Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Travel To Minnesota To Play Gophers
2/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2011
| Michigan State (15-11, 7-7) vs. Minnesota (17-9, 6-8) | |
| Date | Tuesday, Feb. 22 |
| Time | 9 p.m. ET |
| Location | Minneapolis, Minn. | Williams Arena |
| Televison | Big Ten Network (Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson) |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) (Will Tieman, Gus Ganakas, Matt Steigenga) |
| Satellite Radio | SIRIUS 122; XM 143 (MINN Broadcast) |
| Tickets | Not Available |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Minnesota |
| Statistics | Michigan State | Minnesota |
| Internet Coverage | |
| Social Media | @MSU_Basketball  | Facebook  |
The Opening Tip
Michigan State travels to Minnesota looking to build off its impressive showing in a Saturday night win over Illinois. Entering the final two weeks of the regular season, the Spartans and Golden Gophers are looking to improve both their postseason resume and place in the Big Ten standings. The two teams have not played since the first week of conference action, when MSU rallied from a six-point halftime deficit in its league opener.
The Starting Five
1. He's Back And Getting Stronger
It's been a long rehab process since tearing his left Achilles in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but Kalin Lucas appears to have returned to the form of a two-time All-Big Ten performer. He is averaging team bests in both scoring (16.4 points) and minutes (32.4 minutes), and has scored in double figures in 16 of his last 17 games, averaging 17.6 points in that stretch. In his last seven games, Lucas is averaging 21.9 points and 37.6 mpg, playing a possible 263 of 285 minutes. Statistically, it's the best seven-game scoring stretch of his career.
2. A Rare Commodity
Draymond Green is one of just three players in the six major conferences to lead his team in both rebounding and assists, joining Georgia Tech's Iman Shumpert (6.2 rpg, 3.4 apg) and Florida's Chandler Parsons (7.7 rpg, 3.6 apg). Green currently averages 8.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists. (Through games of Feb. 20).
3. Balanced Scoring Is Key
Michigan State is at its best when it's getting offensive production from several sources. The Spartans are 13-6 when three or more players score in double figures, compared to just 2-5 when two or fewer players score in double figures. When a fourth Spartan scores 10 or more, MSU is 7-0. Kalin Lucas has scored in double figures in 13 of 14 league contests, while Draymond Green has done it on 11 occasions, with Durrell Summers scoring 10 or more points in seven of 14 league contests.
4. A Tale Of Two Defenses
Through the first five conference games, MSU was holding opponents to .393 shooting from the field, including .353 from 3-point range. In the next six games, conference opponents shot .543, including .505 from behind the arc. In the last three games, MSU has shown signs of returning to its early season form, allowing Illinois, Penn State and Ohio State to shoot just .402 from the field and .333 from 3-point range. MSU is 7-2 when holding league opponents below 50 percent shooting from the field.
5. Spartans Shooting Better
Michigan State is shooting .503 from the field in the last three games, after shooting .406 in the previous nine games. The Spartans have shot better than 52 percent in four of the last six halves, and the first half vs. Illinois (.308) was the only one in which MSU shot below 40 percent.
MSU vs. Minnesota Notes
Series History
Michigan State leads the all-time series with Minnesota, 60-57. The Gophers, however, own a 35-21 advantage in games played in Minneapolis. The Spartans have won nine of the last 10, 14 of the last 16, and 19 of the last 23 meetings. MSU has won three straight games at Williams Arena, and five of the last six. Tom Izzo has a 22-8 all-time record against the Golden Gophers.
Coach Smith
Orlando "Tubby" Smith (High Point, '73) is 467-193 in his 20th season as a collegiate head coach, including 80-48 in his fourth 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.
The Last Meeting
Michigan State defeated Minnesota, 71-62, on Dec. 31, 2010, in East Lansing. The Spartans shot just 25.8 percent in the first half, and trailed 28-22 at the break. Trailing 41-38 with 13:58 remaining, MSU went on a 21-3 run over the next 9:04 to take control of the contest. The Spartans shot 61.5 percent in the second half. MSU connected on 1-of-14 3-pointers in the first half, compared to hitting 7-of-10 in the second half. Durrell Summers scored a game-high 19 points, 14 of which came in the second half as he connected on 4-of-5 3-pointers after halftime. Delvon Roe just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Trevor Mbakwe led Minnesota with 17 points and nine rebounds. Michigan State committed just eight turnovers in the contest.
The Last Meeting In Minneapolis
Michigan State defeated Minnesota, 65-64, on Jan. 23, 2010, in Minneapolis. The Spartans rallied from a 13-point deficit to claim a one-point victory. MSU did not hold the lead until Kalin Lucas broke a 62-62 tie with a 3-pointer with 1:30 left in the game. The Gophers had a couple of chances in the final seconds, but the Spartan defense would not allow a shot to drop. After shooting 28.6 percent in the first half, MSU shot 53.8 percent in the second. Lucas led MSU with 22 points.
Golden Gopher Notes
Forward Trevor Mbakwe leads the Big Ten with 15 double-doubles and paces the conference in rebounding (10.4 rpg), while ranking second in field-goal percentage (.610) ... In conference games, Minnesota leads the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+5.4), blocked shots (5.36 bpg) and offensive rebounds (12.50 orpg) ... Minnesota point guard Al Nolen has missed the last seven games with a broken bone in his right foot. Mbakwe leads the Gophers with 15.3 points per game in Nolen's absence ... Ralph Sampson ranks second in the Big Ten in league contests in blocked shots (1.93 bpg), just ahead of Mbakwe, who's tied for third (1.71 bpg).
Gm. 26 Notes • Michigan State 61 - Illinois 57
* Michigan State recorded its fourth win against an RPI Top 50 opponent.
* After allowing Illinois to shoot .532 in the first meeting, including .471 from 3-point range, MSU's defense held the Illini to .373 shooting, including .263 from behind the arc.
* Neither team led by more than four points in the second half until MSU went on a 9-0 run in the games final three minutes.
* Kalin Lucas scored 17 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, including 11 straight Spartan points from 12:59 to 3:57.
* Illinois held an 11-3 edge in second-chance points at halftime, but neither team had a second-half second-chance point.
* After shooting 30.8 percent in the first half, MSU shot 54.2 percent in the second half.
* For the first time all season, Delvon Roe led the team with four assists.
* Mike Kebler made his first career start.
MSU Basketball Notes
MSU's Mr. Everything
Junior Draymond Green is one of the nation's most versatile players. He leads the team in rebounding (8.3 rpg), steals (1.7 spg), assists (4.0 apg) and 3-point field-goal percentage (.394), and ranks second in blocks (1.2 bpg) and scoring (12.8). Green ranks second in the Big Ten in steals, third in rebounding, eighth in assists, 10th in blocks and tied for 11th in 3-point field-goal percentage. In nine games this season, Green has led MSU in both rebounding and assists. Green is MSU's active leader with 16 double-doubles, including eight this season. Against Penn State, he became just the third player in Spartan history to record a triple-double. He's led MSU in rebounding in 18 games, assists in 12 games, and scoring in four games.
Delvon's Block Party
With 96 blocks for his career, Delvon Roe is tied with Ken Johnson for third in MSU career history, trailing only Drew Naymick (134) and Matt Steigenga (97). With 32 blocks for the season, he is tied with Matt Steigenga (1991, 32) for 10th on the MSU single-season chart, needing one to tie Idong Ibok (2007, 33) for ninth and three to tie Kevin Wills (1983, 35), George Papadakos (1988, 35) and himself (2010, 35) for sixth.
Lucas At The Foul Line
Kalin Lucas is making a run at becoming the MSU career leader in free throws made. He currently ranks fourth with 467 made free throws, just 10 behind MSU career leader Paul Davis (477). With one more make Lucas will tie Shawn Respert (468) for third. Lucas also ranks fourth in MSU history with 591 free throw attempts, 34 behind MSU career leader Paul Davis (625).
Limiting Turnovers
The Spartans average 13.8 turnovers per contest. It's an area where MSU has shown improvement lately as the Spartans have committed 11 turnovers or fewer in 11 of the last 17 games, averaging 11.6 in that stretch. MSU is averaging just 11.7 turnovers in conference action. MSU is 8-3 when the opponent commits more turnovers or turnovers are equal and 7-8 when it has more turnovers than the opponent.
Tough Non-Conference Slate
During the non-conference schedule, Michigan State played four teams that are currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. MSU's four non-conference losses have come to teams with a combined record of 90-18 (through Feb. 20) and that are all currently ranked in the Top 17 of the AP Top 25. In addition, the Spartans defeated a Washington squad that has been ranked for most of the season.
Playing The Best
Michigan State has played one of the most difficult schedules in the nation this season. According to the Sagarin Ratings, MSU's strength of schedule is No. 3 in the nation, while ESPN.com Inside RPI ranks it No. 6. The Spartans have played 12 games against the Inside RPI Top 50, ranking tied for fifth most, and 18 games against the Top 100, ranking tied for second most. Three non-conference opponents lead either their conference or division (Duke, Texas, Oakland). (Through games of Feb. 20)
Free Basketball
Michigan State is 3-0 in overtime games this season, with all three coming at home against league opponents. This is the first time since the 2003-04 season the Spartans have played in three or more overtime contests. It's the first time since 1981-82 that MSU has won three overtime games, and the first time ever in program history that MSU has recorded three overtime home wins.
It's All About Boardwork
This year, Michigan State has out-rebounded 16 of 26 opponents, including 15 of the last 22, posting a +4.1 margin. The Spartans are 11-5 when out-rebounding their opponent, and 4-6 when failing to do so. In conference games, MSU ranks second in the Big Ten with a +4.1 margin. MSU has led the nation in rebounding margin in four of the last 11 seasons, including each of the last two, posting a +9.3 margin in 2009 and a +8.6 margin in 2010. The Spartans have led the Big Ten in rebounding margin in 11 of the last 13 years. In the Tom Izzo era, MSU has out-rebounded 412 of 536 opponents (.769), posting a 325-87 (.789) mark in those games.
Becoming A Defensive Stopper
Delvon Roe has turned himself into one of the premier defenders in the Big Ten and a candidate for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors. A combination of strength, great feet and quickness allow him to defend on the interior or the perimeter. In the Big Ten, he's drawn the assignment against three of the league's top four scorers, Jon Leuer, John Shurna and JaJuan Johnson. In two games, he's held Shurna to 8.5 ppg on 3-of-21 shooting, including blocking five shots in the second meeting. Against Leuer in East Lansing, Roe limited the talented Badger to 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting. Johnson scored 20 points, but most came when Roe was not guarding him. A closer look at the games shows the following results by the premier inside scorers when being guarded by Roe: Shurna (2 games) - 5 points (2-of-12 FG); Leuer - 6 points (2-of-6 FG); Johnson - 7 points (2-of-7 FG).
Moving Up The Scoring Chart
Kalin Lucas ranks seventh in MSU career scoring with 1,845 points. The Spartan senior needs seven points to pass Sam Vincent (1,851 points) for sixth place and 70 to pass Jay Vincent (1,914 points) for fifth place in MSU history.
Appling's Emergence
Freshman guard Keith Appling is rounding into a standout freshman, both offensively and defensively. He's started 16 of the last 17 games for the Spartans, averaging 5.9 points and 25.7 minutes. He's also shooting .449 from the field, including .378 from 3-point range, in his starts. He scored a season-high 19 points in MSU's home overtime win against Northwestern, scoring five straight points in the extra stanza. Defensively, he's proving to be a stopper on the perimeter.
Quite A Class Already
Spartan seniors Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers and Mike Kebler have won 101 games in their careers. That total ranks tied with the 2003 class for the sixth winningest class in school history. With two more wins, the 2011 class will tie the 2009 class for fifth with 103 wins. The 2001 class is the winningest class in school history with 115 victories.
Starting Lineup Shakeups
Michigan State has used eight different starting lineups this season, compared to 19 last season. The lineup of Durrell Summers, Kalin Lucas, Keith Appling, Draymond Green and Delvon Roe has started 10 of 14 Big Ten games. Lucas is the only Spartan to start every game this season.
State Pride
Michigan State's top three scorers (Kalin Lucas - 16.4 ppg, Draymond Green - 12.8 ppg and Durrell Summers -12.5 ppg) are all from the state of Michigan. The trio combines for 41.7 points per game. Green is a Saginaw native, while Lucas and Summers are from Detroit. They are joined in the starting lineup by another Michigan native, freshman Keith Appling, the 2010 Michigan Mr. Basketball Award winner from Detroit.
Holding Down Top Scorers
Michigan State has done a solid job defensively on some of the league's top scorers. In two games, MSU has held Northwestern's John Shurna, currently averaging 19.3 ppg, to 8.5 ppg on 3-of-21 shooting. In University Park, MSU held Penn State's Talor Battle, averaging 20.5 ppg, to 13 points on 3-of-14 shooting. Battle did score 19 points in East Lansing, but hit just 7-of-20 shots, including 3-of-11 from 3-point range. In East Lansing, the Spartans limited Wisconsin's Jon Leuer, averaging 19.2 points, to 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting. recently, MSU held Ohio State's Jared Sullinger to 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting, marking his lowest point total in Big Ten play. Delvon Roe deserves much of the credit, as he was the primary defender on both Shurna and Leuer. In the second game vs. Northwestern, Roe tied his career high with five blocks. On the perimeter, freshman Keith Appling has emerged as a defensive force.
Solid Defensive Effort
Michigan State is holding teams to 67.5 points per game and allowing opponents to shoot just 42.6 percent from the field, including 37.9 percent from 3-point range. MSU has held eight opponents below 40 percent and 11 have topped 45 percent, including five above 50 percent, as MSU has out-shot its opponent in 16 of 26 contests. Statistically, MSU ranks second in blocks (4.77 bpg) and sixth in the conference in steals (6.62 spg), while Draymond Green ranks second in the Big Ten in steals (1.73 spg).
Lucas In Exclusive Club
With 1,845 career points and 534 career assists, Kalin Lucas is part of an exclusive club. He is just the fourth Spartan to total 1,500 career points and 500 career assists, joining Scott Skiles (2,145 pts., 645 asts.), Mateen Cleaves (1,541 pts., 816 asts.) and Drew Neitzel (1,534 pts., 582 asts.).
Block Party
Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in all games with 4.77 blocks per game. In conference action, MSU ranks second with 4.86 blocks per game, thanks in part to a 12-block effort at Northwestern. The 12 blocks rank as the second-greatest single-game total in school history. Freshman guard Keith Appling blocked five shots in the first game against the Wildcats, equaling the fourth-best single-game total in school history, and the best ever for a Spartan guard, while Delvon Roe blocked five shots in the second game vs. NU. Delvon Roe leads the Spartans with 32 blocks, followed by Draymond Green with 30.
Spartans From Distance
Michigan State is shooting .357 from 3-point range this season, ranking seventh in the Big Ten. Four different Spartans have knocked down 25 or more 3-pointers led by Durrell Summers with 52. Draymond Green is shooting a team-best .394 from 3-point range, as all four Spartans hitting 25 or more threes are shooting 37 percent or better (Lucas - .387, Appling - .385, Summers - .371). As a team, MSU ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 6.50 3-pointers per game, after finishing last in the conference last season (5.1).
MSU's Detroit Duo
Michigan State's senior duo of Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers, both from Detroit, rank in the top three on the Spartans in scoring. Lucas (16.4 ppg) and Summers (12.5 ppg) combine to average 28.9 points per game. The two guards have teamed up together since AAU basketball in middle school.
Durrell From Downtown
Durrell Summers leads the Spartans in 3-point field goals made (52) and attempted (140), while ranking fourth in percentage (.371). Summers has made four or more three pointers in five of the last 19 games and three or more in eight of the last 19. He ranks tied for ninth in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals made per game (2.00). His 52 made 3-pointers are a personal best for a single season. With 151 career 3-pointers, Summers ranks seventh in MSU history, one behind Jason Klein (152) in sixth place.
Summers Reaches 1,000
Durrell Summers became the 41st player to top 1,000 career points with his 21-point effort vs. Tennessee Tech. With 1,243 points for his career, he ranks 24th in MSU history, needing 33 points to pass Quinton Brooks for 23rd (1,275 points).
Dealing With Injury
One of the storylines for the 2010-11 Spartans will be how they deal with injuries and how different players battle back from injury. Many different players missed significant time in the offseason due to injury. Most notably, Kalin Lucas is attempting to come back from an Achilles injury suffered in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament against Maryland. Shortly after the season concluded in April, Delvon Roe had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee. Garrick Sherman had screws removed from his foot, left over from a high school injury. Freshman center Adreian Payne separated his shoulder late in his high school senior season and missed several months. Fellow freshman Russell Byrd suffered a broken foot in May, and when the foot never fully healed, he underwent a second surgery in early October. Austin Thornton suffered a back injury that kept him out of action for several weeks. Even Durrell Summers suffered a mild knee sprain and missed an opportunity to work with the USA Basketball Select Team.
In The Rankings
Seven different Spartan opponents are ranked in at least one of the two polls, including Duke (1 AP/1 USA Today), Ohio State (2/3), Texas (5/5), Purdue (8/8), Wisconsin (12/12), Connecticut (14/15) and Syracuse (17/20).
Sherman Hits The Mark
Garrick Sherman is shooting a strong .707 from the field this season. Since opening the season with a 3-of-6 effort, Sherman has hit 38 of his last 52. At one point, he connected on 10 straight shots this season, and he's 9-of-10 over the last five games.
Acting The Part
November 16 proved to be an especially busy day for Delvon Roe. At 7:30 p.m., the theatre major played the role of "Charles the Wrestler" in William Shakespeare's "As You Like It" put on by the MSU Department of Theatre at the Wharton Center. At 10 p.m., he resumed his normal role of starting power forward for the Spartans, playing one of his best games at MSU, recording 15 points, five rebounds and six assists. Roe also performed on stage on Nov. 17 and 18 prior to leaving for Maui. Feeling his healthiest since before injuring his knee in the first game of his senior year of high school, Roe is averaging 6.7 points and 5.4 rebounds on the season.
Spartans In The NBA
Five former Spartans are currently on NBA rosters, including Charlie Bell (Golden State Warriors), Shannon Brown (Los Angeles Lakers), Morris Peterson (Oklahoma City Thunder), Zach Randolph (Memphis Grizzlies) and Jason Richardson (Orlando Magic). Brown is a key reserve guard for the Lakers and has been a major contributor on back-to-back NBA Championship squads. Randolph was selected as a reserve for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. Richardson has averaged more than 18 points per game over the course of his 10-year career.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo
In his 16th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 379-157 (.707), and 181-83 (.686) in the Big Ten, as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. He ranks as the winningest coach in Michigan State history, having passed his mentor Jud Heathcote with his 341st career victory on Nov. 28, 2009 . In his 15 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. He earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 1998 and 2009.
Among The Big Ten's Best
Tom Izzo's .686 winning percentage in Big Ten games ranks second all-time among league coaches with at least 10 years of service, behind former Indiana coach Bob Knight (.700) and ahead of Purdue's Ward Lambert (.685). In all games, Knight ranks first at .734, followed by Wisconsin's Walter Meanwell (.712), Lambert (.709) and Izzo (.707). With 181 conference victories, Izzo ranks seventh all-time.
Izzo Among Best Ever
Through his first 15 seasons, Tom Izzo won 364 games, ranking seventh in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 15 years.
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). Mike Garland served as head coach at Cleveland State for three seasons and Stan Joplin, an assistant during Izzo's first season, spent 12 seasons as head coach at Toledo.
