Michigan State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Iowa Tuesday Night.
1/9/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2012
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
| #6/7 Michigan State (14-2, 3-0) vs. Iowa (10-7, 2-2) | |
| Date | Tuesday, Jan. 10 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Breslin Center |
| Television | BTN (Dave Revsine, Jim Jackson) |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Will Tieman, Gus Ganakas, Matt Steigenga) |
| Tickets | Available at MSUSpartans.com. |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Iowa |
| Statistics | Michigan State | Iowa |
| Internet Coverage | | Live Stats (Mobile Users) |
| Social Media | @MSU_Basketball  | Facebook  |
The Opening Tip
After no game over the weekend, the Spartans are back in action Tuesday night as they host Iowa. Michigan State will be looking to extend its winning streak to 15 games, while the Hawkeyes will be looking for their third straight Big Ten road win. MSU is a perfect 10-0 at Breslin Center this year, but has not played at home in nearly two weeks since a Dec. 28 win over Indiana.
The Starting Five
1. Winning Streak
Michigan State is riding a 14-game winning streak. Last year, MSU's longest winning streak was just three games to open the season. This is MSU's longest single-season win streak since a 22-game streak during the 1998-99 season. During the current streak, MSU is averaging 77.6 points and shooting .488 from the field, while holding opponents to 57.9 points on .364 shooting. Eleven of the 14 victories have been by double figures.
2. Success At Breslin
Michigan State is 304-44 (.874) all-time since Breslin Center opened in 1989, including 156-33 (.825) in Big Ten play. Under Tom Izzo, the Spartans are 230-29 (.888) at Breslin, including a 115-20 (.852) conference record.
3. Strong Spartan Defense
Michigan State's defensive effort has been impressive in the first two months of the season. The Spartans are allowing just 59.5 points (ranking 35th in the nation through Jan. 8) on .373 shooting (15th in nation), including .294 from 3-point range (37th in nation). MSU also ranks 59th in the nation in steals (8.0 spg). The Spartans rank third in the Big Ten in scoring defense, second in field-goal percentage defense and second in 3-point field-goal percentage defense. During MSU's 14-game win streak, the Spartans are allowing just 57.9 points on .364 shooting, including .279 from 3-point range.
4. Big Ten Success
Michigan State has won 12 Big Ten Championships, including two of the last three, since joining the league prior to the 1950-51 season. The Spartans' first ever league game was at Northwestern, where MSU claimed a 67-62 victory on Jan. 6, 1951. All-time, MSU is 544-445 (.550) in league play, including 186-85 (.686) under Tom Izzo, who ranks sixth in league history with 186 conference wins. Izzo has guided MSU to six of its 12 league crowns. Since Izzo's first season (1995-96), MSU has a Big Ten-best record of 186-85, 17.5 games better than second place Wisconsin (169-103).
5. Lending A Helping Hand
Michigan State ranks 23rd in the nation and third in the Big Ten in assists with 16.3 per game (NCAA ranking through Jan. 8). The Spartans have recorded an assist on 60.0 percent of their baskets. Over the last nine games, the Spartans are averaging 19.9 assists. Individually, Keith Appling is averaging 4.8 assists in the last nine contests.
MSU vs. Iowa Notes
Series History
Michigan State leads the all-time series with Iowa, 64-53, including a 41-17 advantage in games played in East Lansing. The Spartans have won 16 straight in the Breslin Center. MSU has won 21 of the last 29 meetings. Tom Izzo is 22-9 in his career against Iowa.
Coach McCaffery
Fran McCaffery (Penn, '82) is 272-204 in his 16th season as a Division I head coach, including 21-27 in his second season at Iowa. McCaffery came to Iowa City from Siena, where he led the Saints to three straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. In so doing, Siena became the the only program in the country to win its regular-season and postseason conference titles in those three years. His head coaching career also includes a six-year stint at UNC Greensboro (1999-2005) and three seasons at Lehigh (1985-88).
The Last Meeting
Michigan State defeated Iowa, 66-61, in the first round of the 2011 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. Needing a win to help secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans led by just two points at the half, 33-31. Iowa then scored the first four points of the second half, as MSU missed its first seven shots. Midway through the half, an 8-0 run gave Iowa a 52-45 lead with 11:40 remaining. The Spartans responded with a 14-2 run to take a 59-54 lead with 6:16 left. Still, MSU led by just a single point in the final minute, but the defense forced a missed shot and a Hawkeye turnover and Durrell Summers shot 4-of-4 from the foul line in the final 15 seconds to take a 66-61 lead. Draymond Green led the Spartans with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Bryce Cartwright led Iowa with 14 points and Matt Gatens added 13.
The Last Meeting In East Lansing
Michigan State defeated Iowa, 85-66, on March 2, 2011, in East Lansing. Keith Appling scored 11 first-half points as MSU held a narrow 36-32 lead at the break. In the second half, the Spartans methodically pulled away, and led by as many as 23 points in the final two minutes. MSU shot 54.5 percent for the game, while holding Iowa to 41.1 percent, including 35.7 percent in the second half. Appling finished with a game-high 18 points, while Kalin Lucas scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. MSU hit 7-of-14 from 3-point range, and did not allow a made 3-pointer in 12 attempts.
Hawkeye Notes
Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.737) and steals (8.5 spg) ... Sophomore point guard Roy Devyn Marble ranks second in the Big Ten with an impressive 3.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ration ... Iowa has won three of its last four games decided by nine points or less ... Iowa is 2-0 on the road in league play, but 0-2 at home. It's the first time Iowa has won two straight league road games since 2007.
Gm. 16 Recap
Michigan St. 63 - Wisconsin 60, OT
The Spartans got off to a slow start and at the 11:09 mark of the first half, found themselves trailing 10-5. MSU kept clawing and pulled even at 17-17 with 4:24 left in the half on a driving basket from Brandan Kearney. At the half, Wisconsin held a slim 22-21 advantage. MSU held Wisconsin to 27.3 percent shooting, but the Badgers outscored the Spartans, 9-3, at the foul line. In the second half, Wisconsin held a 31-28 lead following a Jared Berggren 3-pointer. MSU answered with six straight points only to see the Badgers hit another three to tie the game at 34. Keith Appling responded with a 3-pointer to give MSU a 37-34 lead that it would hold for most of the remainder of the half. With 3:19 left, Appling hit a driving layup to give MSU a 50-45 lead, but the Spartans wouldn't score again. When Jordan Taylor hit one of two free throws with 35 seconds left, the game went into overtime tied at 50.
In the extra period, both teams scored on their first two possessions. The Spartans then got two straight layups from Derrick Nix to take a 58-54 lead. Appling then hit 1-of-2 free throws followed by two more from Draymond Green to give MSU a 61-54 lead with 31 seconds left. Taylor hit a tough 3-pointer over Green, but Appling hit two free throws on the other end to give MSU a 63-57 lead with 20 seconds left. Taylor hit another three, this one over Appling, cutting the lead to three. Green then missed two free throws after hitting his first six of overtime, and Wisconsin raced down the court with the ball. Taylor missed a three and Ryan Evans grabbed the rebound, racing out to the 3-point arc, where he hit a turn-around bank shot as the horn sounded, tying the game. After a lengthy replay, officials ruled the shot came after the clock was at 0.0, giving MSU a 63-60 win. For the game, MSU shot 40.0 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from 3-point range, holding Wisconsin to 33.3 percent, including 22.7 percent from behind the arc.
MSU vs. Wisconsin Notes
* Michigan State snapped a string of eight straight defeats at Kohl Center, dating back to 2003.
* MSU's 63 points were the fewest it had scored since the season opener vs. North Carolina.
* Through regulation, MSU shot just 4-of-8 from the foul line, but hit 9-of-12 in overtime.
* Draymond Green recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds, the most this season since his 18 vs. North Carolina.
* MSU shot a season-low five 3-pointers, all of which came in the second half.
* Keith Appling scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and overtime, 11 of which came after Draymond Green picked up his fourth foul.
MSU Basketball Notes
MSU's Mr. Everything
Coach Izzo has explained that he hasn't had a player asked to do as much for a team as Draymond Green, and the numbers prove it. In addition to being the unquestioned leader of the squad, Green leads the team in scoring (15.6 ppg), rebounding (9.8 rpg), minutes (32.6 mpg), steals (23) and blocks (20), while ranking second in assists (3.3 apg). He leads the Big Ten in rebounding, while ranking second in offensive rebounds (2.6 orpg), second in defensive rebounds (7.2 drpg), seventh in scoring, eighth in blocks, ninth in minutes, 11th in steals, and 14th in assists
Appling Locks Them Up
Besides everything Keith Appling provides on the offensive end of the floor, leading the team in assists and ranking second in scoring, he is perhaps even more impressive on the defensive end where he is emerging as one of the premier defenders in the league. Named MSU's Best Defensive Player as a freshman, Appling is terrific at running through screens and not allowing his man an open look. Consider two of his more recent efforts. UMKC's Reggie Chaimberlain entered the game averaging 19.0 points, but was limited to 2 points on 1-of-8 shooting. IU's Jordan Hulls was held to 4 points on 2-of-10 shooting, after entering the contest averaging 12.1 points.
Spartans Shooting Better
Michigan State got off to a slow start in terms of field-goal percentage this season, shooting .306 from the field against North Carolina outdoors on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. Over the first six games of the season, MSU shot .423 from the field and .238 from 3-point range. In the last 10 games, however, MSU has shown dramatic improvement, hitting .499 from the field and .416 from 3-point range. The Spartans have shot over 50 percent in five of the last nine games, including two contests better than 61 percent.
Wood Heating Up
Over the last six games, Brandon Wood, MSU's senior transfer from Valparaiso, is averaging 11.0 points, he's adding 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.3 turnovers, while shooting .542 from the field (26-of-48), including .450 from 3-point range (9-of-20). He scored in double figures in just one of his first six games this season, but has done it five times in the last 10 contests, including a season-high 20 points vs. Nebraska Omaha.
It's All About Boardwork
After leading the nation in rebounding margin in both 2009 (+9.3) and 2010 (+8.6), Michigan State ranked 48th in the nation last season at +4.0. The Spartans have shown a better effort in 2011-12, out-rebounding 15 of 16 opponents by a +10.3 margin, including five by 15 or more, leading the Big Ten and ranking fifth in the nation (through Jan. 8). The Spartans have led the nation in rebounding margin in four of the last 12 seasons, ranking in the top 10 seven times and the top 25 on 10 occasions. MSU has led the Big Ten in rebounding margin in 11 of the last 14 years. In the Tom Izzo era, MSU has out-rebounded 431 of 560 opponents (.770), posting a 341-90 (.791) mark in those games.
Consistent Starting Lineup
Michigan State has used the same starting lineup (Keith Appling, Branden Dawson, Draymond Green, Adreian Payne, Brandon Wood) for 14 of its 16 games. The only changes came against Eastern Michigan when Derrick Nix started in place of Payne, and vs. Lehigh when Austin Thornton started in place of Green.
Coming Of Age
It took some time, but freshman Branden Dawson is showing signs of the game that earned him McDonald's All-America honors last season. Over the last six games he's averaging 9.8 points, including a season-high 16 vs. UMKC, shooting .610 from the field. On the season, Dawson is averaging 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds, ranking fourth in scoring and second in rebounding. He scored in double figures in 3 of the season's first 10 games, but has scored 13 or more in three of the last six.
Becoming A Point Guard
Keith Appling has been asked to make the transition from the wing to point guard for Michigan State this season. As the season progresses, Appling seems more at home in his new position. While he did not have an assist in the first two games of the season, he's averaging 4.1 assists in his last 14 games with a 2.0-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He was named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 5 and then again on Jan. 2. He's averaging 4.8 assists in the last nine games, including a career-best 8 vs. UMKC, and has seven or more assists in four of the last nine games. He owns a 2.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the last nine contests.
Defending The Three
Last season, Michigan State ranked eighth in the Big Ten, allowing teams to shoot .364 from 3-point range. This year, the Spartans rank second in the conference, allowing opponents to shoot just .294 from behind the arc. MSU has held six opponents to a .250 or lower shooting percentage from behind the arc. That happened just four times all of last season.
Three-Headed Scoring Attack
Three Spartans have emerged as Michigan State's leading scorers, as Draymond Green (15.6 ppg), Keith Appling (12.5 ppg) and Brandon Wood (10.0 ppg) are all averaging double figures. It's been more pronounced over the last 10 games as the trio is averaging a combined 41.8 points (Green-17.3, Appling-13.6, Wood-10.9). As a group, they outscored Florida State, 56-49.
Second-Chance Points
Michigan State is outscoring opponents 223-148 in second chance points for the season. That's an average of +5.6 points per game (13.9-9.2). The Spartans are averaging 13.4 offensive boards per game, ranking second in the Big Ten. MSU has 214 offensive rebounds on the year compared to 331 defensive rebounds for its opponents, good for an offensive rebound percentage of .393, ranking first in the conference. The Spartans have grabbed 20 or more offensive boards three times this season.
What A Difference A Year Makes
Through the first 16 games of the season, Derrick Nix is averaging 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 18.4 minutes per contest. That's a contrast to last season when Nix averaged just 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds for the season. Nix has even elevated his play in the last few weeks, averaging 9.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in the last eight games. In the first 73 games of his career, Nix scored in double figures just three times; he's done it four times in the last nine contests. He's been MSU's first sub in 14 of the 15 games in which he's come off the bench.
Finding The Long Distance Connection
Through the first six games of the season, MSU was shooting just .269 from 3-point range (32-119). In the last 10 games, however, the Spartans have shown signs of breaking out of their slump, connecting on .416 of their shots (57-137) from behind the arc.
Guard Rebounding
One of the reasons that MSU is able to rank among the nation's leaders in rebounding margin is that its guards have been strong on the glass. The Spartans' starting backcourt of Keith Appling (3.5 rpg), Brandon Wood (2.9 rpg) and Branden Dawson (4.4 rpg) averages 10.8 boards per contest.
New Faces
Six of the 11 players in the Spartan playing group are seeing their first action in a Michigan State uniform (Russell Byrd, Branden Dawson, Alex Gauna, Brandan Kearney, Travis Trice, Brandon Wood). The six are averaging 37.2 percent of the scoring and 41.5 percent of the minutes. There are just two players on the 2011-12 roster (Keith Appling and Draymond Green) who averaged more than 20 minutes per game last season for MSU.
Climbing The Rebounding Charts
With 859 career rebounds, Draymond Green ranks seventh in MSU history, 28 behind Goran Suton (887) in sixth place. He also has a shot at becoming just the fourth player in MSU history with 1,000 career boards, and the third player with 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, joining Greg Kelser and Johnny Green. Given that the Spartans play 31 regular season games, at least one game in the Big Ten Tournament and possibly at least one postseason game, Green (9.8 rpg) would need to average 9.03 rebounds this season to reach 1,000 for his career. This season, Green leads the Big Ten in rebounding.
Balanced Scoring
Six different Spartans have led Michigan State in scoring this season. Draymond Green (seven times), Keith Appling (four times), Branden Dawson (twice), Brandon Wood (twice), Austin Thornton and Travis Trice have each paced MSU. Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne also have scored in double figures at least once this season, making eight different players to score 10 or more in a game.
The Turnover Story
One area of concern for the Spartans has been the turnovers. MSU is committing 13.8 per game (although just 11.9 in the last 10 games), while forcing 14.7 by its opponents. The Spartans are averaging 16.4 points per game off opponent turnovers, compared to 12.6 points by opponents off MSU turnovers. The Spartans are 8-0 when committing fewer turnovers than their opponent, but 5-2 when they have more (1-0 when turnovers are equal).
Spartan Double-Doubles
Four different Spartans have recorded a double-double this season. Draymond Green leads the way with eight double-doubles in the season's first 16 games, sharing the Big Ten lead with Ohio State's Jared Sullinger. Adreian Payne, Brandon Wood and Branden Dawson have each recorded one double-double.
In The Paint
Michigan State has out-scored its opponents in the paint by an average of 36.9-22.6, out-scoring 14 of its 16 opponents. The Spartans even out-scored No. 1 North Carolina in the paint, 34-32, despite the Tar Heels having what some consider to be the premier frontline in the country.
Getting To The Foul Line
Over the first five games of the season, Michigan State was shooting just .629 from the foul line. That has improved recently, as the Spartans are shooting .740 over the last 10 games. For the season, MSU is shooting .701 from the foul line, averaging 23.4 attempts per game.
Green's Weekly Honors
One week after Keith Appling was named Big Ten Player of the Week, Draymond Green earned the honor on Dec. 12, sharing it with Indiana's Christian Watford. Green earned the honor on the strength of his career-high 34-point effort in MSU's win at Gonzaga. For the week, he averaged 24.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He was also named National Player of the Week by ESPN.com's Andy Katz and ESPN's Dick Vitale.
The 1,000-Point Club
With a second-half tip-in vs. Florida State, Draymond Green became the 42nd player in MSU history to reach the 1,000 point mark for his career. With 1,165 points, he ranks 33rd in MSU history, needing 12 to move past Lee Lafayette (1,176 points), 19 to move past Shannon Brown (1,183 points) and 21 to move past Mike Peplowski (1,185 points).
Playing The Best
Since the 1997-98 season (including 2011-12 - through Jan. 7), the year of Michigan State's first of 14 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans have played 151 games against ranked opponents. That total ranks first among teams that have appeared in a Final Four since then. The Spartans are followed by North Carolina (145), Connecticut (139), Kentucky (139) and Duke (136).
Toughest Start Ever
Michigan State opens the season with the toughest start in the nation with back-to-back neutral-site contests vs. No. 1 North Carolina and No. 6 Duke. MSU is the first team to open the season against North Carolina and Duke in back-to-back games since Wake Forest and North Carolina State did it in November 1976. Michigan State also has never opened a season with two games against ranked opponents.
Big Ten Contenders
Michigan State was picked third by a panel of media in the 2011-12 Big Ten preseason poll. Ohio State and Wisconsin were picked to finish first and second, respectively. Draymond Green found a spot on the preseason all-conference team, joining Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, Purdue's Robbie Hummel, Minnesota's Trevor Mbakwe and Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor.
Draymond On Awards Lists
Senior forward Draymond Green is a familiar face among all the new ones in the Michigan State lineup. A three-year captain, Green is on the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 and the Naismith Award Watch list. He's also one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
An Experienced New Face
Although he had never played a minute for Michigan State prior to this season, senior Brandon Wood brings a wealth of college basketball experience to the Spartan lineup. A two-time All-Horizon League performer at Valparaiso the last two seasons, Wood transfered to MSU in May after receiving his sports marketing and business degree. NCAA rules allow an institution to apply for a waiver to allow a student-athlete to transfer without sitting out a season, provided the student-athlete has earned a bachelor's degree, has eligibility remaining and is enrolling in a graduate-level program. In two seasons at Valpo, Wood scored 1,117 points, including averaging 17.7 ppg as a sophomore and 16.7 ppg as a junior. He's also performed at a high level against some of the nation's best teams, scoring 30 points vs. North Carolina, 24 vs. Michigan State and 21 vs. Purdue as a sophomore, followed by 20 vs. Purdue as a junior. This year, Wood's started all 16 games for MSU, ranking third on the team in scoring at 10.0 ppg.
In The Rankings
Six different Spartan opponents are ranked in at least one of the two polls, including North Carolina (3 AP/3 USA Today), Ohio State (5/5), Duke (8/6), Indiana (7/8), Michigan (13/13) and Gonzaga (21/23). MSU is ranked No. 6 by the AP and No. 7 by ESPN/USA Today.
U-S-A, U-S-A
Keith Appling and Draymond Green both benefitted from their experiences with USA Basketball over the summer. Green was a member of the World University Games team, averaging 8.6 points and 6.0 rebounds, ranking second on the team in boards, and serving as a distributor from the forward position. Appling played with the FIBA U19 World Championship team, averaging 4.1 points and 10.3 minutes per contest, gaining some valuable experience at the point.
Same Name, Different Spellings
Among MSU's newcomers, three have the same first name, but it's spelled three different ways. Branden Dawson, Brandan Kearney and Brandon Wood each have a different second-to-last lettter in the first name. Pay close attention to eliminate typos.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo
In his 17th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 397-163 (.709), and 186-85 (.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 16 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 third all-time among league coaches with at least 10 years of service, behind Wisconsin's Bo Ryan (.712), and former Indiana coach Bob Knight (.700) and just ahead of former Purdue coach Ward Lambert (.685). In all games, Knight ranks first at .734, followed by Ryan (.728), Wisconsin's Walter Meanwell (.712), Lambert (.709) and Izzo (.709). With 184 conference victories, Izzo ranks sixth all-time.
Izzo Among Best Ever
Through his first 16 seasons, Tom Izzo won 383 games, ranking sixth in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 16 years.
Izzo's Coaching Tree
Five current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Tom Crean (Indiana), Brian Gregory (Georgia Tech), Stan Heath (South Florida), Mark Montgomery (Northern Illinois) 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. Jim Boylen was head coach at Utah for four years.
