Men's Basketball Faces Howard In Coca-Cola Classic
12/3/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 3, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Coca-Cola Spartan Classic vs Howard (0-2)Dec. 3, 1999 - 6:00 p.m. - East Lansing, Mich.
Note Of The Night
Have A Coke And A Smile - The 18th edition of the Coca-Cola Spartan Classic will be held this Friday and Saturday (Dec. 3 & 4) in the Breslin Center as Michigan State plays host to Eastern Michigan, Howard and Loyola. Since its inception in 1980, the Spartan Classic has been sponsored by Cutlass (1980-86), Oldsmobile (1989-96) and Coca-Cola (1997-Present). There was no tournament in 1987 or ?88. MSU has won 13 of the previous 17 championships, including three in a row. (See pages 212-213 in MSU media guide.)
Three More Notes No Media Person Should Be Without
1. Nothing Could Be Finer Than Beating Carolina - In front of a national-television audience, the Spartans made a statement by defeating North Carolina, 86-76. In doing so, MSU put a halt to a couple of Tar Heel streaks.
* The last time Carolina lost a home opener was a 28-25 setback to South Carolina in 1928-29.
* The Spartans also halted UNC?s 55-game non-conference home winning streak, which was the second longest streak of its kind in the country. In fact, the loss marked only the third non-conference loss for North Carolina in the Smith Center and the first since 1989.
2. Not Just A Hockey School - This week marks the first time in Michigan State history that the football, men?s basketball and hockey teams have all been ranked in the top 10 at the same time. Spartan football is currently ranked 10th and hockey is number five.
3. MSU vs. Classic Field - Michigan State enters the weekend with the following all-time records against participants in the Coca-Cola Spartan Classic: first meeting with Howard, 25-3 vs. Eastern Michigan and 6-2 vs. Loyola.
Probable StartersMichigan State (4-1) Ppg. Rpg. Apg. F - #42 Morris Peterson (Sr., 6-7, 215) 20.6 5.2 1.4 F - #43 A.J. Granger (Sr., 6-9, 230) 7.0 3.6 2.6F - #34 Andre Hutson (Jr., 6-8, 240) 11.8 7.4 1.8G - #12 Charlie Bell (Jr., 6-3, 195) 11.6 4.2 3.6G - #11 David Thomas (Jr., 6-7, 205) 3.0 2.8 3.8
Howard (0-2) Ppg. Rpg. Apg.F - #44 Bryen Alvin (Jr., 6-6, 240) 7.0 7.5 1.0C - #45 Nick Dodson (Fr, 6-9, 200) 1.0 2.0 1.0G - #22 Ron Williamson (Fr., 6-1, 180) 7.0 1.5 2.0G - #14 Antonio Mitchell (Sr., 6-0, 180)13.0 2.5 1.5G - #12 Jonathan Stokes (Fr., 6-2, 170) 13.0 3.0 2.5
Coach Izzo - In his fifth year, Tom Izzo is 92-42 (.687) as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. Izzo has collected national coach of the year honors in each of the past two seasons while guiding the Spartans to a two-year mark of 55-13, 28-4 in the Big Ten over the 97-98 and 98-99 seasons. In 1999, Izzo was named national coach of the year by Basketball Times, while earning similar honors from Associated Press, Basketball News and the USBWA in ?98.
Much To Young To Feel This Old - Although just in his fifth year, Tom Izzo is currently tied for the third-longest coaching tenure in the Big Ten, trailing only Indiana?s Bob Knight (entering his 29th season) and Purdue?s Gene Keady (20th). Penn State?s Jerry Dunn and Wisconsin?s Dick Bennett are also in their fifth year.
Getting Defensive - While the offense attracts a lot of attention, the secret to MSU?s success lies on the defensive end of the floor. Through five games, Spartan opponents are averaging 60.8 ppg with a field-goal percentage of 40.6 (34.4% from three-point range). Long Road Ahead - The Spartans returned to the Breslin Center at 3 a.m. Thursday morning after beating North Carolina. They are in the midst of a stretch where they will play nine games in the 20 days between Nov. 22 and Dec. 11. Additionally, six of the remaining 11 days will be used traveling. And when the Spartans finally get a break, it?s finals week. Round trip distances to game locations include: 4,000 to Puerto Rico, 1,000 to North Carolina, 350 to Chicago and 3,200 to Arizona.
Block Party - Junior forward Andre Hutson currently ranks 11th on MSU?s career blocked shots list with 46 rejections. In 1998-99, Hutson shared the team lead of 22 blocks with Morris Peterson. If Hutson continues on his current pace, he will threaten Matt Steigenga?s record of 97 rejections.
Mo Pete On The Charts - Morris Peterson?s career-high 31 points against North Carolina gave him 1,034 for his career and moved him past Kevin Smith (1,028) into 27th place on the career scoring chart. With 20 points, Peterson will tie Marcus Sanders for 26th place. Peterson topped the 1,000 point mark with 14 against Texas (11/27). (See page 4 of the MSU Basketball Notes for a complete list.)
Where?s Mo? - Senior co-captain and All-American Mateen Cleaves underwent surgery on October 25 to repair a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Cleaves is expected to miss 8-10 weeks. A 10-week recovery period would have Cleaves back with the Spartans on Jan. 3, in time for the Jan. 5, Big Ten opener against Penn State.
Battle Of The Benches - Much of Michigan State?s success can be attributed to its outstanding bench production. Through five games, Spartan reserves are outscoring their counterparts by a 109-40 margin.
In Good Hands - With Mateen Cleaves expected to miss the first few weeks of the regular season, a majority of the point guard responsibilities have fallen on the shoulders of junior David Thomas. This includes limiting turnovers. Over the past three seasons MSU has a 36-5 record when turning the ball over fewer times than its opponent.
Big Ten Favorites - The Big Ten Conference preseason picks were announced on Sunday, Oct. 31 at the Big Ten Basketball Media Day in Chicago. Michigan State will enter the upcoming season with a target on its back, having been selected by both the conference coaches and media as the favorite to win the school?s third-consecutive Big Ten Title. The Spartans received seven of 11 first-place votes from the coaches and 79 of 93 from the media. Ohio State and Illinois are second and third, respectively in both polls.
A.J.?s Guarantee - He?s not arrogant, but forward A.J. Granger has his own way of ensuring a Spartan victory: scoring in double figures. He has reached the 10-point mark on 10 occasions, with the Spartans winning every game. In the most recent example, Granger scored 11 points in MSU?s 86-76 victory over North Carolina.
Drive For Three, Part One - If the Spartans live up to the preseason expectations, they will capture their third-consecutive conference crown for the first time in school history. Only six schools in Big Ten history have won three consecutive regular season championships (Chicago 1907-10, Wisconsin 1912-14, Purdue 1934-36 & 1994-96, Ohio State 1960-64, Michigan 1964-66, Indiana 1973-76).
Role Reversal - The Big Ten Preseason Players of the Year were also announced at Big Ten Basketball Media Day. Two-time Big Ten Player of the Year Mateen Cleaves was selected by the media as their preseason choice for Player of the Year. Ohio State point guard Scoonie Penn was awarded similar accolades from the conference coaches. Ironically, Cleaves was awarded Player of the Year honors by the coaches last year, while Penn was the media?s selection.
Drive For Three, Part Two - Should Mateen Cleaves garner his third-consecutive player of the year honors, he will become only the second player in Big Ten history to earn player of the year honors three years in a row. Since the Big Ten Chicago Tribune Most Valuable Player Award was first given out in 1946, only Ohio State?s Jerry Lucas (1960-62) has taken home the hardware three straight years. In fact, Cleaves is only the seventh player to win the award twice.
Mo Pete, Mo Accolades - In 1998-99 Morris Peterson earned first-team All-Big Ten honors despite starting only four games all season. Although no official records are kept, he is believed to be the first player in a major conference to accomplish such a feat. As he now enters his senior campaign, the expectations are higher for the Spartan co-captain as he has been named Preseason All-Big Ten by both the conference?s coaches and media.
No Slivers Here - Last year, eight Spartans averaged over fifteen minutes per game with only Mateen Cleaves seeing more than 30 minutes of action. Through five games this season, nine players are averaging 12 minutes or more.
The Breslin Advantage - With the season-opening victory over Toledo, MSU has won 15 consecutive games in the Breslin Center. Under Coach Izzo, the Spartans have amassed a 50-12 home record. Since the facility opened in 1989, MSU has posted a record of 125-27 (.822) (56-7 vs. non-conference opponents and 68-20 vs. conference foes).
Share The Wealth - Last season, five Spartans averaged at least 7.8 points per game, led by Morris Peterson?s 13.6 average. In fact, seven different players (Mateen Cleaves, A.J. Granger, Andre Hutson, Thomas Kelley, Jason Klein, Morris Peterson and Antonio Smith) led the team in scoring at least once during the season. So far this season, there is not as much balance. Morris Peterson has been the leading scorer in four games with Andre Hutson taking top honors against Texas.
It?s All About Boardwork - North Carolina?s roster featured three players 6-10 or taller, while MSU only has one such player and he has a stress fracture in his foot (Jason Andreas). Still, MSU dominated the boards by 43-28 margin against the Tar Heels. Through five games, MSU has outrebounded its opponents by a 190-140 margin. In Tom Izzo?s tenure, MSU has outrebounded 108 of 134 opponents, posting an 82-26 record in those games.
AP All-Americans - Mateen Cleaves was recently named to the Associated Press preseason All-America team. Cleaves, a repeat preseason All-America selection, is the only returning member from last year?s postseason All-America team. He is joined on the preseason squad by Auburn?s Chris Porter, DePaul?s Quentin Richardson, Ohio State?s Scoonie Penn and Maryland?s Terence Morris.
Seventeen players were listed on the All-America ballots. Among those receiving votes was senior forward Morris Peterson. Michigan State was one of only three teams to have two players recognized (Ohio State and Cincinnati).
Spartans On TV ? Michigan State will appear on television 25 times during the regular season. At least 16 of the 25 games will be nationally televised, with nine on ESPN, four on CBS and three on ESPN2.
Wizards Of Westwood - Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson are among the Top-50 candidates for the John Wooden Award. On Dec. 30, 1999, the list will be trimmed to Mid-Season Top 30 candidates.
Future Spartans - Michigan State announced the signing of two members of the class of 2004 on November 10. Marcus Taylor (G, 6-3, 190, Lansing, Mich./Everett) is ranked as the number three player overall and number one point guard by Bob Gibbons. Zach Randolph (F, 6-9, 260, Marion, Ind./Marion) is the fifth-ranked senior in the nation according to Gibbons.
Izzo On The Radio - The Tom Izzo Show can be heard Monday nights from 7-8 p.m. The show is broadcast from Trippers (354 Frandor) in Lansing and is broadcast by the Spartan Radio Network. Locally, the Tom Izzo Show can be heard on flagship WJIM (AM 1240).