Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans And Jayhawks Meet In Champions Classic
11/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| #13/13 Michigan State (1-0) vs. #4/5 Kansas (1-0) | |
| Date | Tuesday, November 17, 2015 |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| Location | Chicago, Ill. | United Center |
| Television | ESPN (Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale, Shannon Spake) |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Will Tieman, Gus Ganakas, Matt Steigenga) |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Kansas |
| Statistics | Michigan State | Kansas |
| Social Media | @MSU_Basketball  | Facebook  | Instagram |
Izzo Press Conference Transcript
The Opening Tip
Michigan State and Kansas will meet in the fifth-annual Champions Classic. The Spartans defeated the Jayhawks, 67-64, in the 2012 Champions Classic. The two squads met last season in the championship game of the 2014 Orlando Classic, with KU claiming a 61-56 victory.
The Starting Five
1. Champions Classic
Michigan State is 2-2 all-time in the Champions Classic. Last season, No. 19 MSU fell to No. 4 Duke, 81-71, as Branden Dawson paced the Spartans with 18 points and nine rebounds, while the Blue Devils shot 54.0 percent from the field. In 2013, No. 2 MSU defeated No. 1 Kentucky, 78-74, in Chicago, behind 22 points, eight assists and eight rebounds from Keith Appling, and 20 points from Gary Harris. The Spartans defeated No. 7 Kansas, 67-64, in 2012 in Atlanta behind 19 points from Keith Appling and 18 points from Gary Harris. Appling hit a 3-pointer with 1:36 to go up by four points. KU responded with a three-point play, but Appling converted on an acrobatic driving layup with 14 seconds remaining to take a 67-64 lead. In the inaugural classic, Duke defeated MSU, 74-69, in New York's Madison Square Garden. Appling led MSU with 22 points, and Adreian Payne grabbed 12 rebounds. Duke is 3-1 in Champions Classic action, while Kentucky is 2-2, and Kansas is 1-3.
2. Kansas Connections
Two Spartans have connections to the Sunflower State. Michigan State sophomores Marvin Clark Jr. and Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. attended high school at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, just outside Wichita.
3. Spartans Share The Ball
Unselfishness is a trademark of all Tom Izzo teams. In the season opener vs. Florida Atlantic, Michigan State recorded 25 assists on 30 field goals. 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.
4. Forbes For Three
Senior Bryn Forbes is proving to be one of top shooters in the country. For his career, he's made 212-of-512 attempts from behind the arc, good for a .414 shooting percentage. He's made a 3-pointer in 93 of 104 career games. He opened 2015-16 by making 3-of-4 against Florida Atlantic, and including two exhibitions, he's 14-of-21 from 3-point range. Last year, Forbes ranked fourth in the Big Ten in 3-point field-goal percentage (.427).
5. MSU In November
Michigan State has an all-time record of 115-31 in games played in the month of November. This includes a 78-3 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 56-0 all-time at home in November, 80-25 for the month.
MSU vs. Kansas Notes
Series History
Michigan State leads the all-time series, 6-5, including winning three of the last four meetings. The two teams have split the previous six meetings on a neutral court. Tom Izzo is 4-2 in his career against Kansas and 6-5 in his career against Bill Self (1-0 vs. Tulsa, 2-3 vs. Illinois, 3-2 vs. Kansas).
Coach Self
Bill Self (Oklahoma State, '85) is 560-183 in his 23rd season as a collegiate head coach, including 353-78 in his 13th season at Kansas. Prior to his arrival in Lawrence, he served as the head coach at Illinois for three seasons, at Tulsa for three seasons and at Oral Roberts for four years. He is one of four coaches in NCAA Division I history to have led three different teams to the NCAA Elite Eight. In his time at Kanas, the Jayhawks have won 11 straight Big 12 regular-season championships. In 2001, Tom Izzo and Self led their squads to 13-3 conference records, sharing the Big Ten regular-season championship while Self was at Illinois.
Last Meeting
Kansas defeated Michigan State, 61-56, in the championship game of the 2014 Orlando Classic on Nov. 30, 2014. The Spartans held a 36-35 lead at the half, but shot just 24.2 percent in the second half. For the game, MSU shot just 32.2 percent, while holding KU to 37.0 percent. Perry Ellis led all scorers with 17 points and Frank Mason posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Jayhawks. Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine paced the Spartans with 14 points each.
Spartans-Jayhawks In Champions Classic
Michigan State defeated Kansas, 67-64, in the 2012 Champions Classic in Atlanta. Keith Appling scored 16 of his game-high 19 points in the second half, including a big 3-pointer with 1:36 to go up four points. Kansas responded with a three-point play, but an acrobatic driving layup by Appling with 14 seconds remaining gave MSU a 67-64 lead. Denzel Valentine is the only current Spartan to play in that contest, totaling four assists, one rebound, two blocks and one steal. Perry Ellis and Jamari Traylor played for the Jayhawks, as Ellis started and grabbed three rebounds, while Traylor came off the bench and totaled six points, four rebounds and three blocks.
Jayhawk Notes
Kansas' 109-72 win over Northern Colorado on Nov. 13 made Kansas 1-0 for the 14th-consecutive season beginning in 2001-02. Five different Jayhawks scored in double figures,led by Brannen Green's 18 points off the bench. Green was 5-of-5 from beyond the arc in 14 minutes of action. Perry Ellis chipped in 16 points, as Jamari Traylor pulled down a game-high seven rebounds. Kansas combined to shoot 55.7 percent from the floor, while limiting the Bears to 39.3 percent.
Kansas returns four All-Big 12 performers and 11 letterwinners from last season's 27-9 team that won KU's 11th-straight Big 12 regular season title.
MSU Basketball Notes
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. Michigan State attempted just 13 3-pointers in the opener, connecting on five, although Bryn Forbes hit 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
Davis' Impressive Debut
Other freshmen across the country might have garnered the headlines, but it's tough to imagine a more impressive debut than MSU's Deyonta Davis. The 2015 Michigan Mr. Basketball Award winner became just the third Spartan freshman to post a double-double in his debut, totaling 13 points and 11 rebounds, joining Derrick Nix and Matt Steigenga. Davis also blocked five shots, the most ever in a Spartan freshman debut. The 11 rebounds are the second most ever in an MSU freshman debut.
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).
Chicago Area Spartans
The metro Chicago area is home to two Spartans. Juniors Alvin Ellis III and Gavin Schilling both attended Chicago De La Salle high school. Although Schilling attended Findlay Prep in Nevada as a senior, he still calls Chicago home. Ellis resides in the southwest suburb of Matteson, Illinois.
MSU At The United Center
Michigan State is 13-8 all-time in the United Center. The Spartans own an 11-7 mark in the Big Ten Tournament in the UC, including winning the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago in 1999 and 2000. Last year, the Spartans advanced to the 2015 Big Ten Tournament championship game before falling to No. 6 Wisconsin in overtime. MSU has played a couple other high-profile games in The House That Jordan Built. On Dec. 2, 1998, No. 4 Duke defeated No. 9 Michigan State, 73-67, in the Great Eight. In the 1999 Great Eight (Dec. 7), the fourth-ranked Spartans defeated the fifth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, 66-54, behind 21 points from Charlie Bell In the 2013 Champions Classic, No. 2 Michigan State defeated No. 1 Kentucky, 78-74, on Nov. 12, 2013, as Keith Appling tallied 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead the Spartans past the top-ranked Wildcats.
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. 9 in football. Oklahoma (No. 8 BB, No. 7 FB) and North Carolina (No. 1 BB, No. 12 FB) are the only other schools with both programs ranked in the Top 15. Michigan, Baylor, LSU, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Utah are the other schools with both programs ranked.
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).
All-Time Block Leaders
Matt Costello ranks sixth in MSU history with 105 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 114 career games, needing to play in 32 more to hold sole position of the top spot in Spartan history. Valentine also needs 46 assists and 184 rebounds to become the only Spartan to rank in the school's career Top 10 in both categories. He ranks seventh in MSU history with 163 made 3-pointers and ninth with 419 3-point attempts.
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.
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).
1,000-Point Scorers
Denzel Valentine ranks 43rd in MSU history with 1,063 career points. He needs 19 points to pass Goran Suton (1,081 points), and 37 to pass Bill Kilgore (1,099 points). Bryn Forbes has 1,249 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, currently standing at 877 career points after totaling 873 in two seasons at West Virginia.
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.
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).
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 496-199, Izzo will likely capture his 500th career win early in the non-conference schedule. He is 16 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.
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.
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.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo
In his 21st year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 496-199 (.714), 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 (.714), 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.
