Post Game Notes: Louisville
12/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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No. 3 Michigan State moves to 7-9 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and 6-2 at home in the challenge.
MSU's matchup with No. 24/22 Louisville marked the Spartans' 200th game against a ranked opponent since the 1997-98 season when Michigan State's streak of 18-straight NCAA Tournament appearances began. North Carolina is second with 183 games against ranked teams.
The Spartans even out the all-time series with the Cardinals to 5-5, owning a 3-0 edge when the game is played in East Lansing.
MSU out-rebounded UofL, 40-30, including 17-14 on the offensive glass. Both programs rank in the top three in the nation in rebounding margin, as the Cardinals came in with a +21.4 margin and the Spartans boasted a +18.3 margin.
Redshirt freshman forward Kenny Goins grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, bettering his previous career best of four rebounds set against Boise State on Nov. 27, 2015. His 13 boards against the Cardinals is a Spartan season high and the most since Branden Dawson pulled down 13 against Michigan on Feb. 17, 2015. Goins played a career-high 18 minutes and shot 2-2 from the field, adding five points for the Spartans.
Senior guard Bryn Forbes shot 7-11 from the field, including 5-9 from 3-point range, contributing a season-high 20 points and two steals to the Spartan stat sheet. Tonight's game was the second time Forbes scored 20 or more points as a Spartan and 16th overall in his career. The first 14 occasions came at Cleveland State.
MSU swatted eight shots, including three blocks from senior forward Matt Costello and three from freshman forward Deyonta Davis. Costello is now 33 blocks away from become MSU's all-time leader and seven from passing Draymond Green in fourth.
Senior guard Denzel Valentine scored a team-high 25 points, including a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line. This is the fourth time Valentine has led the Spartan squad in scoring this season and the fourth 20+ point game of the season.
This is Michigan State's first 8-0 start since beginning the 2000-01 season 12-0. The Spartans finished that season 28-5 overall and reached the Final Four to go along with a Big Ten Championship.
