Spartans Open Big Ten Play At Iowa
12/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| #1/1 Michigan State (13-0) vs. Iowa (9-3) | |
| Date | Tuesday, December 29, 2015 |
| Time | 9 p.m. ET |
| Location | Iowa City, Iowa | Carver-Hawkeye Arena |
| Television | BTN (Kevin Kugler, Shon Morris) |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Will Tieman, Matt Steigenga) | Sirius 84/XM 84 |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Iowa |
| Statistics | Michigan State | Iowa |
| Live Stats | |
| Social Media | @MSU_Basketball  | Facebook  | Instagram |
The Opening Tip
After posting a perfect 13-0 record in non-conference play, Michigan State opens the Big Ten season at Iowa. For the 10th time in the last 15 years, the Spartans will open conference play on the road. MSU opens with a pair of road games, and four of its first six away from home.
The Starting Five
1. Great Start
At 13-0, Michigan State has established the best start in school history. The previous mark belonged to the 2000-01 Spartans who opened at 12-0 before falling at Indiana. MSU's current 13-game winning streak is the longest since the 2011-12 team won 15 straight after opening the season at 0-2.
2. Big Ten Openers
In its 65 seasons playing basketball in the Big Ten Conference, Michigan State has compiled a 30-35 record in Big Ten openers, including a 13-25 record on the road. Tom Izzo is 12-8 in Big Ten openers, including 5-7 on the road. This is the 10th time in the last 15 seasons that MSU has opened conference play on the road, including the sixth time that the Spartans will open with a pair of road games.
3. Lansing Sexton Trio
Michigan State's Bryn Forbes and Denzel Valentine and Iowa's Anthony Clemmons were all teammates at Lansing Sexton High School, graduating in 2012. Coached by Valentine's father, Carlton, the trio combined to advance to three-straight Michigan Class B state championship games, winning back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012. Over three years, Lansing Sexton posted a 74-9 record, including a 27-1 mark in 2012. A fourth member of that Sexton squad, Jalen Hayes, is currently a redshirt sophomore at Oakland University, where he starts for the Golden Grizzlies.
4. Tum Tum Takes Care of the Ball
Michigan State point guard Tum Tum Nairn Jr. isn't known for his scoring, but he's earned the right to be the Spartans' starting point guard with his leadership, defense and ability to take care of the ball. With 57 assists and just nine turnovers on the season, he ranks third in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (6.3). In the last 10 games, he has posted a 9.8 assist-to-turnover ratio (49 assists, 5 turnovers). He has committed just three turnovers in the month of December.
5. Defensive Effort
Although Coach Izzo would like to see improvement, statistically, Michigan State has proven to be a strong defensive team in 2015-16. The Spartans rank in the Top 15 nationally in scoring defense (13th, 59.7), field-goal percentage defense (2nd, .353) and 3-point field-goal percentage defense (7th, .256). Just four teams have shot better than 40 percent from the field and just three have bettered 35 percent behind the 3-point arc. Over the last five games, MSU is holding opponents to 54.2 points, .289 FG%, and .214 3FG%. The final step of a defensive possession is securing a defensive rebound, an area which MSU excels, grabbing a conference-best 77.4 percent of opponents' missed shots.
MSU vs. Iowa Notes
Series History
Michigan State leads the all-time series with Iowa, 71-53, although the Hawkeyes own a 34-24 advantage in Iowa City. MSU has won 28 of the last 36 meetings and four of the last five at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tom Izzo is 29-9 in his career against Iowa.
Coach McCaffery
Fran McCaffery (Penn, '82) is 356-255 in his 20th season as a Division I head coach, including 105-78 in his sixth season at Iowa. McCaffery came to Iowa City from Siena, where he led the Saints to three straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. His head coaching career also includes a six-year stint at UNC Greensboro (1999-2005) and three seasons at Lehigh (1985-88).
The Last Meeting
Michigan State used a remarkable second-half comeback to defeat Iowa, 75-61, on Jan. 8, 2015, in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes shot 50.0 percent in the first half to hold a 39-28 halftime advantage. MSU trailed 46-42 with 12:09 remaining when Travis Trice assisted on a pair of baskets as MSU tied the score at 46. Following an Iowa basket, Trice made one-of-two free throws. It started a 9-0 run for Trice, including a pair of 3-pointers, as MSU took a 55-48 lead it would not relinquish. From the 16:37 mark of the second half until the 3:20 mark, MSU outscored Iowa, 39-11. The Spartans shot an impressive 70.6 percent from 3-point range, including hitting 8-of-9 in the second half. Trice led all scorers with 25 points, hitting 7-of-8 3-pointers, while Valentine added 18 points and six assists. Branden Dawson recorded a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Gabriel Olaseni led Iowa with 18 points.
Hawkeye Notes
Iowa features one of the nation's most experienced lineups, starting four seniors and one junior ... The Hawkeyes are led by senior Jarrod Uthoff, who ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring at 18.3 ppg, and scored 32 points at Iowa State ... Uthoff is also tied for the Big Ten lead with 2.9 blocks per contest ... Averaging 82.6 points per game, the Hawkeyes rank second in the Big Ten in scoring ... Iowa has made 12 3-pointers in four games this season ... The Hawkeyes are a perfect 6-0 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season.
MSU Basketball Notes
Denzel Valentine â€" America's Most Versatile Player
Denzel Valentine made an early statement with his triple-double vs. Kansas in the Champions Classic. Tallying a career-high 29 points, a career-high 12 assists and 12 rebounds, he became just the fourth player in MSU history to record a triple-double. Nine days later, he recorded a second triple-double against Boston College (29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists), and followed the next day with a career-high 32 points vs. Boise State.
He currently leads the Big Ten in assists (7.1 apg), while ranking second in scoring (18.5 ppg) and tied for third in rebounding (8.3 rpg). He is the only player to rank in the Top 10 in the Big Ten in all three categories. Valentine also leads the Big Ten in defensive rebounds (7.5 drpg), and ranks second in 3-point field goals made (3.0 pg). Last season, he was the only Big Ten player to rank in the Top 15 in scoring, rebounding and assists.
Valentine's numbers are arguably the best in recent college basketball history. Since 1995-96, no player has averaged 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for a season.
For his career, Valentine has totaled 11 double-doubles, including the two triple-doubles.
Basketball-Football Balance
Michigan State is one of five schools to be ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 in both football and men's basketball as the Spartans are currently ranked No. 1 in basketball and No. 3 in football. Oklahoma (No. 3 BB, No. 4 FB) is the only other school with both programs ranked in the Top 5. Baylor, North Carolina and Utah are the other schools with both programs ranked. (Football AP Top 25-Dec. 6; Basketball AP Top 25-Dec. 28). MSU is the only school in the nation to have won four straight bowl games and appear in four Sweet 16s in the last four seasons.
MSU At No. 1
Michigan State is currently No. 1 in both the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches Polls for the third time under head coach Tom Izzo. This is just the fourth time in school history and the 11th week overall that MSU has held the top spot in the AP Top 25. After opening the season at No. 13 in the preseason poll, MSU's rise to No. 1 was the largest by week five since 1987-88 when Arizona opened at No. 17 and rose to No. 1 in week five. The Spartans were No. 1 for two weeks during the National Championship season of 1978-79, holding the top spot on Jan. 3 and Jan. 9. In 2000-01, MSU reached the top spot on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. Most recently, MSU held the No. 1 spot for three weeks in 2013-14 (Nov. 18-Dec. 2), posting a 4-1 record. The Spartans have an all-time record of 13-4 at No. 1.
Spartans Share The Ball
Unselfishness is a trademark of all Tom Izzo teams. Michigan State is averaging 22.2 assists, ranking second in the nation and recording an assist on 288 of 374 field goals (77.0 percent). 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.
Spartan Comebacks
Michigan State has shown the ability to overcome adversity during its 13-0 start to the 2015-16 season, as the Spartans have overcome double-figure deficits in three victories. MSU trailed Oakland by a season-high 15 points in the first half, and also trailed Kansas and Louisville by 13 points in the first half.
Izzo Third In Wins At Big Ten School
With 508 career wins, Tom Izzo is four wins shy of tying Gene Keady (512 wins) for second most victories at a Big Ten school, trailing only Bob Knight (661 wins). Izzo is also third all-time with 233 Big Ten wins, trailing just Knight (353 wins) and Keady (265 wins).
Big Ten Success
Michigan State has won 13 regular-season Big Ten Championships since joining the league prior to the 1950-51 season. The Spartans' first ever league game was at Northwestern, where MSU claimed a 67-62 victory on Jan. 6, 1951. All-time, MSU is 591-467 (.559) in league play, including 233-107 (.685) under Tom Izzo, who ranks third in league history with 233 conference wins. Izzo has guided MSU to seven of its 13 league crowns. Since Izzo's first season (1995-96), MSU has a Big Ten-best record of 233-107, 13 games better than second-place Wisconsin (220-120).
It's All About Boardwork
Michigan State owns a remarkable +14.5 rebounding margin, leading the Big Ten and ranking third in the nation, as the Spartans have out-rebounded 12 of 13 opponents this season, including Louisville by +10, after the Cardinals entered the game with a +21.4 margin. In the Tom Izzo era, MSU has out-rebounded 544 of 707 opponents (.769), posting a 432-112 (.794) mark in those games. The Spartans have led the nation in rebounding in four of the last 16 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 12 of the last 18 years and in 13 of 20 seasons under Tom Izzo.
Forbes For Three
Senior Bryn Forbes is proving to be one of top shooters in the country. For his career, he's made 250-of-589 attempts from behind the arc, good for a .424 shooting percentage. He's made a 3-pointer in 104 of 116 career games, including in 12 of 13 contests this season. He's opened 2015-16 by making 38-of-77 (.494), ranking 10th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage. Forbes has made three or more 3-pointers in eight games and ranks third in the Big Ten for 3-point field goals made (2.9).
Finding Success Away From Home
Michigan State owns a Big Ten-best 39-24 (.619) mark in conference road games over the last seven seasons (since the start of 2008-09 Big Ten play). Wisconsin is 36-27 on the road, while Ohio State is 35-28.
Offensive Rebounding
Michigan State ranks third in the Big Ten with 12.5 offensive rebounds per game, while also ranking third in offensive rebound percentage, grabbing 38.2 percent of its missed shots. The Spartans are averaging 12.4 second-chance points per contest, outscoring opponents by a +3.9 margin.
Improved Foul Shooting
Michigan State ranks eighth in the Big Ten and 100th in the nation in free-throw percentage, shooting .715 from the foul line. While that percentage isn't overly impressive, it's certainly an improvement over last season when MSU ranked 330th in the nation, shooting 63.2 percent from the charity stripe.
The 500 Win Club
Tom Izzo recorded his 500th-career win in MSU's 99-68 victory over Boston College in the Wooden Legacy. Izzo became the 91st coach in history to record 500 career wins, with at least 10 seasons in Division I, and just the eighth coach to accomplish the feat in his first 21 seasons. Izzo also became the 18th coach to win 500 career games in his first collegiate head coaching stop, and was the eighth-fastest coach to reach 500 wins among those who did it all at one school, accomplishing the feat in 699 career games. (Note: Two days later, Bob McKillop recorded career win No. 500 in 27 seasons - all at Davidson.)
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 200 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 (184), Texas (175), Duke (173) and Kentucky (171).
Spartan Depth
Nine Spartans average double-figure minutes, while 11 average more than eight minutes, and 13 average more than seven minutes. MSU has needed its depth as Gavin Schilling missed the first 11 contests with a turf toe injury before returning against Northeastern. Marvin Clark Jr. has played just 103 minutes in 11 games after a foot injury kept him out of action for two monts. Both Schilling and Clark could potentially work themselves into the starting lineup. MSU's practice on Dec. 17 was the first of the season where every player was cleared for full participation, however Denzel Valentine is out 2-3 weeks with an injury suffered in practice on Dec. 20.
Valentine Lends A Helping Hand
Denzel Valentine leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the nation, averaging 7.1 assists per contest. With 483 assists for his career, he ranks ninth in MSU history, eight behind Earvin Johnson (491). Valentine has either made or assisted on 45.9 percent of MSU's field goals, as he boasts a career-best 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.
All-Time Block Leaders
Matt Costello ranks fourth in MSU history with 118 blocks. Drew Naymick ranks third with 134 blocks. Branden Dawson is the MSU career leader with 142 blocks. Costello blocked 43 shots as a sophomore and 48 as a junior.
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 currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten, shooting .401 from behind the arc, led by Bryn Forbes at .494, as nine different Spartans have made a 3-pointer.
Double-Double Threats
Three different Spartans have recorded a double-double this season. Denzel Valentine has two triple-doubles (vs. Kansas and Boston College), and two double-doubles (vs. Binghamton and UMES), while Matt Costello (vs. UAPB and Oakland) has two double-doubles and Deyonta Davis (vs. Florida Atlantic) has one.
Davis' Impressive Debut
Freshman Deyonta Davis is proving to be an impact player in his first season. 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. Davis ranks tied for fifth in the Big Ten in blocks (2.0 bpg), second in field-goal percentage (.641) and has scored in double-figures in six games. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Nov. 30 after averaging 12.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in four games. With 26 blocks, Davis already has tied the third-best effort for a Spartan freshman, and needs four more to hold sole possesion of the MSU freshman record - a mark currently held by Delvon Roe (29).
Clark Rounding Into Shape
Marvin Clark Jr. got off to a slow start in 2015-16 as a foot injury suffered in September forced him to miss the first two games of the season. Since his return in the third game of the season, it's been a process to return to the form that made him a key reserve during MSU's 2015 Final Four run. He's shown signs of improvement recently, averaging 5.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 12.2 minutes over the last five games, scoring nine points vs. both Binghamton and Maryland Eastern Shore. In the six games prior to that, he totaled just 20 points (3.3 ppg) and 42 minutes (7.0 mpg).
Triple-Double Trouble
Denzel Valentine recorded a triple-double against Kansas in the Champions Classic (29 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists), joining Earvin Johnson (eight), Draymond Green (three) and Charlie Bell (one) as the only Spartans to accomplish the feat. He recorded a second against Boston College (29 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists), becoming one of three Spartans with multiple triple-doubles. Including his triple-doubles, Valentine has 11 career double-doubles.
Valentine On Awards Lists
Denzel Valentine is one of 10 Big Ten players on the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50. The list will be trimmed to a Midseason 25 in January. Aerial Powers from the Michigan State women's basketball team made the women's preseason list, making MSU one of just 13 schools, including just two in the Big Ten (Maryland), to have a male and female honoree. He is also on the USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List and the Naismith Award Watch List 50. He is a candidate for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. In the preseason, he was a unanimous selection to the Big Ten's all-conference team, and was tabbed a preseason All-American by CBSSports.com (third team) and Sports Illustrated (second team), while ESPN.com ranked him the No. 3 player in college basketball.
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.
Valentine In The Record Books
Denzel Valentine has played in 125 career games, needing to play in 21 more to hold sole position of the top spot in Spartan history. Valentine ranks ninth in MSU career assists (483), needing 93 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 197 made 3-pointers and sixth with 506 3-point attempts. He needs five eight more made 3-pointers to tie Travis Trice and Maurice Ager for fifth all-time at MSU, and six more attempts to tie Trice for fifth-most attempts.
Valentine's Big Week(s)
Following a week in which he averaged 18.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 11.5 assists in wins over No. 4 Kansas and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, including posting a triple-double vs. Kansas, Denzel Valentine was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 23. It marked the first weekly honor of his career. Valentine was also named National Player of the Week by ESPN.com, CBS Sports and NBC Sports. He followed by averaging 22.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists in four games, earning Big Ten Player of the Week and NBC Sports National Player of the Week honors for the second-straight week on Nov. 30.
Wooden Legacy Recap
Michigan State captured the 2015 Wooden Legacy championship with three double-digit victories. Denzel Valentine was named Most Outstanding Player after averaging 26.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists, while also setting an event mark with 15 3-pointers in three games (.536). He recorded his second-career triple-double vs. Boston College, and scored a career-high 32 points vs. Boise State. Deyonta Davis averaged 11.3 points, shooting .850 from the field. Tum Tum Nairn Jr. averaged 7.7 points, including a career-high 13 points vs. Boston College, and totaled 18 assists and just two turnovers in two games. MSU recorded an assist on 69 of 88 baskets (78.4 percent) and held a +11.0 rebounding margin. The Spartans shot 52.1 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from 3-point range.
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 28th in MSU history with 1,272 career points. He needs four points to pass Quinton Brooks (1,275 points) and 25 points to pass Matt Steigenga (1,296 points). Bryn Forbes has 1,421 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 984 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.
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).
MSU In The Polls
Michigan State is currently ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 and No. 1 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Two other Big Ten schools are ranked including Maryland (No. 4 Associated Press/No. 4 USA Today), and Purdue (No. 14/14). In addition to the conference opponents, MSU defeated Kansas (No. 2/3) in the Champions Classic, defeated Providence (No. 12/13) in the Wooden Legacy, and defeated Louisville (No. 18/18) in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
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.
Strength of Schedule
Eight of MSU's 13 non-conference contests featured 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.
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.
Breslin Upgrades on the Horizon
A major facilities upgrade â€" focused on improving the visitor experience â€" 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. 3 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 Izzo
Coach Izzo
In his 21st year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 508-199 (.719), 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 former Wisconsin coach 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, Matta ranks first at .756, followed by Ryan (.737), Knight (.734), Izzo (.719), 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.
