for the right to wear sneakers in the work place, an NCAA Final Four Reception (April 3, 2009), and Izzo Goes To Broadway (May 6, 2009), a cabaret style show featuring special guests and professional talent, directed by Broadway director and East Lansing native Greg Ganakas at the Wharton Center on the MSU campus. For more information on any of these initiatives contact Kate Follett from the American Cancer Society at 517-664-1370.
