Men's Basketball Travels To Penn State
1/18/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
2001-02 Michigan State BasketballMichigan State (10-7)at Penn State (5-10)January 19, 200212:17 p.m. ESTBryce Jordan Center (15,261)University Park, Pa.
Media Coverage
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM (1240 AM/97.5 FM)
TV: ESPN Plus Regional - Craig Coshun (Play by Play), Frank Giardina (Color). Local - WILX-10
Michigan State Game Notes
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NOTE OF THE GAME
Minutes From Freshmen - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in minutes played by freshmen. Of the 200 minutes played each game by the Spartans, a remarkable 84.7 (42.4%) minutes are played by freshmen. Wisconsin gets 75.4 minutes per contest from freshmen. Penn State is third in the league at 62.7 minutes. Kelvin Torbert's 26.2 minutes are the third most by any freshman in the league. Chris Hill's 25.2 minutes rank sixth in the league, while Alan Anderson's 23.7 minutes are seventh.
FOUR NOTES NO MEDIA PERSON SHOULD BE WITHOUT
Same Jerseys, Different Players - The last time Michigan State and Penn State met on the hardwood, the Nittany Lions took a 65-63 victory in the quarterfinals of the 2001 Big Ten Tournament. Today's game, however, will be significantly different as MSU returns two points from the game, while PSU returns nine. For the Spartans, Aloysius Anagonye and Marcus Taylor each hit one free throw in the game, while Penn State's Tyler Smith and Jamaal Tate scored six and three points, respectively.
Looking For A Road Win - Michigan State is still looking for its first win this season away from the Breslin Center. The Spartans are 0-6 when playing on an opponent's court or a neutral floor, including an 0-2 road mark in Big Ten play.
Defensive Stoppers - After starting the season playing good team defense, the Spartans have struggled some in Big Ten play. MSU leads the Big Ten in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 37.7 percent from the field, ranking 14th in the nation. (NCAA Stats as of 1/14/02.) In Big Ten games, however, the Spartans rank seventh in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot 44.3 percent from the field.
Freshmen Big In Big Ten - Each of Michigan State's three true freshmen has had one of their best games of the season in Big Ten action. Alan Anderson tallied career highs with 13 points and five assists vs. Wisconsin (1/12). Chris Hill scored a Spartan season-best 25 points vs. Minnesota, including hitting on 6-of-10 three-pointers. Against Purdue, Kelvin Torbert scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
Coach Izzo - In his seventh year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 158-60 (.725), 73-31 (.702) in the Big Ten, as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. He is the third-winningest coach in MSU history, trailing only Jud Heathcote (340) and Benjamin VanAlstyne (232) in total wins. Izzo's 148 wins in his first six years give him the fourth most by a coach in his first six seasons of coaching. In his six seasons of coaching, Izzo has won National Coach of the Year honors three times, including NABC honors in 2001. 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. With MSU's 77-71 overtime win over Indiana on Jan. 11, 2000, Izzo became just the fourth Spartan coach to reach the 100-win mark.
Carry The Torch - As the Olympic Torch makes its way to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Games, it stopped in the Lansing area on Sunday, Jan. 6. Among the privileged few selected to carry the torch was Tom Izzo who carried the flame for a two-tenths of a mile stretch on Grand River Ave in East Lansing.
PENN STATE NOTES
Spartans Vs. Nittany Lions - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Penn State by a 16-3 margin. At University Park, the Spartans hold a 5-2 advantage. In the last meeting, Penn State beat Michigan State, 65-63, in the quarterfinals of the 2001 Big Ten Tournament. Prior to that loss, MSU had won eight straight games in the series.
Coach Dunn - Jerry Dunn (George Mason, '80) is 108-89 in his seventh season at Penn State. He and Tom Izzo are tied for the second-longest coaching tenure in the Big Ten.
Nittany Lion Notes - Like Michigan State, Penn State features many different faces than in past seasons. The Nittany Lions are without four of their top five scorers from last season's Sweet Sixteen squad. PSU has struggled some this season, but does own a homecourt victory over Wisconsin in Big Ten play.
MSU BASKETBALL NOTES
Super Soph - Marcus Taylor is off to a great start in his sophomore campaign. He leads the Big Ten with 5.4 assists per game, while his 15.4 points per game lead the Spartans and rank sixth in the conference. In Taylor's 16 games, he has led the team in scoring 11 times and assists in 14 games. Taylor also raises his game a notch against top-caliber competition. He scored a career-best 21 points vs. Stanford, 19 vs. Arizona, 18 vs. Seton Hall and 17 vs. Florida. Over his last 12 games, Taylor is averaging 16.6 points and 5.4 assists.
Spartan Offense Misses Ballinger - Adam Ballinger has been out of the starting lineup for the last six games, including missing four with a sprained right ankle. Ballinger started the first 11 games, averaging 10.6 points per contest. With Ballinger in the starting lineup, the Spartans averaged 74.0 points per game. Without him, they are averaging just 65.3 points and are yet to score 70 points in a single game.
Looking For Ways To Win - With such a young team, Michigan State is still learning how to win. This season, the Spartans are 1-4 in games decided by five or fewer points this season. Last year, MSU was 2-2 in games decided by five points or less.
Hill Approaches Freshmen Records - Through the first 17 games of the season, freshman Chris Hill is 38-of-85 from three-point range. He already ranks second all-time among MSU freshmen in three-point field goals and three-point field goal attempts. Shawn Respert (1991-92) is the school freshman record holder in both categories with 60 three-pointers in 132 attempts.
Streaks Snapped - Wisconsin's win at the Breslin Center snapped MSU's 53-game homecourt winning streak. The 53-game winning streak was the nation's longest active streak and a Big Ten record. MSU also dropped out of The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since January 1998, a span of 72-consecutive weeks ranked.
Turnovers Costly - One of the reasons Michigan State has struggled lately is the amount of turnovers it has committed. Over the last four games, the Spartans have averaged 16.0 turnovers, which have turned into 80 opponent points (20.0 ppg). For the season, MSU averages 15.5 turnovers, compared to just 12.0 for its opponents. The Spartans are 11th in the Big Ten with a turnover margin of -3.53.
The 35 Percent Barrier - Michigan State has held eight of 17 opponents this season to less than 35 percent field-goal shooting. MSU is 8-0 when holding its opponent below 35 percent from the field, with all eight of those games being played at the Breslin Center.
Still Rebounding - In each of the past two seasons, MSU has led the nation in rebounding margin. The Spartans have once again made a commitment to rebounding, outrebounding their opponents this season by a +8.9 margin to lead the Big Ten for a fifth-straight year and rank 10th in the nation. (NCAA Stats as of 1/14/02.)
Outrebounding MSU Is A Rarity - Michigan State has outrebounded its opponent in 14 of 17 games this season, with Florida, Stanford and Purdue being the only teams to better MSU on the boards. In 2000-01, MSU was outrebounded only once in 33 games. In 1999-2000, the Spartans were outrebounded in just two of 39 games. In 1998-99, MSU outrebounded the opposition in 35 of 38 games. This means that in the last three-plus seasons, MSU has outrebounded 118 of 127 (92.9 percent) teams. In Tom Izzo's tenure as head coach, the Spartans have won the battle of the boards in 188 of 218 (86.2 percent) games.
Money From The Charity Stripe - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in free throw percentage, shooting 76.6 percent from the line. This total ranks sixth in the nation. (NCAA Stats as of 1/14/02.)
A Short Bench Gets Even Shorter - Entering the season, the Spartans knew the one thing they could least afford was injuries. Unfortunately, MSU has been hit with a few key injuries over the past weeks. Adam Ballinger, MSU's leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer, missed four games with a severely sprained right ankle. MSU was 1-3 in Ballinger's absence. Ballinger has played in the last two games, but is averaging just 16 minutes off the bench. Marcus Taylor missed the loss to Minnesota with back spasms. Adam Wolfe missed the UNC-Asheville game with a sprained ankle.
A Tough Schedule - The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll released on Jan. 13 includes eight of MSU's 2001-02 opponents, including five in the top 10. The teams are No. 2 Florida, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 7 Syracuse, No. 9 Virginia, No. 10 Illinois, No. 15 Iowa, No. 16 Stanford and No. 18 Arizona.
Doing So Much More Than Before - In addition to playing three true freshmen and one redshirt freshman, the Spartans are counting on other players to play a much larger role than they have in the past. Aloysius Anagonye is the only returning player to have scored more points in another season than he has this year. For example, through just 17 games, Adam Wolfe has scored nearly four times as many points this year as he did last season. In just 13 games, Adam Ballinger's 125 points surpassed his previous season high of 73 points in 1999-2000. Even Marcus Taylor, who scored 223 points in 2000-01, has a new high with 246 points this year.
MSU's Four-Straight Big Ten Championships - Michigan State has won four straight regular-season Big Ten Championships. Here is a closer look at some impressive numbers and facts about MSU's run through the Big Ten.
* MSU had a four-year Big Ten record of 54-10 from 1998 to 2001. * MSU was 31-1 at home and 23-9 on the road over the four years. * MSU led the Big Ten in rebounding margin four straight years. * MSU finished in the top three in FG% defense all four years. * MSU ranked among the top five in scoring all four seasons, including the last two seasons in the top three.
Three Freshmen In The Lineup - Spartan freshmen Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert all started the Minnesota contest. Although Coach Izzo has started many freshmen in his seven years as head coach, this marked the first time that three true freshmen started the same game.
One Heck Of A Non-Conference Schedule - In its non-conference schedule, Michigan State played six ranked opponents, posting a 2-4 record against ranked teams, including wins over now No. 5 Oklahoma and then No. 6 Arizona. In addition, MSU also played a ranked Virginia team, before the game was suspended and eventually cancelled due to unsafe playing surface conditions. At one point in the second half vs. Virginia, MSU held a nine-point lead.
Growing Up Quickly - MSU's success relies on contributions from three true freshmen. Through 17 games, the trio of Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert have combined to average 27.9 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists. The three have started a combined 30 games and are averaging a combined 75.1 minutes per contest.
Freshmen Starters Under Izzo - Throughout his seven years as head coach, Tom Izzo has shown a willingness to put a freshman in the starting lineup. Consider the following freshmen who have all started under Izzo: Aloysius Anagonye (5 games), Alan Anderson (13 games), Charlie Bell (30 games), Mateen Cleaves (24 games), Doug Davis (1 game), A.J. Granger (7 games), Chris Hill (5 games), Andre Hutson (26 games), Jason Klein (10 games), Morris Peterson (18 games), Zach Randolph (8 games), Jason Richardson (3 games), Antonio Smith (20 games), Marcus Taylor (9 games), David Thomas (3 games )and Kelvin Torbert (15 games).
A Lot Of Minutes - Seven Spartans are currently averaging more than 20 minutes per contest, with five players seeing 25 or more minutes per game. By comparison, in both the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons, just five players averaged more than 20 minutes per contest.
Movin' On Up - Upon the Spartans return from the Pete Newell Challenge, the men's basketball staff moved into their new offices in the newly constructed Berkowitz Basketball Complex. The $8-million dollar project provides Michigan State with one of the finest basketball complexes in the nation. Included in the addition are offices for the coaching staff, a large video review room, a video workroom, a conference room and an additional auxiliary gymnasium.
One Breslin Streak Still Stands - Although the homecourt winning streak was snapped this season, the Breslin Center has been sold out for 61 consecutive games.
Bench Production - It's no secret that the Spartans do not have a lot of depth, but they are getting good production off the bench. Through 17 games, the Spartan bench is outscoring the opponent's subs, 323 (19.0 ppg)-249 (14.6 ppg).
What I Did On Summer Vacation - Five Spartans plus head coach Tom Izzo spent part of their summer taking part in international basketball competition. Red-shirt sophomores Jason Andreas and Adam Wolfe were members of the Big Ten Foreign Tour team, where Wolfe led the squad in scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg). Juniors Aloysius Anagonye and Adam Ballinger played on NYC Hoops coached by St. John's coach Mike Jarvis that competed in Greece against Olympic caliber competition. Finally, both sophomore Marcus Taylor and Tom Izzo represented USA Basketball in separate competitions. Taylor was a member of the gold-medal winning USA Young Men's World Championship team, averaging 5.7 points and 2.8 assists. Izzo was an assistant coach on the USA Basketball squad that won the gold medal at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Australia. In total, the six Spartans logged a combined 70,000 miles in international travel.
Air Time - Michigan State will appear on national television networks at least 16 times during the regular season, including seven games on ESPN, four on CBS, four on ESPN2 and one on Fox Sports Net. That number could increase to 18 depending on television decisions regarding two late-season Big Ten contests. In total, MSU could have 24 regular-season contests televised.
Winning With Rebounding, Defense And Offense - Despite several new faces, the Spartans already have a blueprint for championship basketball: rebounding, defense and offense. Over the past four years that the Spartans have won the Big Ten regular-season championship, it comes as little surprise that the Spartans have led the conference in rebounding in each year and ranked among the top three in scoring defense. In addition, MSU led the Big Ten in field-goal percentage in 2000-01 and ranked second in scoring offense in all games.
Championship Similarities - The 2001-02 Spartans will have many similarities to the 1997-98 Spartans that posted a 22-8 record and won the first of MSU's four straight Big Ten Championships. Consider the starting lineup from 1997-98: G - Charlie Bell (Fr.), G - Mateen Cleaves (So.), F - Andre Hutson (Fr.), F - Jason Klein (Jr.), F - Antonio Smith (Jr.). Coming off the bench for the Spartans were DuJuan Wiley, David Thomas, A.J. Granger and Doug Davis.
Monsters On The Glass - The 2000-01 season marked the second-straight year that the Spartans led the nation in rebounding margin. The Spartans' margin of +15.4 last season tied for the fifth-greatest margin in NCAA history since the statistic was first kept in 1973 and the largest since 1980.
The Golden Arches - Michigan State is becoming the home for McDonald's All-Americans. Over the past three seasons, four McDonald's All-Americans have joined the Spartan squad, including Jason Richardson in 1999, Marcus Taylor and McDonald's All-American All-Star game MVP Zach Randolph in 2000 and Kelvin Torbert in 2001.
The Past Is Too Good To Ignore - While past success does not guarantee future championships, some stats from the past four-plus years are worth repeating, including MSU's record in Big Ten action, 54-10, in the Breslin Center, 66-4, in postseason play, 22-5, in the NCAA Tournament, 16-3.
Home To Mr. Basketball - The last three recipients of Michigan's Mr. Basketball Award, presented to the top high school player in the state, have all gone on to wear a Spartan jersey. Jason Richardson (Saginaw Arthur Hill HS) won the award in 1999, followed by Marcus Taylor (Lansing Waverly HS) in 2000 and Kelvin Torbert (Flint Northwestern HS) in 2001.
Missing Parts - Missing from Michigan State's 2001 Big Ten Champion and Final Four squad are seven lettermen who accounted for 81 percent (2,068) of the points, 75 percent (1,046) of the rebounds and 76 percent (438) of the assists.
Anybody, Anywhere, Anytime - 12 of Michigan State's opponents in the 2001-02 season earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament (Arizona, Florida, Fresno State, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Syracuse, Virginia, Wisconsin), while four more appeared in the NIT (Detroit, Minnesota, Purdue, Seton Hall). Additionally, nine schools were ranked in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll of the 2001 season (No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Arizona, No. 8 Florida, No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 16 Virginia, No. 17 Syracuse, No. 20 Indiana, No. 24 Ohio State and No. 25 Wisconsin).
Spartans In The NBA - Michigan State led the Big Ten with nine players on opening day rosters in the NBA. Listed below is an update on nine former Spartans currently on NBA rosters. (Stats current through Jan. 16.)
Charlie Bell (Dallas): 5 GP, 8.4 mpg, 1.6 ppg, 0.8 rpg Mateen Cleaves (Sacramento): 17 GP, 3.9 mpg, 1.8 ppg, 0.7 apg Jamie Feick (New Jersey): 0 GP, currently on injured list Morris Peterson (Toronto): 31 GP, 30.2 mpg, 12.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.3 apg currently on injured list Zach Randolph (Portland): 27 GP, 6.0 mpg, 2.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 37 GP, 28.1 mpg, 10.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.6 apg Steve Smith (San Antonio): 36 GP, 29.4 mpg, 12.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.9 apg Eric Snow (Philadelphia): 16 GP, 34.2 mpg, 9.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5.9 apg Kevin Willis (Houston): 34 GP, 19.6 mpg, 7.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg
Spartans Keep Reloading - Michigan State signed four players to National Letters of Intent in the early signing period.
Maurice Ager (G, 6-4, 175, Detroit/Crockett High School) averaged 23 points, six rebounds and three assists as a junior, leading Crockett High School to a 23-3 record and a state championship in Class B. An all-state honoree, he is ranked as the No. 16 player in the nation by ESPN.com. Ager is also's Coach Izzo's first recruit from the Detroit Public School League.
Paul Davis (F, 6-10, 235, Rochester, Mich./Rochester High School) averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks as a junior and is a consensus top-10 player, including being ranked No. 3 by Bob Gibbons and FoxSports.com's Frank Burlison.
Rashi Johnson (G, 6-2, 195, Chicago/King High School/Mott Community College) averaged 17 points over eight games in the 2001 NJCAA Division II Tournament, leading Mott to an appearance in the national championship game. As a junior at Chicago King High School, he helped lead his team to the Chicago city championship. He is a combo-guard with excellent toughness.
Delco Rowley (F, 6-8, 235, Indianapolis/Arlington High School) is a very athletic and strong forward who earned first-team all-city and all-sectional honors as a junior. He is a preseason first-team all-state selection and is ranked No. 71 in the nation by Bob Gibbons.
