Spartans Open Big Ten Play At Minnesota
12/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#10/15 Michigan State (9-2)
vs. #21/21 Minnesota (12-0)
December 31, 2008
12 p.m. EST
Minneapolis, Minn.
Williams Arena
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: Big Ten Network - Wayne Larrivee (Play by Play), Shon Morris (Color)
Listen To Spartan Sports Podcasts
Coach Izzo | Goran Suton | Travis Walton
Coach Izzo Radio Show - Dec. 29
The Opening Tip
For the second straight season, Michigan State will open the conference season against Minnesota, as the two teams are led by the only conference coaches to have won an NCAA Championship. Both MSU-Minnesota games last season were decided by six points or less. For the fourth time in the last eight years, the Spartans will open league play with two road games.
The Starting Five
1. Big Ten Openers
In its 58 seasons playing basketball in the Big Ten Conference, Michigan State has compiled a 25-33 record in Big Ten openers, including a 10-24 record on the road. Tom Izzo is 7-6 in Big Ten openers, including 2-6 on the road. The Spartans are no strangers to opening conference action on the road, as this marks the sixth time in the last eight years that Michigan State has tipped off Big Ten play away from East Lansing. It is also the fourth time in the last eight years that MSU has opened with two road games.
2. Early Start For Conference Play
This year marks the earliest start to conference play for Michigan State since opening the 1997-98 conference season at Purdue on Dec. 30. In that game, the Spartans defeated the No. 5 Boilermakers, 74-57, in West Lafayette and propelled MSU on to its first Big Ten title under Tom Izzo. Like this year's Minnesota game which changed start times to accomodate the Gophers' appearnce in the Insight Bowl, that contest at Purdue was moved to an earlier start time so Boilermaker fans could watch Purdue play in the Alamo Bowl. The only other time MSU opened league play in December came in 1952-53, MSU's third season in the Big Ten, when the Spartans opened with road games at Northwestern (Dec. 27) and Minnesota (Dec. 30).
3. Michigan State's Balanced Attack
Through the non-conference schedule, MSU has proven to have great depth. Nine Spartans average 10.0 minutes or more. Four players average double figures in scoring, while a fifth Spartan averages 9.4 points for the highest scoring team in the Big Ten. On the boards, three Spartans average 5.4 boards per contest, as MSU paces the league in rebounding margin.
4. Spartans Hit The Mark
After leading the Big Ten in field-goal percentage for the last five seasons, the Spartans are taking aim at a sixth straight statistical crown. Michigan State currently leads the league in field-goal percentage (.490). Individually, Raymar Morgan leads the conference, connecting on 65.3 percent of his shots.
5. Life Away From Home
In its 12th game of the season, Michigan State is playing its eighth game away from East Lansing. In its only prior true road game of the season, MSU defeated IPFW. The Spartans have also played six neutral site games, the most by a MSU squad in the regular season since the 2005-06 season. MSU is 5-2 away from the Breslin Center. Gonzaga is the only other team ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 to have played just four home games this season.
Game 11 Notes - Michigan State 82 - Oakland 66
* Michigan State improved to 9-2 all-time at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
* With his eight points, Raymar Morgan became the 38th player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 on his career on a dunk with 8:48 left.
* Michigan State tied a season high with 11 3-pointers and connected on a season-best 55.0 percent of its 3-point attempts.
* MSU opened the game on a 9-0 run, only to watch Oakland storm back with a 15-0 run. The Spartans responded with an 11-0 run, and would close the half on an 18-2 run.
* Goran Suton returned to the starting lineup for the first time since the second game of the season.
* The Spartans grabbed 14 of their 30 missed shots and corralled 24 of Oakland's 30 misses.
* Michigan State recorded 25 assists on 32 baskets, including 13 assists on 15 second-half baskets.
MSU vs. Minnesota Notes
Series History
Minnesota leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 56-54, including a 35-19 advantage in games played in Minneapolis. The Spartans have won eight of the last nine and 13 of the last 16 meetings. Tom Izzo has a 16-7 all-time record against the Golden Gophers, including a 7-4 mark in Minneapolis.
Coach Smith
Orlando "Tubby" Smith (High Point, `73) is 419-159 in his 18th season as a collegiate head coach, including 32-14 in his second season with Minnesota. Prior to his arrival in Minneapolis, he spent 10 seasons as head coach at Kentucky, leading the Wildcats to the 1998 NCAA Championship. His head coaching career also includes a two-year stint at Georgia and four seasons at Tulsa.
Smith Vs. MSU
Tubby Smith has faced Michigan State eight times, including six games when he was at Kentucky. The Spartans are 6-2 against Smith overall, including victories in the 1999 and 2005 Elite Eights.
The Last Meeting
Michigan State defeated Minnesota, 78-73, on Jan. 20, 2008 in Minneapolis. MSU's defense held the Gophers without a field goal over the final 5:27 of the first half, closing the stanza on a 9-2 run to take a 31-27 halftime lead. Leading 55-53 with 7:36 remaining, MSU went on a 10-2 run over the next 2:46 to claim a 65-55 lead. Minnesota never got closer than five after that. The Spartans made their final 11 free throws in the last 2:32 to seal the victory. Drew Neitzel scored 17 of his team-high 19 points in the second half, hitting five 3-pointers. Goran Suton added a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Lawrence McKenzie led Minnesota with 20 points.
Golden Gopher Notes
At 12-0, Minnesota is off to its best start since the 1948-49 squad opened with a 13-0 record ... Minnesota is nationally ranked for the first time since 2002 ... Minnesota's roster features players from eight different states and Canada ... Minnesota will be playing its 12th home game of the season ... The Golden Gophers lead the Big Ten in steals (9.50 spg) and blocked shots (7.33 bpg) and rank second in offensive rebounds (11.92) ... Freshman Colton Iverson ranks second in the conference in field-goal percentage (.621) ... Al Nolen ranks third in the conference in assists (6.25 apg) and is tied for second in steals (2.33 spg) with teammate Damian Johnson.
MSU Basketball Notes
It's All About Boardwork
Michigan State has led the Big Ten in rebounding margin in nine of the last 11 years. This season, the Spartans lead the Big Ten at +7.7, and are 7-1 when out-rebounding their opponent, despite missing Goran Suton, the Big Ten's leading returning rebounder, for six games. It's a group effort for MSU, as not a single Spartan averages more than six rebounds per game, and six different players have led the team or shared the team lead in rebounding in a single game, including freshmen Draymond Green and Delvon Roe.
Morgan Reaches 1,000
With eight points against Oakland, Raymar Morgan became the 38th player in MSU history to score 1,000 career points. With 29 points, he will pass Kevin Smith (1,028 points) for 37th place on the MSU all-time scoring chart.
Lending A Helping Hand
Michigan State is recording an assist on 66.4 percent of its baskets (211-of-318). The Spartans average 19.2 assists per game, ranking second in the Big Ten and seventh in the nation. Against Alcorn State, MSU established a new school record with 35 assists. Individually, Kalin Lucas ranks second in the conference with 6.45 assists per contest, while freshman Korie Lucious dished out 11 against Alcorn State, the most by any Spartan this season.
Morgan On The Glass
Raymar Morgan is averaging a team-best 7.8 rebounds in his last five games, after averaging just 4.3 boards in the first six games of the season. Morgan has led the team or tied for the team lead in rebounding in four of the last five games and grabbed 10 boards against both Bradley and The Citadel.
Morgan Among Big Ten Leaders
Raymar Morgan currently leads the Big Ten in field-goal percentage (.653), and ranks fifth in scoring (15.3 ppg), 10th in rebounding (5.9 rpg) and 12th in free-throw percentage (.717). Michigan's DeShawn Sims is the only other player in the Big Ten to rank in the top 15 all four categories.
Finding Other Ways To Contribute
Although Raymar Morgan has averaged just 8.0 points in the last two games, he's found another way to contribute to the Spartan offensive attack, averaging 4.5 assists. The five assists he recorded against Oakland were a career high.
Suton Back In Action
After missing six straight games with a left knee injury, Goran Suton has appeared in the last three games, averaging 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 21.7 minutes, leading MSU in scoring against Texas and Oakland. Suton injured his knee in the second game of the season against IPFW on Nov. 19. After his knee did not respond to rest, he underwent arthroscopic surgery on Dec. 4. His first full practice came on Monday, Dec. 15. He returned to action against The Citadel on Dec. 17, scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds in 17 minutes. In a win over No. 5 Texas, Suton played 26 minutes off the bench, scoring a team-best 18 points. Against Oakland, Suton led MSU in both scoring (16 points) and rebounding (9 rebounds).
Working On The Defense
In the first six games of the year, MSU's defense allowed opponents to score 72.5 points on 44.7 percent shooting. In the last five games, the Spartans are allowing just 62.6 points on 37.8 percent shooting, including just 31.7 percent from 3-point range.
Bench Scoring
Michigan State's bench has out-scored the opponent's bench in nine of 11 games this season, including the last six contests. The Spartan reserves have out-scored the opponent subs, 361-206, an average of 32.8-18.7.
Juggling The Lineup
Due in large part to Goran Suton missing six games with a knee injury and Delvon Roe continuing to improve from two knee surgeries, the Spartan coaching staff has been forced to make continual adjustments in the rotation. This has led to Michigan State starting eight different starting lineups through the first 11 games of the season. Nine different Spartans have started a game this season. Kalin Lucas and Travis Walton are the only Spartans to start all nine games.
Allen From Distance
Sophomore guard Chris Allen is shooting 41.7 percent from 3-point range in the last six games, connecting on 15-of-36 attempts, while averaging 11.7 points per game. In the first five games of the season, Allen shot just 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from behind the arc. On the season, Allen is shooting 37.7 percent from distance. His teammate Durrell Summers leads the Big Ten in 3-point field-goal percentage, shooting 53.6 percent (15-of-28).
Hitting The Offensive Glass
Michigan State leads the Big Ten in offensive rebounds, grabbing 13.55 per game. The Spartans are grabbing 38.7 percent of their missed shots, collecting 149 offensive rebounds compared to 236 defensive boards for the opponent. Against Wichita State, MSU grabbed 19 offensive boards, while the Shockers collected just 16 defensive boards.
Roe's Recovery
Despite undergoing two knee surgeries in the last 12 months, including microfracture surgery last December, Delvon Roe is showing flashes of the skills that had him ranked among the elite high school players in his class nationally. In the first four games of the season, he averaged 15.0 minutes and 3.5 rebounds. In the last seven games, he is averaging 6.4 rebounds, 5.7 points and 19.0 minutes per contest.
Lucas Dishes It Out
Kalin Lucas paces the Big Ten and the nation with a 6.45-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while ranking second in the conference at 6.45 helpers per contest. Lucas has recorded one or no turnovers in 10 of 11 games, and has tallied 40 assists and five turnovers in the last six games. 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.
The Free Throw Story
Michigan State has done a good job getting to the foul line, making nearly as many free throws (177) as its opponents have attempted (198). The comparison, however, could be even more impressive as the Spartans are shooting just .651 from the charity stripe. MSU is averaging 24.7 free throw attempts per game.
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. On the season, Walton is shooting .486, averaging a career-best 7.2 points per game.
Walton Moves Up Career Assists Chart
With 459 career assists, Travis Walton ranks seventh in Michigan State history. He needs 33 assists to pass Earvin Johnson (491 assists) for sixth place.
The Turnover Story
In the first two games of the season, Michigan State averaged 9.5 turnovers and held a combined 47-17 edge in points off turnovers. In the five games that followed, the Spartans averaged 17.6 turnovers, resulting in a 93-57 deficit in points off turnovers. In the last four games, MSU is averaging 13.0 turnovers, while opponents are averaging 15.8, resulting in a combined 77-39 advantage in points off turnovers. Last season, the Spartans averaged 13.6 turnovers, which was the lowest average of the Tom Izzo era. This year, MSU is 6-0 when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent, and 1-0 when turnovers are equal, but just 2-2 when committing more.
In The Rankings
Michigan State is ranked No. 10 in The Associated Press poll and No. 15 in the USA TODAY/ESPN coaches' poll. Six Spartan opponents are also ranked, including North Carolina (#1 AP/#1 USA Today/ESPN), Texas (#8/7), Purdue (#9/11), Minnesota (#21/21), Michigan (#23/24) and Ohio State (#24/23).
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.
Spartans On The Run
Michigan State leads the Big Ten in scoring offense at 79.5 points per game, a sign of the up-tempo pace the Spartans are playing 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.
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 (Phoenix Suns) and Eric Snow (Cleveland Cavaliers).
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo
In his 14th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 314-132 (.704), 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 (.704). With 145 conference victories, Izzo ranks 11th all-time.
Izzo Against Ranked Opponents
In his 14 years of coaching, Tom Izzo is 66-65 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 185-22 (.894) at home, including 162-13 (.926) 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.
