Michigan State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Opens Season Vs. Florida Atlantic
11/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| #13/13 Michigan State (0-0) vs. Florida Atlantic (0-0) | |
| Date | Friday, November 13, 2015 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Breslin Center |
| Internet | ESPN3 (Dan Gutowsky, Mac McCausland) |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Will Tieman, Gus Ganakas, Matt Steigenga) |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Florida Atlantic |
| Statistics | Michigan State | Florida Atlantic |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Live Stats | |
| Social Media | @MSU_Basketball  | Facebook  | Instagram |
THE OPENING TIP
Michigan State opens its 2015-16 season against Conference USA's Florida Atlantic. Friday's matchup between the Spartans and the Owls marks the two programs' first meeting. MSU scored a combined 187 points in two exhibition victories. Senior Bryn Forbes led the Spartans in scoring in both outings, posting tallies of 23 and 16.
The Starting Five
1. For Openers
Michigan State is 92-24 all-time in openers, winning 35 of the last 38. The only three losses in the last 38 years came in 2012 to Connecticut in the Armed Forces Classic in Germany, to No. 1 North Carolina in the 2011 Carrier Classic, on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson in Coronado, Calif., and in November 2005, when MSU fell at Hawai'i, 84-62. Prior to that, the Spartans' last loss in an opener came on Nov. 29, 1976, when they fell to Central Michigan, 81-76. Tom Izzo is 17-3 in season openers, including 15-0 at home.
2. For Openers, Part II
Michigan State is 98-18 all-time in home openers. The Spartans last lost a home opener on Dec. 4, 1976, falling to Western Michigan, 74-73. Overall, the Spartans are 80-11 in season openers at home. The Spartans last lost a season opener at home Dec. 1, 1970, to Northern Illinois, 76-75.
3. Spartans Share The Ball
Unselfishness is a trademark of all Tom Izzo teams. Last season, MSU established a school single-season record with 646 assists, leading the Big Ten and ranking fifth in the nation with 16.6 per contest. In 2013-14, MSU tallied 637 assists, a total that was a school record at the time, until last year's squad surpassed it. The Spartans led the Big Ten and ranked sixth in the nation in 2013-14 with 16.8 per contest. Last year, MSU recorded an assist on 63.7 percent of its baskets. In two exhibition games this season, MSU totaled 57 assists on 68 baskets (83.8 percent).
4. From Beyond the Arc
Michigan State figures to have one of its best 3-point shooting teams in school history. The Spartans made 294 3-pointers last year, which ranked second in school history, behind only the 2013-14 squad (307 3-pointers). While the Spartans will miss Travis Trice and his 90 3-pointers, they add junior transfer Eron Harris (89 3-pointers in 2013-14), and freshman Matt McQuaid who was rated as one of the best shooters in his class.
5. Exhibition Recap
Michigan State averaged 93.5 points in a pair of exhibition victories. Bryn Forbes led all scorers at 19.5 points per game, shooting .647 (11-17) from 3-point range. Denzel Valentine displayed his all-around skills, averaging 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists. Gavin Schilling was MSU's third-leading scorer at 11.0 points per game. As a team, MSU shot .535 from the field, including .408 from 3-point range.
MSU vs. FAU Notes
Series History
This is the first meeting between Michigan State and Florida Atlantic.
Head Coach Michael Curry
Michael Curry was named FAU head men's basketball coach on April 7, 2014. Curry, who played for seven NBA teams during an 11-year career and also previously served as head coach of the Detroit Pistons, is the eighth coach in FAU program history.
Curry brings to FAU more than 20 years of basketball experience as a coach, player and front-office executive. Immediately prior to FAU, he served as associate head coach (2010-13) for the Philadelphia 76ers, where he was part of Doug Collins' staff. Curry, who carved his NBA playing niche on a Collins-coached Pistons team (1993-94), focused his attention on the team's defense, which was critical in the 76ers' 2011-12 playoff run to the Eastern Conference semifinals. In both 2010-11 and 2011-12 the team had a top-five ranked defense.
Prior to Philadelphia, Curry served as the Pistons' head coach in 2008-09 following one season as a Detroit assistant. He joined the Pistons organization after a two-year stint at the NBA, where he served as vice president, player development for the NBA Development League and later as vice president of basketball operations. He is also a former president and vice president of the National Basketball Players Association's Executive Board.
Familiar Faces On The Opposing Bench
Florida Atlantic features a couple of names that are familiar to Michigan State basketball fans. Former Spartan Eric Snow is in his second season as an assistant coach with the Owls. Part of MSU's famous "Fire and Ice" combination with Shawn Respert, Snow was a second-team All-Big Ten performer as a senior in 1995. He ranks third in MSU history with 599 assists. FAU's head coach is former Detroit Piston and Pistons' coach Michael Curry. He played in the NBA for 11 seasons and spent one season as Detroit's head coach in 2008-09. His son, Deon, earned four letters at Michigan State in football (2005-08) and one in basketball (2007).
Owl Notes
FAU comes into Friday's matchup having played just one exhibition game. The Owls downed St. Thomas (Fla.), 75-58, in Boca Raton, Fla. Jeantal Cylla led the team with 19 points in 24 minutes of play. Adonis Filer added 17 points to FAU's cause, while also dishing out a team-high six helpers. C.J. Turman, the Owl's top-returning rebounder, grabbed eight boards and tallied six points.
Last season, FAU opened its campaign with a 7-4 mark in non-conference action, highlighted by a four-game winning streak that saw wins against East Carolina and Central Florida. The Owls struggled in Conference USA play though under first-year head coach Michael Curry, finishing the year 2-16 in league play and 9-20 overall.
MSU Basketball Notes
MSU In November
Michigan State has an all-time record of 114-31 in games played in the month of November. This includes a 77-3 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 55-0 all-time at home in November, 79-25 for the month.
Playing The Best
Since the 1997-98 season, the year of Michigan State's first of 18 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans have played 198 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 (182), Texas (173), Duke (172) and Kentucky (169).
Valentine's Preseason Honors
Denzel Valentine was a unanimous selection to the Big Ten's 10-member preseason all-conference team. He was also tabbed preseason Third Team All-America by CBSSports.com and Second Team All-America by Sports Illustrated. Valentine leads all returning Spartans in scoring (14.5 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg) and assists (4.3 apg).
Spartans In The NBA
Michigan State is tied for the Big Ten lead with six players on NBA opening-day rosters. Branden Dawson (Los Angeles Clippers) is in his rookie season after being selected in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft. They join former Spartans Alan Anderson (Washington), Draymond Green (Golden State), Gary Harris (Denver), Adreian Payne (Minnesota) and Zach Randolph (Memphis).
All-Time Block Leaders
Matt Costello ranks sixth in MSU history with 104 blocks, just behind Delvon Roe (106). Branden Dawson is the MSU career leader with 142 blocks.
Valentine In The Record Books
Denzel Valentine has played in 113 career games, needing to play in 33 more to hold sole position of the top spot in Spartan history. Valentine also needs 55 assists and 192 rebounds to become the only Spartan to rank in the school's career Top 10 in both categories. He ranks tied for seventh in MSU history with 161 made 3-pointers and ninth with 416 3-point attempts.
1,000-Point Scorers
Denzel Valentine ranks 46th in MSU history with 1,050 career points. He needs five points to pass Marcus Sanders (1,054 points), 10 to pass Earvin Johnson (1,059 points), and 13 to pass Johnny Green (1,062 points). Bryn Forbes has 1,237 career points, 905 of which came in his first two seasons at Cleveland State. Eron Harris will likely be the next Spartan to reach 1,000 career points, totaling 873 in two seasons at West Virginia.
Strength of Schedule
Including potential opponents in the Wooden Legacy, 11 of MSU's 17 non-conference opponents competed in the 2015 postseason, including seven in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Eight of MSU's 13 non-conference contests could feature 2015 postseason participants. Including Big Ten opponents, 18 of MSU's 31 regular-season games will be played against teams that completed in postseason play in 2015.
Big Ten Schedule
With a 14-team conference 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 Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers and Wisconsin. The Spartans will host Illinois, Indiana, Maryland and Nebraska, while traveling to Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern and Purdue. Seven of Michigan State's 13 Big Ten opponents appeared in the 2014 postseason, including six in the NCAA Tournament (Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin) and one in the NIT (Illinois).
Coaching Stability
Michigan State has had just two basketball coaches in the last 40 seasons and three in the last 47. Tom Izzo is in his 21st season, having taking over from his mentor Jud Heathcote, who spent 19 years as head coach (1976-95). Before Heathcote, Gus Ganakas spent seven seasons as head coach. Ganakas is currently in his 30th-straight season providing commentary on Spartan radio broadcasts.
Prep Teammates
Michigan State's roster features three pairs of high school teammates. Seniors Denzel Valentine and Bryn Forbes teamed to appear in three-straight Michigan Class B title games from 2010-2012, capturing the state championship in 2011 and 2012. Sophomores 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 in 2013-14, while Nairn finished his high school career. Juniors 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.
Basketball Football Balance
Michigan State is one of nine schools to be ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 in both football and men's basketball as the Spartans are currently ranked No. 13 in basketball and No. 14 in football. Oklahoma (No. 8 BB, No. 12 FB) is the only other school with both programs ranked in the Top 15. Michigan, Baylor, LSU, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Utah, and North Carolina are the other schools with both programs ranked.
Returning Depth
Michigan State returns nine of its top 11 scorers from its 2014-15 squad. The Spartans return 63.3 percent of their scoring, 66.9 percent of their rebounding, and 60.4 percent of their assists from last season. Eight different returners started at least one game in 2014-15, including four players who started 17 or more contests.
Seeking Win No. 500
Tom Izzo enters his 21st season as Michigan State head coach in 2015-16. With a career record of 495-199, Izzo will likely capture his 500th career win early in the non-conference schedule. He is 17 wins shy of tying Gene Keady (512 wins) for second most victories at a Big Ten school, trailing only Bob Knight (661 wins).
No. 13 to Start the Season
Michigan State opens the season ranked No. 13 in the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls. Five other Big Ten schools are ranked including Maryland (No. 3 AP Poll/No. 3 USA Today), Indiana (No. 15/15), Wisconsin (No. 17/17), Purdue (No. 23/t-24) and Michigan (No. 25/). The Big Ten leads the nation with six teams ranked in the AP Poll and is tied with the Big 12 with five ranked teams in the USA Today Coaches Poll. In addition to the conference opponents, MSU is also scheduled to play Kansas (No. 4/5) in the Champions Classic and could possibly meet Arizona (No. 12/10) in the Wooden Legacy.
Valentine Wins Bronze with USA
Denzel Valentine was a member of the USA Basketball Pan American Games Team that captured a Bronze Medal in Canada July 21-25. He ranked sixth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.4 points, while shooting .500 from the field and .385 from 3-point range. In medal play, he averaged 11 points and 3.5 rebounds in two games.
Spartans Summer Trip: Italy
In late August, Michigan State traveled to Italy for the first summer foreign trip of the Tom Izzo era. After a decisive 98-54 victory over a club team in Florence, the Spartans took part in a four-team round-robin event featuring national teams from Russia, Italy, and Georgia. Although the Spartans dropped all three games, the games got progressively closer as MSU trailed Italy by just five points midway through the fourth quarter, and falling to Georgia by a single point. Denzel Valentine averaged a team-best 17.3 points against the three national teams, while Gavin Schilling was the team's leading rebounder (7.0 rpg) and second-leading scorer (13.3 ppg). Bryn Forbes also averaged double figures at 13.0 ppg.
Nation's Best Seven Final Fours in 17 Years
Michigan State advanced to the 2015 Final Four, marking the seventh trip to the Final Four in 20 seasons under Tom Izzo. The seven trips in the last 17 seasons rank as the most in the nation. In addition, MSU has appeared in 18 straight NCAA Tournaments, marking the nation's third-longest active streak, and matching the longest streak in Big Ten history.
Making History
A few current Spartans could etch their names among the all-time greats in MSU history with solid senior campaigns. Matt Costello enters the season ranked sixth in career blocks (104), needing 39 to become MSU's all-time leader. For comparison, Costello blocked 43 shots as a sophomore and 48 as a junior. Denzel Valentine has played in 113 career games, needing to play in 33 more to hold sole position of the top spot in Spartan history. Valentine also needs 55 assists and 192 rebounds to become the only Spartan to rank in the school's career Top 10 in both categories.
Early Test in Champions Classic
Michigan State's first game versus a ranked opponent this season comes on Nov. 17 in the Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago against No. 5 Kansas. The Jayhawks enter the year as MSU's highest-ranked non-conference foe.
2015 Wooden Legacy
Michigan State will open the 2015 Wooden Legacy against Boston College on Thursday, Nov. 26 at 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2) in Fullerton, California. The winner of the MSU-BC contest will face the UC Irvine-Boise State winner in a semifinal contest on Friday, Nov. 27 at 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2). The other half of the bracket features first-day matchups between Evansville and Providence, followed by Santa Clara and Arizona. After an off day, the tournament will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 29. Games on Nov. 26 and 27 will be held at Cal State Fullerton, while the final day of games will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
Breslin Upgrades on the Horizon
A major facilities upgrade -- focused on improving the visitor experience -- and the construction of a Michigan State University Basketball Hall of History are on tap for the Breslin Student Events Center. The MSU Board of Trustees gave the university the go-ahead to proceed with the $50 million project. $30 million will be provided by the university and $20 million from MSU Athletics. The work is scheduled to begin in January 2016, with substantial completion expected by August of 2017 and final completion by June 2018.
2016 Recruiting Class
Michigan State and head coach Tom Izzo will be bringing in one of the nation's top recruiting classes in 2016, as it currently sits at No. 2 according to ESPN.com. During November's early signing period, the Spartans received signed letters of intent from five-star recruits Miles Bridges (G/F, 6-7, Flint, Mich.) and Joshua Langford (G, 6-5, Huntsville, Ala.), along with four stars Cassius Winston (G, 6-0, Detroit, Mich.) and Nick Ward (F, 6-9, Gahanna, Ohio). All four players have been rated in the top 50 of their class across the country by ESPN.com, Rivals.com, Scout.com and 24/7 Sports, with Bridges and Langford touted as high as No. 8 and No. 17, respectively. Bridges has averaged a double-double throughout his high school career, including 15.7 points and 10.6 rebounds at Huntington Prep last season. He'll carry on the tradition of Flint natives at MSU under Tom Izzo, including Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell and Antonio Smith. Langford is a four-time Alabama Class 3A Player of the Year, having first won the award as an eighth grader, while also capturing two state championships. Winston has led his squad to the state semifinals in each of the last two seasons, and averaged 22.3 points and 7.1 assists as a junior. Ward attends Gahanna Lincoln High School, where he was teammates with current Spartan Javon Bess, and averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocks as a prep junior.
The Book On Tom
Coach Izzo
In his 21st year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 495-199 (.713), and 233-107 (.685) 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 20 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 .685 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 (.717), former Indiana coach Bob Knight (.700), and Ohio State's Thad Matta (.688) and ahead of former Purdue coach Ward Lambert (.685). In all games, Ryan ranks first at .764, followed by Matta (.761), Knight (.734), Izzo (.713), Wisconsin's Walter Meanwell (.712), and Lambert (.709). With 233 conference victories, Izzo ranks third all-time.
Izzo Among Best Ever
Through his first 20 seasons, Tom Izzo won 495 games, ranking fifth in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 20 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 was 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.
