Michigan State University Athletics
MSU Opens Exhibition Play Monday Vs. The Master's College
10/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| #18/18 Michigan State vs. The Master's College | |
| Date | Monday, November 3, 2014 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Breslin Center |
| Tickets | Click To Purchase |
| Internet Stream | BTN Plus |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Will Tieman, Gus Ganakas, Matt Steigenga) |
| Game Notes | Michigan State |
| Statistics (2013-14) | Michigan State | The Master's College |
| Social Media | @MSU_Basketball  | Facebook  |
THE OPENING TIP
No. 18 Michigan State opens exhibition play against The Master's College. The Mustangs' roster features former Spartan Russell Byrd, a three-year letterwinner at MSU, who transferred to The Master's College for his senior season. The Spartans will play two exhibition contests before opening the season on Nov. 14.
THE STARTING FIVE
1. MSU In The Rankings
The 2014-15 USA Today Coaches' Preseason Poll was released on Oct. 16, with the Spartans being ranked No. 18. The Associated Preseason Top 25, released on Oct. 31, also ranked MSU No. 18, The Spartans also are ranked 18th in the Sporting News College Basketball Yearbook, and 14th by Athlon Sports.
2. Izzo's 20th Season
In his 20th season as Michigan State head coach, the 2014-15 campaign will be Tom Izzo's 32nd year in East Lansing. An eight-time National Coach of the Year, Izzo has guided MSU to seven Big Ten Championships, four Big Ten Tournament titles, 17 straight NCAA Tournaments, six Final Four appearances, and the 2000 NCAA Championship in his stint as head coach. He is MSU's all-time winningest coach with 468 wins, and is the longest serving active men's basketball coach in the Big Ten. In addition, his 468 victories are the fourth-most by a coach in his first 18 years of coaching in NCAA history.
3. Playing The Best
Since the 1997-98 season, the year of Michigan State's first of 17 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans have played 186 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 (167), Kentucky (161), Illinois (160), Duke (159) and Texas (159).
4. Scouting The Mustangs
The Master's College returns four players that saw action last year, including three that averaged more than six points per contest. The Mustangs are led by forward Korey Anderson. The senior averaged 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 24 contests last season, and also leads all returners in assists (1.2 apg).
5. Return Of Byrd-Man
The Master's College roster also includes former Spartan Russell Byrd, a three-year letterwinner and member of MSU's Elite Eight squad last season. Byrd appeared in 77 career games, averaging 1.4 points and 6.8 minutes per contest. He scored a career-high 10 points against North Florida last December, but his career highlight came last January when he knocked down a corner 3-pointer with 34 seconds left in overtime to give MSU a six-point lead at Iowa (70-64), proving to be the clinching basket in a 71-69 victory.
MSU BASKETBALL NOTES
Strength Of Schedule
Michigan State's 2014-15 schedule promises to provide another stiff test for the Spartans. MSU could play three of the top five teams in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Spartans are guaranteed to play No. 3 Duke on Nov. 18 in the Champions Classic and will play at No. 4 Wisconsin in March. A meeting with No. 5 Kansas could take place in the Orlando Classic in late November. Including Kansas, seven different Spartan opponents are ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll, including five Big Ten opponents (Wisconsin-4, Ohio State-20, Nebraska-21, Michigan-23, Iowa-25). Three other opponents (Illinois, Minnesota, Notre Dame) received votes in the preseason poll. In total, the Spartans will face 13 teams that competed in 2014 postseason play.
Big Ten Schedule
Moving to a 14-team conference for 2014-15, each Big Ten team will play five schools twice, four schools on the road, and four schools at home. Michigan State will go home and home with Maryland, Indiana, Northwestern, Michigan, and Illinois. The Spartans will host Penn State, Ohio State, Minnesota, and Purdue, while traveling to Iowa, Nebraska, Rutgers, and Wisconsin. Eight of Michigan State's 13 Big Ten opponents appeared in the 2014 postseason, including five in the NCAA Tournament (Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Wisconsin), two in the NIT (Illinois, Minnesota) and one in the CBI (Penn State).
Returning Spartans
Michigan State returns three of its top six scorers and five of its top nine from last year's squad. Senior Branden Dawson is MSU's leading returning scorer (11.2) and rebounder (8.3), and was named preseason All-America by the Sporting News. Had he played in one more contest in 2013-14 he would have qualified for the Big Ten statistics, and would have ranked second in the conference in rebounding and first in field-goal percentage (.613). He averaged 15.7 points and 8.1 rebounds in postseason play, shooting .681 from the field, and earning Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. Senior Travis Trice ranked third in overall 3-point field-goal percentage (.434) and was second in Big Ten games (.483). In eight starts last season, he averaged 9.3 points and 3.6 assists with a 5.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. Junior Denzel Valentine was the only Spartan to appear in every game last year and was the only player in the Big Ten to rank in the Top 15 in both rebounding (t-11th) and assists (8th). Junior Matt Costello started 20 games in the Spartan frontcourt in 2013-14 and ranked 10th in the Big Ten in blocks. Sophomores Alvin Ellis III and Gavin Schilling both appeared in more than 30 contests and are slated to play a larger role in 2014-15.
New Faces
Several new Spartans will also play a major role in 2014-15. Junior Bryn Forbes is immediately eligible after two seasons at Cleveland State where he made 142 3-pointers. He averaged 15.6 points per game as a sophomore, including scoring 22 at Kentucky. Freshmen Javon Bess, Marvin Clark Jr., and Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr., also are expected to be a regular part of the rotation. Nairn is among the fastest players in the nation and possesses great leadership skills and toughness. Bess was the 2014 Ohio Division I co-player of the year. Clark is already among the strongest players of the Tom Izzo era. Freshman walk-on Kenny Goins could see some spot minutes in the front court. Junior Eron Harris transferred in from West Virginia in the spring and must sit out the 2014-15 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
A Look Back At 2013-14
Michigan State advanced to the Elite Eight during the 2014 NCAA Tournament. En route, the Spartans advanced to the Sweet 16 for a nation's best sixth time in the last seven seasons. For the year, MSU posted a 29-9 record, including 12-6 in the Big Ten. In the postseason, MSU captured its fourth Big Ten Tournament title and its second in the last three seasons.
Spartans In The NBA
Michigan State leads all Big Ten schools with seven players on opening day NBA rosters. Gary Harris (Denver) and Adreian Payne (Atlanta) are in their rookie seasons after being selected in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft. They join former Spartans Alan Anderson (Brooklyn), Shannon Brown (Miami), Draymond Green (Golden State), Zach Randolph (Memphis) and Jason Richardson (Philadelphia) in the NBA.
