Prolific Shooting Spartans Host Eagles And Their Strong Defense
12/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| #25/22 Michigan State (7-3) vs. Eastern Michigan (8-1) | |
| Date | Wednesday, December 17, 2014 |
| Time | 9 p.m. ET |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Breslin Center |
| Television | BTN (Kevin Kugler, Seth Davis) |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Will Tieman, Gus Ganakas, Matt Steigenga) |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Eastern Michigan |
| Statistics | Michigan State | Eastern Michigan |
| Live Stats | | Mobile Users |
| Social Media | @MSU_Basketball  | Facebook  |
THE OPENING TIP
Michigan State hosts Eastern Michigan in a battle of contrasting strengths. The Spartans boast a great-shooting team, leading the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage and ranking 14th in field-goal percentage, while the Eagles rank 15th nationally in field-goal percentage defense. MSU and EMU are meeting for the third time in five seasons.
THE STARTING FIVE
1. The 1,000-Point Club
With 998 career points, Dawson is poised to become the 46th Spartan to reach 1,000 career points at MSU. Bryn Forbes reached the 1,000-point milestone in the last game, scoring 12 points against Oakland, although 905 of those came in his first two seasons at Cleveland State. Should Dawson score two points against Eastern Michigan, it will mark just the second time two MSU players have reached 1,000 career points in back-to-back games, as Alan Anderson and Paul Davis did it on Feb. 12 & 16, 2005.
2. Valentine's Continual Improvement
Always known for his versatility, Denzel Valentine has worked hard to become a terrific shooter. After shooting .281 (16-57) from 3-point range as a freshman and improving to .377 (43-114) as a sophomore, Valentine is one of the best shooters in the nation this season. He leads the Big Ten in made 3-point field goals per game (3.0), and ranks second in the Big Ten and 11th in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage (.517; 30-58). Over the last six games, he's shooting .641 from behind the arc (25-39). (NCAA stats through Dec. 14)
3. Spartans On Target From Deep
Michigan State is shooting a nation's-best .456 (93-204) from 3-point range this season, including .485 (80-165) over the last eight contests (NCAA stats through Dec. 14). Three Spartans rank in the top five in the Big Ten in 3-point field-goal percentage, as Denzel Valentine (.517) ranks second, Bryn Forbes (.511) ranks third, and Marvin Clark Jr. (.500) ranks fifth. Travis Trice (.417) also is shooting better than 40 percent from behind the arc.
4. The Costello-Schilling Combination
Junior Matt Costello (7.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and sophomore Gavin Schilling (6.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg) have combined to give Michigan State a solid post presence. The two Spartans average a combined 14.0 points and 10.6 rebounds, shooting .678 (59-87) from the field.
5. Spartan Defense
Over the last eight games, Michigan State is holding opponents to 58.8 points and a .357 FG%, including .267 from 3-point range. On the season, MSU is limiting teams to 61.0 points on .379 FG%, including .287 from 3-point range. The Spartans rank second in the Big Ten in 3-point FG percentage defense, and fifth in field-goal percentage defense.
MSU VS. EMU NOTES
Series History
Michigan State leads the all-time series with Eastern Michigan, 28-3, including an 18-1 advantage in games played in East Lansing. The Spartans have won six straight games in the series. Tom Izzo is 4-0 in his career against Eastern Michigan. The two teams first played on March 3, 1900. This will be the third meeting in the last five seasons.
Coach Murphy
Rob Murphy (Central State University, '96) is 60-52 in his fourth season as a collegiate head coach, all at Eastern Michigan. In 2012, he was named the Mid-American Coach of the Year. Last season, he guided EMU to its first 20-win season since 1997-98. Previously, Murphy was an assistant at Syracuse for seven seasons and at Kent State for two years. Before becoming a collegiate assistant, Murphy was head coach at Detroit Crockett Technical High School for three seasons, leading Crockett to the Class B State Championship in 2001, while coaching former Spartan Maurice Ager.
The Last Meeting
Michigan State defeated Eastern Michigan, 72-40, on Nov. 27, 2011, in Ypsilanti. The Eagles scored the game's first basket, but MSU scored the game's next 10 points on five straight from Brandon Wood, followed by five straight from Adreian Payne, and the Spartans never led by fewer than six points after that. Draymond Green led the Spartans with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Adreian Payne added 12 points and eight boards, as MSU held a dominating 46-16 margin in points in the paint. Michigan State also held a +20 edge on the glass, turning 14 offensive rebounds into a 24-4 edge in second-chance points. J.R. Sims was the lone Eagle to score in double figures with 14 points. For the game, MSU shot 48.3 percent, compared to 28.6 percent for EMU, although both teams shot below 20 percent from behind the arc (MSU-16.7%; EMU-13.6%).
The Last Meeting In East Lansing
Michigan State opened the 2010-11 season with a 96-66 win over Eastern Michigan on Nov. 12, 2010, in Breslin Center. Kalin Lucas led six Spartans in double figures with 18 points, while Durrell Summers added 17. EMU's Brandon Bowdry led all scorers with 32 points and 15 rebounds. The Spartans held a 54-34 rebounding edge, and shot .525 from the field, compared to .316 for the Eagles.
Eagle Notes
Eastern Michigan ranks in the Top 20 nationally in scoring defense (17th, 55.9 ppg) and field-goal percentage defense (15th, .356) ... The Eagles average 8.7 steals per contest, with five players averaging more than one steal ... Senior point guard Mike Tally ranks in the Top 10 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.2) ... EMU's defense forces opponents to take 41 percent of their shots from 3-point range, where the opponents are shooting just .287 against the Eagles.
GM. 10 RECAP • MICHIGAN STATE 87 - OAKLAND 61
After a week of academic finals, Michigan State defeated Oakland, 87-61, putting together two solid halves of basketball. It was a tight contest for much of the first half, with the score tied at 22 with 8:59 remaining. The Spartans responded by turning up the defensive pressure, out-scoring Oakland 22-9 for the rest of the half to take a 44-31 lead into the break. The Spartans shot 60 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from 3-point range in the first half. MSU was equally impressive to start the second half, opening with an 11-4 run to push its lead out to 20 points. Travis Trice was the catalyst for the second-half surge, recording four assists in the first three minutes of the stanza. Oakland never got closer than 15 points after that.
MSU VS. OAKLAND NOTES
* Michigan State shot a season-high 58.8 percent from 3-point range.
* Five Spartans scored in double figures for the fourth time this season, matching the number of occurrences from 2013-14.
* MSU recorded a season-high 10 steals, resulting in a 25-8 edge in fast break points.
* Bryn Forbes surpassed 1,000 point for his career.
* Travis Trice matched his career high with eight assists.
* MSU committed eight turnovers, including just two in the second half.
* MSU's defense held Oakland to a season-low 61 points on a season-low .396 field-goal percentage.
* Oakland hit its first three 3-point attempts in the first seven minutes, but connected on just two of its next 17 attempts.
MSU BASKETBALL NOTES
Izzo's 20th Season
In his 20th season as Michigan State head coach, the 2014-15 campaign is 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 475 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).
Dawson Attacks The Glass
Branden Dawson grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds at Notre Dame, eclipsing his previous high of 13 established last season vs. Oakland. The 18 rebounds are tied for the most by a Spartan since Goran Suton grabbed 20 vs. Oakland in 2007. Dawson's nine offensive rebounds are tied for the third-best single-game effort in MSU history (since 1986-87). He currently leads the Big Ten in rebounding at 8.7 boards per contest.
Valentine Brings Florida Heat Up North
Joined by teammate Travis Trice on the Orlando Classic All-Tournament Team, Denzel Valentine had an exceptional Thanksgiving weekend in Florida. In three games, Valentine averaged a team-best 19.3 points, shooting .543 (19-35) from the field and .609 (14-23) from 3-point range. He scored a career-high 19 points in the quarterfinals vs. Rider, only to better that effort one night later with 25 points against Marquette. His solid play continued at Notre Dame, scoring a team-high 22 points, shooting 7-of-13, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. He's averaging 17.8 points and shooting .641 (25-39) from 3-point range in the last six games.
Breslin Advantage
Michigan State is 343-50 (.873) at home all-time since Breslin Center opened in 1989, including 177-38 (.823) in Big Ten play. Under Tom Izzo, the Spartans are 269-35 (.885) at Breslin, including a 136-25 (.845) conference record. MSU has won 50 of the last 56 (.893) games at Breslin.
Forbes Healing Nicely
Bryn Forbes opened the season playing with a broken bone in his left (non-shooting) hand. Through the first two games, he shot .286 (4-14) from 3-point range while playing with a larger brace. Healing in the hand has allowed him to use a smaller brace beginning with the Loyola contest. In the five games that followed, he shot .500 (10-20) from behind the arc. Forbes' brace was reduced in size once again before the Notre Dame contest, as he is shooting .769 (10-13) from 3-point range in the last three games. The Eastern Michigan game will be his first this year without a brace.
Spartans Welcome Long Homestand
Due to a non-conference schedule that saw MSU open with six of its first eight games away from home, and opening Big Ten play with two home games, Michigan State is in the early stages of a stretch of seven straight games at Breslin Center. It's the longest homestand of the Tom Izzo era, and the longest at Michigan State since 1942 (Jan. 2-Jan. 26). The longest previous homestand of the Izzo era came when MSU opened the 2000-01 season with six straight home games.
Spartans Back At Home
Michigan State is playing just its fifth home game of the season as it hosts Eastern Michigan, the fewest among Big Ten teams. The Spartans are the only ranked team that played six of their first eight games away from home. MSU is also the only Big Ten team to play six games away from home. The average number of road/neutral contests for other Big Ten teams is 3.3. (Through Dec. 14)
Spartans Strong On The Glass
MSU owns a Big Ten-best +8.4 rebounding margin, having out-rebounded eight of 10 opponents. In the Tom Izzo era, MSU has out-rebounded 513 of 665 opponents (.771), posting a 406-107 (.791) mark in those games. The Spartans have led the nation in rebounding in four of the last 15 seasons (2000, 2001, 2009, 2010), ranking in the Top 10 nine times and the Top 25 on 12 occasions. MSU has led the Big Ten in rebounding margin in conference games in 11 of the last 17 years.
Starting Suits Trice Nicely
In his first year as a primary starter, senior Travis Trice is proving he is up to the challenge. He ranks third in the Big Ten in assists (5.7 apg) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.1), pacing the Spartans in both categories. He is tied for sixth in 3-point field goals made (2.5). Trice entered the year having started just eight games in his career, but he did average 9.3 points and 3.6 assists in those eight games last season.
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. This season, MSU is averaging 9.3 made 3-pointers per contest, ranking tied for first in the Big Ten. Denzel Valentine leads MSU and the Big Ten with 30 made 3-pointers (3.0 pg). The Spartans have made eight or more 3-pointers in eight of 10 games, including five games with 10 or more.
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 188 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 (170), Kentucky (164), Illinois (162), Duke (161) and Texas (161). (Through games of Dec. 14)
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. This season, MSU is averaging 18.5 assists per game, recording an assist on 64.2 percent of its baskets. In five games, MSU has recorded an assist on more than 70 percent of its baskets (vs. Navy 18 ast., 25 FG - 72.0%; vs. Loyola 27 ast., 36 FG - 75.0%; vs. Santa Clara 22 ast., 29 FG - 75.9%; vs. Ark.-Pine Bluff 27 ast., 30 FG - 90.0%; vs. Oakland 25 ast., 34 FG - 73.5%).
Balanced Scoring
Michigan State features a balanced scoring attack with four players averaging in double figures, and seven players averaging 6.9 points or more. Five different Spartans have led the team in scoring in a single game, as seven different players have scored in double figures at least once. There have been four games in which five Spartans have reached double figures, the same number of times as all of last season.
MSU's M.A.S.H. Unit
Michigan State is dealing with some injury issues in the early portion of its non-conference schedule. Freshman Javon Bess underwent surgery in late October on a broken bone in his right foot. He is yet to play in a game, but is scheduled to make his debut against Eastern Michigan. Sophomore Alvin Ellis III suffered a sprained right ankle after just three minutes against Navy and did not return to action until playing five minutes against Notre Dame. He's yet to play more than eight minutes in any contest. Junior Bryn Forbes has not missed any time, but has played while recovering from a broken bone in his left (non-shooting) hand. Senior Branden Dawson missed MSU's game vs. Santa Clara with the flu, which also limited his minutes at the Orlando Classic. In total, MSU has lost 17 games due to illness and injury.
Double-Double Trouble
Four different Spartans have posted a double-double this season as Matt Costello (vs. Loyola-13 pts., 11 reb.), Branden Dawson (vs. Notre Dame-16 pts., 18 reb.), Gavin Schilling (vs. Santa Clara-14 pts., 11 reb.) and Denzel Valentine (vs. Santa Clara-13 pts., 11 reb.) each have one. For his career, Dawson has 13 double-doubles, while Valentine has totaled five.
Trice Nominated For Good Works Team
Travis Trice is one of 158 male nominees for the 2015 Allstate NABC Good Works Team. This prestigious community service award recognizes a distinguished group of student-athletes who have demonstrated a commitment to enriching the lives of others and contributing to the greater good in their communities. From the nominees, a distinguished voting panel will select a 10-member team comprised of five student-athletes from the Division I level and five from Divisions II, III and the NAIA.
All-Time Block Leaders
Branden Dawson is tied with Goran Suton for seventh in Michigan State history with 90 career blocks, just behind Ken Johnson (96) and Matt Steigenga (97). Adreian Payne is the MSU career leader with 141 blocks. With 65 blocks in just over two seasons, Matt Costello could appear in the Top 10 later in the season.
MSU's Sunrise Connection
Freshmen Marvin Clark Jr. and Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr., both products of Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, are making big contributions as Spartan freshmen. Clark Jr. ranks tied for fifth on the team in scoring at 7.2 ppg. Nairn Jr. ranks third on the team with 3.7 assists per game, and has shown remarkable leadership skills for a freshman.
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 and the Naismith Award Watch List.
MSU In The Rankings
Michigan State is currently ranked No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the Associated Press Top 25. Six Spartan opponents are ranked in the Top 25: Duke (No. 2 AP/No. 2 USA Today), Wisconsin (5/6), Kansas (10/10), Ohio State (12/12), Maryland (17/18) and Notre Dame (21/21).
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.
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).
Spartans In The NBA
Michigan State leads all Big Ten schools with eight players appearing on NBA rosters this season. 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 in November and appeared in his first career game on Nov. 19.
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."
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo
In his 20th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 475-190 (.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 full 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 .771, followed by Knight (.734), Ryan (.731), 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.
