Post-Game Notes: Purdue
3/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Michigan State B1G Tournament Championship Post-Game Notes vs. Purdue (March 13)
• Michigan State improves to 27-14 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament, including 16-7 when the tournament is held in Indianapolis, winning their third Big Ten Tournament title in the last five years, alternating every-other year, winning the even years, which have all three come in Indianapolis. The Spartans were appearing in their third-straight championship game and fourth in the last five seasons.
• Michigan State becomes the first Big Ten school to win five tournament titles.
• Senior guard Denzel Valentine was named the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player after averaging 17.3 points, 9.0 assists and 8.7 rebounds in MSU's three Big Ten Tournament games.
• Michigan State improved to 93-35 (.727) in March since the 1998-99 season. Saturday was head coach Tom Izzo's 100th career win in March and is now 100-42 (.740) in March. Over the last seven-plus years (2009-present), MSU is 47-15 (.758) in what Coach Izzo calls his favorite month of the year.
• The Spartans drained eight 3-pointers on Sunday, giving MSU 310 for the season and setting a new program record for 3-pointers in a season, topping the previous record of 307 set by the 2013-14 Spartans. It is just the second time that MSU has made 300 or more treys.
• MSU's eight 3-pointers was the fourth-straight game with eight triples and the Spartans have made eight or more 3-pointers in 24 of 34 games this season.
• Michigan State's senior class is now tied for the second-winningest class in school history with 112 wins, tying the 2002 and last year's 2015 class with 112 victories. The 2001 senior class ranks first with 115 wins.
• Michigan State has won eight of the last nine meetings with Purdue as part of 24 of the last 35 games in the series, trimming Purdue's series history lead to 66-53.
• MSU is now 4-0 against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament but Sunday was the first meeting between the Spartans and Boilermakers in the championship game.
• Sunday's win avenged MSU's 82-81 OT loss at Purdue on Feb. 9.
• Michigan State entered Sunday ranking second in the NCAA in scoring margin at +16.2 and of the Spartans' 29 wins this season, Sunday was the second in a row as part of just the eighth of the season 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 sixth game this season decided by less than five points and the Spartans are now 3-3 in those contests, with the three losses all by one point.
• The Spartans led 36-26 at halftime on Sunday and are now 26-0 this season when leading at halftime.
• With its 41-31 rebounding advantage Saturday, the Spartans have out-rebounded 31 of 34 opponents this season. In the Tom Izzo era, MSU has out-rebounded 563 of 728 opponents (.773), posting a 448-115 (.796) mark in those games.
• Sunday's +10 rebounding advantage was MSU's fifth double-digit rebounding outing in its last six games as part of 20 games this season.
• The Spartans entered Sunday leading the nation in assists per game and with their 15 helpers on Sunday, MSU has dished out at least 15 assists is 32 of the 34 games this season.
• Sunday was the first time that Purdue has lost when making 17 or more free throws.
• MSU is now 6-1 on Sundays this season in addition to 7-3 all-time on March 13 including 3-1 in the Big Ten Tournament.
• A total of 12 different Spartans saw action on Sunday and 11 of the 12 made at least one field goal including all five starters scoring six or more points, paced by senior guard Denzel Valentine with 15 points.
• Senior guard Denzel Valentine logged his second-straight double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday, again just missing a triple-double by adding nine assists. It was Valentine's 11th double-double this season and 18th of his career, and the Spartans are now 10-1 this season and 15-3 in his career when he registers a double-double.
• With his 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists on Sunday, Valentine is now averaging 19.4 points, 7.6 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.
• Valentine led MSU in scoring for the 18th game this season and 33rd of his career and MSU is now 15-3 this season and 24-9 in his career when leading the Spartans in scoring.
• Senior forward Matt Costello had four blocks on Sunday, breaking the new MSU single-season blocks record, now with 145, passing a pair of former teammates in breaking a tie for second with Adreian Payne's 141 from 2010-14 and Branden Dawson's school-record 142 rejections from 2011-15.
• Senior forward Colby Wollenman (four points, five rebounds and one assist) and junior guard Alvin Ellis III (five points, four rebounds and one assist) were big sparks off the bench for MSU, helping the Spartan reserves to a 21-14 bench scoring advantage over their Boilermakers counterparts, as MSU's bench has out-scored the opposition in five of the last six games.
