Michigan State University Athletics
MSU Hosts Loyola In Home Opener
11/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| #19/19 Michigan State (1-1) vs. Loyola (2-0) | |
| Date | Friday, November 21, 2014 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Breslin Center |
| Television | Big Ten Network (Scott Graham, Shon Morris) |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Will Tieman, Gus Ganakas, Matt Steigenga) |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Loyola |
| Statistics | Michigan State | Loyola |
| Live Stats | | Live Stats (Mobile Users) |
| Social Media | @MSU_Basketball  | Facebook  |
THE OPENING TIP
Michigan State hosts Loyola in the home opener for the Spartans. This is one of just two home games for MSU in the month of November. The Spartans enter the contest having won 37 straight home openers, while Loyola brings an undefeated 2-0 record to East Lansing.
THE STARTING FIVE
1. MSU In November
Michigan State has an all-time record of 110-30 in games played in the month of November. This includes a 75-3 mark at home. The last team to beat MSU at home in November was a David Robinson-led Navy squad that bested the Spartans, 91-90, in overtime on Nov. 29, 1986. Tom Izzo is 53-0 all-time at home in November, 75-24 for the month.
2. Home Openers
Michigan State is 97-18 all-time in home openers. The Spartans last lost a home opener on Dec. 4, 1976, falling to Western Michigan, 74-73, good for a streak of 37 straight victories. Tom Izzo is 19-0 in home openers. Last season, MSU defeated McNeese State in the home and season opener, 98-56.
3. Breslin Advantage
Michigan State is 339-50 (.871) at home all-time since Breslin Center opened in 1989, including 177-38 (.823) in Big Ten play. Under Tom Izzo, the Spartans are 265-35 (.883) at Breslin, including a 136-25 (.845) conference record. MSU has won 46 of the last 52 (.885) games at Breslin.
4. Long Range Firepower
Michigan State established a school single-season record in 2013-14 with 307 made 3-pointers, 54 more than the previous school record. The Spartans made 10 or more 3-pointers in 14 games, including a school single-game record 17 at Purdue, tying the Big Ten record for a conference game. In exhibition play, it appears the Spartans are every bit as prolific from distance this season, connecting on 21-of-47 attempts (.447). In two regular-season games, MSU has hit 13-of-39 (.333), led by Travis Trice connecting on 6-of-11 (.545).
5. Spartans Share The Ball
Unselfishness is a trademark of all Tom Izzo teams. That was never on display more than it was last year, as the Spartans established a school single-season record with 637 assists, leading the Big Ten with 16.76 assists per game. For the year, MSU recorded an assist on 62.2 percent of its baskets. In two games this season, MSU totaled 33 assists on 55 baskets (60.0 percent). In the opener at Navy, MSU dished out 18 assists on its 25 field goals (72.0 percent).
MSU VS. LOYOLA NOTES
Series History
Michigan State leads the all-time series with Loyola-Chicago, 9-2, including a 5-0 advantage in East Lansing. The Spartans and Ramblers, however, have met just three times since 1940, with MSU winning all three meetings in 2000, 2002, and 2012.
Coach Moser
Porter Moser (Creighton, '90) is 139-162 in his 11th season as a collegiate head coach, including 34-61 in his fourth season at Loyola. Previously, Moser served as head coach for Arkansas-Little Rock for three seasons (2000-03), followed by a four-year stint at Illinois State (2003-07). Moser came to Loyola following four years as an assistant coach at Saint Louis.
Last Meeting
Michigan State defeated Loyola, 73-61, on Dec. 8, 2012, in East Lansing. Gary Harris led MSU with 20 points, while Adreian Payne posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Loyola held a 32-30 advantage at the break, but the Spartans opened the second half on a 22-9 spurt, as Harris connected on three straight 3-pointers to cap the run with a personal 9-0 spurt.
Rambler Notes
Loyola returns its top five scorers from last year's squad that posted a 10-22 record ... Milton Doyle averaged a team-best 14.9 points last season; his 478 points were the second-most by a Missouri Valley freshman since 2000, trailing only Doug McDermott (Creighton 2010-11) ... Christian Thomas was one of just three players to rank in the Missouri Valley Conference Top 10 in points, rebounds and field-goal percentage last season ... Loyola's roster features just one player on the roster that is 6-foot-8 or taller, and ranks as the smallest team in the Missouri Valley Conference at an average height of 76.0 inches.
GM. 2 RECAP • DUKE 81 - MICHIGAN STATE 71
Michigan State hung around until Duke pulled away late to claim an 81-71 victory in the Champions Classic. The Blue Devils led from the beginning and took a 10-point lead midway through the first half, but the Spartans scored the next five points and showed that they wouldn't go away. A Bryn Forbes 3-pointer cut MSU's deficit to three points at 32-29 with 4:05 remaining in the first half, but Duke held a 40-33 advantage at the break. With 12:19 remaining in the contest, MSU pulled within three points once again at 51-48, but the Spartans had two missed shots and a turnover in their next three possessions as Duke extended its lead to 10 points at 58-48. After that, MSU never got closer than seven points.
MSU VS. DUKE NOTES
* MSU fell to 2-2 in Champions Classic history, tied with Kentucky for the second-best record in the event.
* Travis Trice grabbed a career-best six rebounds and tied his career high with eight assists.
* MSU held a 35-25 rebounding margin and an 11-3 advantage in second-chance points, grabbing 13 offensive rebounds.
* Duke out-scored MSU 20-6 at the foul line and 24-4 in points off turnovers.
* Junior transfer Bryn Forbes made his first start with the Spartans, hitting three 3-pointers.
MSU BASKETBALL NOTES
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 469 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 19 years of coaching in NCAA history. The only high-major coaches with longer active tenures at one school are Syracuse's Jim Boeheim (39th season) and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (35th season).
Tough Start Away From Home
Michigan State opens the season with a difficult stretch of six of its first eight games away from East Lansing. In fact, MSU is the only team in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 to open with six of its first eight games away from home. Not only are the Spartans opening away from home for the third time in four years when they play at Navy, their second contest is in Indianapolis against Duke. Over Thanksgiving, the Spartans will play three games in the Orlando Classic, and close the stretch with a game at Notre Dame during the first week of December. This is the third time in Tom Izzo's 20th season that the Spartans will open with six of eight away from home, having also done it during his first season in 1995-96, when MSU opened with five games away from home, and in 2005-06.
Dawson Approaches 1,000 Points
With 924 career points, Branden Dawson is poised to become the next member of Michigan State's 1000-point club early this season. He'll become the 46th Spartan to reach that milestone. Current Spartan Bryn Forbes has 919 career points, but 905 came in his first two seasons at Cleveland State.
Double-Double Trouble
Branden Dawson and Denzel Valentine are threats to post a double-double every time they take the court. Dawson ranked tied for second in the Big Ten last season with six double-doubles, while Valentine ranked tied for 13th with three. For his career, Dawson has 12 double-doubles, while Valentine has totaled four. In exhibition play, Dawson posted a double-double in one game, while Valentine had two, including a triple-double against St. Cloud State.
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 187 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 (162), Illinois (160), Duke (160) and Texas (159).
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).
Preseason All-American
Branden Dawson was named a preseason first-team All-American by The Sporting News. He was a preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection as chosen by Lindy's Sports and Sporting News. ESPN.com ranked Dawson No. 15 in its player rankings, while ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman named him a third-team All-American. Dawson was also selected to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list. He is one of seven Big Ten players on the Wooden list, as he is joined by Indiana's Yogi Ferrell, Maryland's Dez Wells, Michigan's Caris LeVert, Nebraska's Terran Petteway, and Wisconsin's Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky.
Prep Teammates
Michigan State's roster features three pairs of high school teammates. Junior Denzel Valentine has been reunited with high school classmate Bryn Forbes, who spent his first two seasons at Cleveland State. The duo teamed to appear in three-straight Michigan Class B title games from 2010-2012, capturing the state championship in 2011 and 2012. Forbes transferred to MSU this past June, and later received a waiver from the NCAA allowing him to play this season. Freshmen Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. and Marvin Clark Jr. both attended Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas. They were teammates during the 2012-13 season, posting a 29-1 record, with Clark as a senior and Nairn as a junior. Clark then did a year of prep school at Sunrise Christian last season, while Nairn finished his high school career. Sophomores Alvin Ellis III and Gavin Schilling were teammates at Chicago De La Salle as juniors in 2011-12. Ellis graduated from De La Salle, while Schilling spent his final season at Findlay Prep in Nevada. In addition, although Branden Dawson (Indiana) and Travis Trice (Ohio) attended high school in different states, they were AAU teammates for SYF Players over the summer.
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). 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 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. Kalin Lucas (Memphis) signed a free-agent contract during the first week of November but was subsequently cut.
All-Time Block Leaders
Branden Dawson ranks 10th in Michigan State history with 85 career blocks, just behind Paul Davis (87), Aloysius Anagonye (88) and Goran Suton (90). Adreian Payne is the MSU career leader with 141 blocks. With 56 blocks in just over two seasons, Matt Costello could appear in the Top 10 later in the season.
MSU In The Rankings
Michigan State is currently ranked No. 19 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll. Including Kansas, a possible opponent in the Orlando Classic, seven Spartan opponents are ranked in the Top 25: Wisconsin (No. 3 AP/No. 4 USA Today), Duke (4/3), Kansas (5/5), Ohio State (20/20), Nebraska (21/21), Michigan (24/22) and Iowa (--/25).
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 were 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.
Spartans Sign Strong Recruiting Class
Michigan State signed three talented players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Kyle Ahrens (G, 6-5, 195) led Versailles (Ohio) High School to the Ohio Division III state title game as a sophomore. He was averaging 22 points, seven rebounds as four assists as a junior before suffering a season-ending leg injury in the sixth game of the season. Deyonta Davis (F/C, 6-10, 215) is a five-star big man who averaged 15.0 points, 13.6 rebounds and 7.1 blocks as a junior at Muskegon High School, leading his team to a perfect 28-0 mark and a Michigan Class A state championship. He established a Michigan state high school single-season record with 199 blocks in 2013-14. Matt McQuaid (G, 6-5, 180) averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds as a junior at Duncanville (Texas) High School. He exploded during the off season, averaging 15.6 points in the 2014 Nike EYBL circuit, shooting 45.1 percent from 3-point range. ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman called him "arguably the best pure shooter in the country."
Exhibition Recap
Michigan State cruised through exhibition play, winning two games by an average score of 99-51. The Spartans showed a potent offensive attack, shooting .537 from the field, including .447 from 3-point range. Denzel Valentine averaged 19.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in two games, shooting .667 from the field (9-14 from 3-point range). Valentine also posted a triple-double (15 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) against St. Cloud State. Eight Spartans averaged 8.5 points or more in the two contests. MSU's two opponents had ties to the Spartan program, as three-year Michigan State letterwinner Russell Byrd is playing his senior season at The Master's College, and Tom Izzo's nephew, Kevin Levandoski, is a senior at St. Cloud State.
THE BOOK ON TOM IZZO
Coach Izzo
In his 20th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 469-188 (.714), and 221-101 (.686) in the Big Ten, as the head 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 19 seasons as a head coach, Izzo has captured eight National Coach of the Year awards, including the Clair Bee Award in 2005 and NABC honors in 2001 and 2012. 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 also earned National Coach of the Year accolades from CBSSports.com in 2012. He earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 1998, 2009 and 2012.
Among The Big Ten's Best
Tom Izzo's .686 winning percentage in Big Ten games ranks fourth all-time among league coaches with at least 10 years of service, behind Wisconsin's Bo Ryan (.703), former Indiana coach Bob Knight (.700), and Ohio State's Thad Matta (.695) and ahead of former Purdue coach Ward Lambert (.685). In all games, Matta ranks first at .769, followed by Knight (.734), Ryan (.728), Izzo (.714), Wisconsin's Walter Meanwell (.712), and Lambert (.709). With 221 conference victories, Izzo ranks fourth all-time.
Izzo Among Best Ever
Through his first 19 seasons, Tom Izzo won 468 games, ranking fourth in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 18 years.
Izzo's Coaching Tree
Three current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Tom Crean (Indiana), Brian Gregory (Georgia Tech), and Mark Montgomery (Northern Illinois). Stan Heath has been a head coach for 12 seasons, with stints at Kent State, Arkansas and South Florida. 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. Doug Wojcik spent nine seasons between Tulsa and College of Charleston.
