Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State One Step Away From The Final Four
3/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 27, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
No. 5 Michigan State (27-8, 14-4)
vs. No. 6 Tennessee (28-8, 11-5)
March 28, 2010
2:20 p.m. EDT
St. Louis, Mo.
Edward Jones Dome
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: CBS - Verne Lundquist (Play by Play), Bill Raftery (Color)
Michigan State Game Notes | Tennessee Game Notes
The Opening Tip
Michigan State is making its nation's-best seventh Elite Eight appearance in the last 12 years, and is looking to advance to the Final Four for a second straight season. The Spartans will play a Tennessee squad that is making its first-ever Elite Eight appearance. Michigan State and Tennessee have not met since December 1994, the year before Tom Izzo took over as head coach at MSU.
MSU Basketball Notes
* Michigan State is making its nation's-best seventh Elite Eight appearance in the last 12 years. Connecticut, Kansas and North Carolina have each made five Elite Eight appearances in the last 12 seasons.
* Michigan State leads the all-time series with Tennessee, 4-2, although the two programs have not met since December 1994.
* MSU is the only team in the Elite Eight to be making its second straight appearance.
* Durrell Summers has scored in double figures in six straight NCAA Tournament games, averaging 15.7 points in the last six tournament games. He is MSU's leading scorer in the 2010 tournament, averaging 19.7 points, shooting .500 (22-of-44) from the field and .500 (12-of-24) from 3-point range.
* Michigan State is looking to advance to its sixth Final Four in the last 12 years. The Spartans lead the nation with five trips to the Final Four over the last 11 seasons. In the program's history, MSU has appeared in seven Final Fours, including five under Tom Izzo.
* Michigan State is shooting .723 from the foul line during the NCAA Tournament, after entering the tournament shooting .681.
* Michigan State is averaging 8.0 3-pointers per NCAA Tournament game, after averaging just 5.0 on the season. The Spartans are hitting .429 from 3-point range in tournament play.
* Michigan State's 2009-10 roster has a combined 103 games worth of NCAA Tournament experience, including seven different players who have started at least one game in NCAA postseason play, led by Raymar Morgan (14) and Delvon Roe (8).
* Michigan State is 3-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament games in St. Louis, including 3-0 in the regional round after winning two games in the 1999 regional.
* Tom Izzo ranks second among active coaches for the best NCAA Tournament winning percentage at .756 (34-11), trailing only Duke's Mike Krzyzewski at .771 (74-22).
* Under head coach Tom Izzo, Michigan State has a spectacular 15-3 record in the second game of a weekend in NCAA Tournament play. The Spartans' only three losses have come when playing a No. 1 seed.
* MSU is 13-5 as a No. 5 seed, including one Final Four and four Sweet 16s.
* Michigan State's .699 winning percentage (51-22) ranks fifth among all schools in NCAA Tournament winning percentage.
* Draymond Green's 109 assists rank third on the team and are the most by a non-guard in MSU history.
* Over the last eight games, Raymar Morgan is averaging 15.1 points and 8.1 rebounds, leading the team in both categories.
* MSU is holding opponents to .394 shooting and 61.7 points in the last 10 games.
* Korie Lucious is 12-of-31 (.387) from 3-point range in the last six games.
* Michigan State records an assist on 62.6 percent of its baskets.
* Michigan State has committed 10 turnovers or fewer in seven of the last 11 and eight of the last 14 games. MSU is averaging 12.7 turnovers in the last 11 games.
* Michigan State grabs 40.0 percent of its missed shots. By comparison, Spartan opponents grab just 28.2 percent of their missed shots.
* Michigan State has out-rebounded 27 of 35 teams and tied three. The Spartans are 23-4 when out-rebounding an opponent, but 4-4 when failing to do so.
* Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Draymond Green has come off the bench in 32 of 35 games. He leads the team in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and steals (43) and ranks second in blocks (30), third in assists (3.2 apg) and field-goal percentage (.528) and fourth in scoring (9.7 ppg).
* Raymar Morgan is one of just five players in MSU history with 1,500 career points and 700 career rebounds. Morgan (1,580 career points) needs nine points to move past Morris Peterson (1,588 points) into sole possession of 10th place all-time, becoming just the third person in MSU history to rank in the top 10 in career scoring and rebounding.
* Michigan State is 59-22 in March since the 1998-99 season. For his career, Tom Izzo is 66-29 in March. Over the last two seasons, MSU is 13-2 in March.
* Nine different Spartans are averaging 7.3 minutes or more, including seven at 20.6 minutes or more.
* Michigan State has used 19 different starting lineups this season.
* In 27 wins, Michigan State is averaging just 13.5 turnovers, compared to 15.3 turnovers in its losses.
* Defensively, Michigan State is 21-1 when holding teams below 41 percent shooting, but 6-7 when an opponent shoots above 41 percent. The Spartans are allowing opponents to shoot .492 in their losses, compared to .380 in victory.
* Michigan State's bench is averaging 24.5 points per game. In NCAA Tournament games, the Spartans are averaging 20.0 points and 15.7 rebounds off the bench.
* At least one Spartan has recorded a double-double in 16 games, led by Draymond Green with seven and Raymar Morgan with five.
* Raymar Morgan currently ranks tied for fourth in games started (118), fifth in free-throw attempts (563), tied for sixth in free throws made (379), 10th in career rebounding (757 rebounds) and 11th in career scoring (1,580 points).
* MSU is 12-6 away from home this season, including 4-2 on a neutral court.
Sweet 16 Recap - MSU 59 - Northern Iowa 52
* MSU allowed just 52 points against Northern Iowa, the fewest MSU has given up in an NCAA Tournament game since Marquette in the 2007 first round (49).
* The 59 points scored by MSU are the fewest by the Spartans in an NCAA Tournament win since they beat Wisconsin in the 2000 Final Four, 53-49.
* In the first half, Michigan State shot just 31.8 percent, while Northern Iowa shot 52.2 percent from the floor. It was flipped in the second half, as the Spartans shot 54.5 percent in the second half, compared to just 23.8 percent for the Panthers.
* Michigan State was out-rebounded 16-10 in the first half, but dominated the glass by a 22-10 margin in the second half.
* Despite playing with a torn meniscus in his right knee, Delvon Roe played 27 minutes, the most he's played since Dec. 7 at The Citadel (31). Roe contributed six points and five rebounds, hitting both field goals and both free throws he attempted.
* With Northern Iowa in the lead, 46-44, Durrell Summers hit a 3-pointer at the 7:27 mark to give MSU the 47-46 advantage. MSU did not trail the rest of the game.
* In his first career NCAA Tournament start, Korie Lucious scored 10 points, collected career high in rebounds (6) and steals (4), and dished out four assists in a career-high 39 minutes. His acrobatic, turnaround jumper with 1:31 remaining gave MSU a four-point lead at 55-51.
* MSU did not allow UNI to score a field goal over the final 10:20 of the contest.
* Tom Izzo improved to 7-2 in the Sweet 16.
