Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Host Northern Michigan To Open Exhibition Play
11/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| #13/13 Michigan State vs. Northern Michigan | |
| Date | Wednesday, November 4, 2015 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Breslin Center |
| Internet | BTN Plus (Kevin Gehl, Kevin Pauga) |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Will Tieman, Gus Ganakas, Matt Steigenga) |
| Game Notes | Michigan State |
| Statistics | Michigan State | Northern Michigan |
| Live Stats | |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Social Media | @MSU_Basketball  | Facebook  | Instagram |
Coach Izzo Press Conference Video
THE OPENING TIP
Michigan State opens its 2015-16 season with an exhibition matchup against Northern Michigan. This is the first of two exhibitions the Spartans will play. Senior Denzel Valentine returns as MSU's top scorer and rebounder from 2014-15.
THE STARTING FIVE
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. 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 No. 5 Kansas in the Champions Classic and could possibly meet No. 10 Arizona in the Wooden Legacy.
5. 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.
MSU Vs. Northern Michigan Notes
Series History
Officially, the Spartans hold a 7-1 advantage over the Wildcats in the all-time series, as the two squads met eight times between 1920 and 1975. Wednesday's game marks the sixth time Michigan State and Northern Michigan have met in an exhibition contest, beginning with a 93-40 Spartan victory on Nov. 7, 2000. MSU has won the previous five exhibition games.
Coach Sall
Bill Sall begins his third season at Northern Michigan University in 2015-16 after being named the 14th head coach of the men's basketball program on May 11, 2013.
Sall spent 11 seasons as the head coach of Ferris State University from 2002-13. Under his direction, the Bulldogs won four Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division titles (2003-04, 2010-11, 2011-12) and reached the NCAA Division II Tournament three times (2004-05, 2005-06, 2010-11), including a pair of regional championship game appearances. His overall record at FSU was 171-145 and 127-85 in GLIAC games.
His career also includes stints as an assistant at Ferris State (1995-98) and Hillsdale College (1998-2002).
The Last Meeting
Durrell Summers led Michigan State with 30 points, in just 16 minutes, in a 118-57 exhibition victory over Northern Michigan on Nov. 5, 2008. The Spartans shot 56.5 percent from the field, including 61.5 percent from 3-point range. MSU attempted 57 free throws in the contest, making 40 (70.2 percent). That season, Michigan State would go on to win the Big Ten regular-season championship and advance to the National Championship team.
He's Come A Long Way
Wednesday's exhibition contest marks the sixth time that Tom Izzo will coach against his alma mater. Izzo played guard at Northern Michigan from 1973-77 and was voted the team's MVP as a senior. He was also a third-team Division II All-America pick as a senior and established a school single-season record for minutes played. MSU assistant Mike Garland was Izzo's teammate at NMU. After his playing career, Izzo served as an assistant coach for the Wildcats from 1979-83. He was inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 and was a 1998 inductee into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame. He delivered the commencement address at Northern Michigan in 2001.
Wildcat Notes
Northern Michigan opened its season with a 90-82 win over Finlandia in an exhibition game played at Negaunee Lakeview Memorial Gymnasium on Oct. 29. Naba Echols led the Wildcats with 21 points. Donnell Cegers added 20 points to the winning effort.
Northern Michigan was picked to finish eighth in the North Division in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) preseason poll, the league office announced Wednesday morning.
MSU Basketball Notes
Valentine: Unanimous Selection
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).
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.
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.
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 tournament 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 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 on Saturday, Nov. 28, 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.
2014-15 Exhibition Recap
Michigan State scored a combined 198 points in last season's two exhibition contests. In the opening mathcup against The Master's College on Nov. 3, the Spartans posted 97 points, paced by Denzel Valentine's 24 points. Valentine pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and hit 6-of-9 from behind the arc in the 97-56 tuneup. Four days later, MSU soared past St. Cloud State, 101-46. Six different Spartans scored in double digits, led by Travis Trice's 20-point effort. Valentine led the team with 11 boards, as Matt Costello and Branden Dawson recorded 10 rebounds apiece.
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.
