Spartan Basketball Finally Back In Breslin
12/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Game #7
#13/12 Michigan State (4-2)
vs. Bradley (4-2)
December 7, 2008
4 p.m. EST
East Lansing, Mich.
Breslin Center
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 - Michael Reghi (Play by Play), Jim Jackson (Color), Lisa Byington (Sidelines)
The Starting Five
1. Back Home At Last
Michigan State is back in the Breslin Center after playing five straight games away from East Lansing. December 7 marks the latest the Spartans have played their second home game of the season since Tom Izzo's first season in 1995-96 when MSU opened with five games away from home and didn't play the second home game until the seventh game of the season on Dec. 10. That is also the last time the Spartans have played five straight games away from home during the non-conference slate.
2. Raymar vs. The Braves
Michigan State junior forward Raymar Morgan has experienced great success against Bradley, averaging 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in two games. In the ninth game of his Spartan career, Morgan tallied 18 points and seven rebounds, shooting 5-of-10 from the field and 8-of-10 from the foul line. Last season, Morgan shot just 3-of-7 from the field, but made his living from the foul line, shooting 9-of-11 to contribute to his team-high 15 points, while adding seven rebounds.
3. The Free Throw Story
Michigan State has done a good job getting to the foul line, making nearly as many free throws (102) as its opponents have attempted (112). The comparison, however, could be even more impressive as the Spartans are shooting just .634 from the charity stripe.
4. Roe On The Glass
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 two games, he is averaging 9.5 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per contest.
5. Lucas Lends A Helping Hand
Through the first six games of the season, Kalin Lucas paces the Big Ten with a 5.14-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while ranking second in the conference at 6.0 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.
MSU vs. Bradley Notes
Series History
Michigan State leads the all-time series with Bradley, 3-0, including wins in each of the last two seasons. Last year, MSU defeated BU, 66-61, in Peoria, as the Spartans were the highest ranked visiting team since 1982, and the higest ranked non-conference team to play at Bradley since No. 4 UNLV in 1977. One year earlier, Michigan State cruised to an 82-53 victory in East Lansing. The first meeting between the schools came on Dec. 19, 1969, as the Spartans defeated the Braves, 89-87, in the Utah Classic in Salt Lake City.
Coach Les
Jim Les (Bradley, `86) is in his seventh season as both the head coach of his alma mater and as a collegiate head coach. During that time, Les has compiled a 109-92 record, which included an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2006, marking a first for the Braves since 1955.
The Last Meeting
Michigan State defeated Bradley, 66-61, on Dec. 4, 2007, in Peoria, Ill. The game drew 11,597 fans establishing an all-time record for a Bradley home basketball game. The Braves led by as many as nine points in both halves, but after Jeremy Crouch's layup with 9:29 left in the game, MSU's defense held BU without a field goal over the next seven minutes. Kalin Lucas scored seven of his 13 points in the final 3:35, including a floater and 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to push MSU's lead to 57-53. MSU dominated on the glass, out-rebounding Bradley, 48-29, grabbing 21 offensive boards, while BU grabbed just 19 defensive boards.
Brave Notes
Bradley has made 734 3-pointers since the start of the 2006-07 season, the third most in the nation during that stretch ... A player standing no taller than 6-foot-5 has led Bradley in scoring in 58 consecutive games, dating back to Jan. 20, 2007 ... Junior guard Andrew Warren, the team's top returning scorer (13.2 ppg in 2007-08), has yet to suit up this season as he continues to recover from offseason surgery to repair a broken foot ... After shooting .229 from 3-point range in the first four games of the season, the Braves are shooting .513 from behind the arc in the last two games ... At No. 13 in the AP Top 25, MSU is the highest ranked team the Braves have played on the road since Dec. 7, 1996 (No. 7 Michigan).
Game 6 Notes - North Carolina 98 - Michigan St. 63
* Michigan State shot 51.6 percent (16-of-31) in the first half, but just 20.0 percent (7-of-35) in the second.
* Chris Allen hit all three of MSU's first-half 3-point attempts, but the Spartans hit just one of 14 from behind the arc in the second stanza.
* North Carolina turned 22 Spartan turnovers into 27 points, recording 15 steals.
* Raymar Morgan led the Spartans with 21 points, marking the first time in 11 career games that MSU has lost when Morgan scored 20 or more.
* Michigan State dropped to 5-4 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, including 2-1 against North Carolina.
* Delvon Roe led the Spartans in rebounding for the second straight game, grabbing eight rebounds and adding a season-high three blocks.
* For the first time all season, Michigan State (21) attempted fewer free throws than its opponent, as North Carolina converted on 24-of-29 attempts, led by Tyler Hansbrough who made all 13 attempts.
* Led by 16 points from Chris Allen and eight from Durrell Summers, Michigan State's bench outscored North Carolina's subs, 32-23.
MSU Basketball Notes
MSU's Home-Court Advantage
Michigan State has won 35 straight non-conference home games at the Breslin Center, good for the third-longest active streak in the nation. Only Duke (64; Dec. 17 vs. UNC Asheville) has a longer active streak. Since the Breslin Center opened for the 1989-90 season, Michigan State has posted a 256-37 (.874) home record, including 159-13 (.924) in the last 11 seasons. Last year, the Spartans were 17-0 at Breslin, finishing the season as the only Big Ten squad with a perfect home mark. Michigan State has won 22 straight home games, dating back to Feb. 3, 2007, a loss to No. 4 Ohio State.
Hitting The Offensive Glass
Michigan State leads the Big Ten in offensive rebounds, grabbing 13.8 per game. The Spartans are grabbing 37.4 percent of their missed shots, collecting 83 offensive rebounds compared to 139 defensive boards for the opponent. Against Wichita State, MSU grabbed 19 offensive boards, while the Shockers collected just 16 defensive boards.
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 rank fourth in the Big Ten at +4.2, and are 3-1 when out-rebounding their opponent, despite missing Goran Suton, the Big Ten's leading returning rebounder, for four games. 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. Last year, MSU out-rebounded Bradley, 48-29, grabbing 21 offensive boards.
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 .514, averaging a career-best 7.3 points per game.
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 last four games, the Spartans are averaging 17.25 turnovers, resulting in a 81-46 deficit in points off turnovers. Last season, the Spartans averaged 13.6 turnovers, which was the lowest average of the Tom Izzo era.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Big Ten Favorites
Michigan State men's basketball team was picked to finish second in the Big Ten in a vote by a 22-member media panel. Purdue was named the preseason conference favorite at Big Ten Basketball Media Day in Chicago on Sunday, Oct. 26. Spartan junior Raymar Morgan was named preseason All-Big Ten. Purdue swingman Robbie Hummel was named the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. In addition to Morgan, he was joined on the all-league team by teammate E'Twaun Moore, Michigan's Manny Harris and Wisconsin's Marcus Landry. The Badgers round out the top three in the preseason team rankings.
A Noteworthy Frontcourt
Michigan State's frontcourt is ranked among the nation's best according to both Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn (No. 4) and Lindy's College Basketball (No. 4).
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo
In his 14th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 309-132 (.701), 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 (.701). With 145 conference victories, Izzo ranks 11th all-time.
Izzo Against Ranked Opponents
In his 14 years of coaching, Tom Izzo is 65-65 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 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.
