Post Game Notes: Maryland
3/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 12, 2016
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Michigan State B1G Tournament Semifinal Post-Game Notes vs. Maryland (March 12)
- Michigan State improves to 26-14 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament, including 15-7 when the tournament is held in Indianapolis.
- The Spartans have won four of their last five Big Ten Tournament semifinal games as part of advancing to the finals for the sixth time overall, now with a 6-7 record in the semifinals.
- MSU beat Maryland in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament for the second-straight season, after last year's rally from a 16-point first-half deficit to claim a 62-58 victory. The two teams met just once during the regular season with MSU beating Maryland, 74-65, on Jan. 23 in East Lansing.
- The Spartans now lead the all-time series with the Terrapins, 6-4, winning the last three meetings. MSU is now 4-2 against Maryland on a neutral court, including 4-0 in the postseason.
- Michigan State improved to 92-35 (.724) in March since the 1998-99 season. For his career, Tom Izzo is 99-42 (.702) in March. Over the last seven-plus years (2009-present), MSU is 46-15 (.754) in what Coach Izzo calls his favorite month of the year.
- With eight 3-pointers Saturday, Michigan State has now made 302 3-pointers this season, topping 300 treys for just the second time in program history and standing just five shy of matching the school record of 307 set by the 2013-14 Spartans.
- Saturday's 64 points were MSU's lowest-scoring outing since a 58-52 win over Florida on Dec. 12.
- Michigan State entered Saturday ranking second in the NCAA in scoring margin at +17.2 and of the Spartans' 28 wins this season, Saturday was just the seventh that was by single digits. MSU has won 14 games by 20 or more points, including eight games by 30 points or more.
- Overall it was MSU's fifth game this season decided by less than five points and the Spartans are now 2-3 in those contests, with the three losses all by one point.
- With its 38-31 rebounding advantage Saturday, the Spartans have out-rebounded 30 of 33 opponents this season. In the Tom Izzo era, MSU has out-rebounded 562 of 727 opponents (.773), posting a 447-115 (.795) mark in those games.
- A total of 10 different Spartans saw action and all 10 scored, including five players scoring six or more points, paced by senior guard Denzel Valentine with 18 points and senior forward Matt Costello's 10 points.
- Valentine led MSU in scoring for the 17th game this season and 32nd of his career and MSU is now 14-3 this season and 23-9 in his career when leading the Spartans in scoring.
- Valentine notched his 10th double-double of the season and 17th of his career with 18 points and 10 assists Saturday, dishing out nine helpers in the first half alone. MSU is now 9-1 this season and 14-3 in his career when Valentine registers a double-double. Valentine's 10 assists match the second-best total by a Spartan in Big Ten Tournament history.
- MSU shot a season-best .933 (14-of-15) from the foul line, marking the second-best effort by a Spartan squad in the NCAA Tournament, and the best effort with 10 or more attempts.
- With his 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds on Saturday, Valentine is now averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.6 assists, Valentine remains on pace to become the first player to average 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for a season since the NCAA first recognized the assist as an official stat in 1983-84.
- Freshman forward Deyonta Davis had two blocks in the game, including a key swat with 29 seconds left to preserve MSU's 60-59 lead. The Spartan freshman has added to his school record for single-season blocks by a freshman, now with 63, more than doubling Delvon Roe's previous MSU freshman record of 29 blocks in 2009. Davis' 63 blocks are second in MSU single-season history and just nine behind Ken Johnson's 72 blocks in the 1984-85 season.
- Senior forward Matt Costello posted 10 points for the second game in a row and logged double-figures for the sixth-straight game as part of 19 games this season.
- Junior guard Alvin Ellis III tied his career-high with two 3-pointers, matching his career-best for the fourth time, including the second this season, and first game this season with two triples since vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore on Dec. 9.
- Ellis' six points off the bench helped the Spartan reserves to an 18-5 bench scoring advantage over their Terrapin counterparts, as MSU's bench has out-scored the opposition in four of the last five games.
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