Spartans Play Host To Minnesota
2/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Michigan State (15-10, 6-6)vs. Minnesota (14-9, 7-5)February 21, 20027:00 p.m. ESTBreslin Center (14,759)East Lansing, Mich.
Media Coverage
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - George Blaha (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM (1240 AM/97.5 FM) TV: ESPN - Dave Barnett (Play by Play), Bill Raftery (Color)
Michigan State Game Notes
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NOTE OF THE GAME
Hoping For Healthy Bodies - In the first meeting of the season between Michigan State and Minnesota (Jan. 5, 2002), the Spartans held tough but could not overcome the absence of Adam Ballinger (sprained ankle) and Marcus Taylor (back spasms) from the starting lineup. Chris Hill led four Spartans in double figures with a season-best 25 points, while Adam Wolfe posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Despite its lack of depth, the Spartans held a 67-66 lead when Hill banked in a three-pointer with just over 30 seconds remaining. Minnesota, however, immediately answered with a basket and held on for a three-point win.
FOUR NOTES NO MEDIA PERSON SHOULD BE WITHOUT
Anderson's Minnesota Connections - Freshman Alan Anderson grew up in the backyard of the Minnesota basketball program. As a senior at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis, Anderson was named the 2001 Metro Player of the Year and a Parade Magazine Fifth-Team All-American.
MSU's 1-2 Punch - Michigan State is most effective when Marcus Taylor and Adam Ballinger lead the Spartan attack. In MSU's 15 wins, Taylor averages a team-best 15.2 points, while Ballinger is second with 12.0 points per game. With Ballinger and Taylor both in the starting lineup, the Spartans are 13-5.
Marcus' Minutes - Marcus Taylor is currently averaging 33.9 minutes per game, the most by any player under Tom Izzo and the most by a Spartan since Shawn Respert averaged 34.3 minutes in 1992-93. Not counting the game at Illinois in which Taylor missed most of the second half with a concussion, he is averaging 34.6 minutes per game, the most by a Spartan since Steve Smith averaged 37.8 minutes as a senior in 1990-91.
Quality Wins Starting To Pile Up - Michigan State's 15-10 record includes some very impressive victories. The Spartans defeated Oklahoma, 67-55, on Nov. 14. The Sooners are now 20-4 and ranked No. 5. MSU then defeated Arizona, 74-60, on Dec. 15. Arizona was ranked No. 6 at the time and is now ranked No. 16. MSU recorded a 67-61 Big Ten road victory at No. 12 Illinois on Feb. 3. The Illini had been ranked as high as No. 2 this season and currently stand at No. 19. Most recently, the Spartans defeated Big Ten-leading No. 22 Ohio State, 67-64. The Buckeyes currently are ranked 18th.
Coach Izzo - In his seventh year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 163-63 (.721), 78-34 (.696) 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 made 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.
MINNESOTA NOTES
Spartans Vs. Golden Gophers - Minnesota leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 54-45. The Spartans, however, own a 29-19 advantage in games played in East Lansing. MSU has won six of the last eight games vs. Minnesota and three in a row at the Breslin Center.
Coach Monson - Dan Monson (Idaho, '85) is 96-56 in his fifth season as a collegiate head coach. Now in his third season at Minnesota, Monson is 44-39 while leading the Golden Gophers.
Gopher Tidbits - Minnesota finds itself in the upper division of the Big Ten standings with a 7-5 mark. The Golden Gophers are led by freshman Rick Rickert, whose 14.6 points per game leads all Big Ten freshmen. Minnesota owns a 2-4 record away from home in Big Ten games.
Monson's MSU Connections - Minnesota head coach Dan Monson has some connections with the MSU basketball program. His father, Don, served as a Spartan assistant under Jud Heathcote from 1976-78. Together, Dan and Don are the ninth-winningest father-son head coaching combination in NCAA Division I history with over 300 combined wins.
MSU BASKETBALL NOTES
Take Care Of The Ball - If MSU hopes to defeat Minnesota, it must take care of the ball. MSU's turnover margin of -4.12 ranks 11th in the Big Ten, while Minnesota leads the conference in steals with 7.87 per contest. In the first meeting of the year between the two teams, MSU committed 17 turnovers with Marcus Taylor sitting on the bench with back spasms. The Gophers scored 19 points off those turnovers.
MSU's Best Defense In Nearly Half A Century - Michigan State is allowing opposing teams to shoot just 38.3 percent from the floor. Not only is this the best field-goal percentage defense under Izzo, it's also the lowest total since the 1958-59 squad allowed opponents to shoot 37.9 percent from the field.
Straight Shooters - This year's Spartan squad may be the best group of shooters that Tom Izzo has coached. Over the past nine games, MSU is shooting 48.0 percent from the field. The Spartans have shot 50 percent or better in four of their last seven games, including 50.0 percent vs. Purdue, 50.0 percent vs. Ohio State, 52.1 percent vs. Michigan and 53.1 percent vs. Iowa.
Beating The Best - Michigan State has a 4-5 record against teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 at the date of the game. This includes a 3-1 record against ranked teams at the Breslin Center. The Spartans are 2-1 against ranked teams in Big Ten action.
Spartan Offense Benefits From Ballinger - Adam Ballinger has started 19 games this season. When he starts, Ballinger averages 11.5 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds. As a whole, the Spartan offense benefits from his presence, averaging 70.5 points and recording a 13-6 mark with Ballinger in the lineup. Ballinger had been out of the starting lineup for six games, including missing four with a sprained right ankle. Without him in the starting lineup, the Spartans averaged just 65.3 points and failed to score 70 points in a single game, posting a 2-4 record.
Defensive Stoppers - MSU leads the Big Ten in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 38.3 percent from the field, ranking eighth in the nation. (NCAA Stats as of 2/18/02.) In Big Ten games, the Spartans rank second in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot 41.1 percent from the field.
Injuries Take Toll On MSU's Record - With such a short bench, MSU is adversely affected by injuries to its key players. Adam Ballinger missed four games with a severely sprained ankle, during which time the Spartans posted a 1-3 record. He came off the bench in two other games, while recovering from the injury. The Spartans were 1-1 in games which Ballinger played but did not start. Marcus Taylor missed two games (Minnesota and Northwestern) with different injuries. MSU lost both games in which Taylor sat on the bench. With Adam Wolfe out for the season with a torn hamstring, the Spartans are down to seven recruited scholarship players.
Super Soph - Marcus Taylor is having a great sophomore campaign. He leads the Big Ten with 5.2 assists per game, while his 15.5 points per game lead the Spartans and rank sixth in the conference. In Taylor's 23 games, he has led the team in scoring 15 times and assists in 21 games. Over his last 19 games, Taylor is averaging 16.3 points and 5.2 assists.
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 87.8 (43.9%) minutes are played by freshmen. Chris Hill's 26.5 minutes are the fourth most by any freshman in the league. Kelvin Torbert's 26.1 minutes rank fifth in the league, while Alan Anderson's 24.6 minutes are seventh. By comparison, Arizona is the only team in The Associated Press Top 25 to get more minutes from its freshmen.
Learning How To Win - With such a young team, Michigan State is still learning how to win. This season, the Spartans are 3-6 in games decided by five or fewer points. The young Spartans, however, are showing improvement in this area. MSU's last three games have been decided by fewer than five points, with the Spartans going 2-1 in that stretch. Last year, MSU was 2-2 in games decided by five points or less.
Halfway To 1,000 - With 580 career points, Taylor is the only current Spartan with over 500 career points. Aloysius Anagonye is the closest with 458 career points. Compare this to the last two seasons when four Spartans (Charlie Bell, Mateen Cleaves, Andre Hutson and Morris Peterson) surpassed the 1,000-point mark.
Rare Company For Spartan Freshman - Spartan freshman Chris Hill is currently averaging 11.2 points per game. This puts Hill in select company as just eight previous true freshmen have averaged over 10 points per contest for the Spartans, including Mateen Cleaves, Greg Kelser, Earvin Johnson, Zach Randolph, Scott Skiles, Steve Smith, Jay Vincent and Sam Vincent.
Block Party - Junior Aloysius Anagonye ranks eighth on the MSU career blocked shots list with 65 rejections. With three blocks he will tie Mike Peplowski (68) for seventh, while four blocks will tie him for fifth with DuJuan Wiley and Quinton Brooks at 69. Anagonye's career total includes a team-best 26 blocks this year, which ties him for 10th on the single season list with Quinton Brooks (1993-94).
Turnovers Costly - One of the reasons Michigan State has struggled in some games this season is the amount of turnovers it has committed. In MSU's 10 losses, the Spartans are averaging 16.2 turnovers with a turnover margin of -6.4, compared to just 14.6 turnovers and a margin of -2.6 in the team's 15 wins. For the season, MSU is averaging 15.2 turnovers per contest. The Spartans rank 11th in the Big Ten with a turnover margin of -4.12.
MSU's Olympic Connections - There is a Spartan connection with the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City as former MSU basketball captain Lloyd Ward serves as CEO of the United States Olympic Committee. Ward was captain of the basketball team in 1970, Gus Ganakas' first season as head coach.
Wolfe Out For Season - Michigan State suffered a loss in January when the MSU Sports Medicine staff determined that a torn hamstring would keep sophomore forward Adam Wolfe out of action for the remainder of the season. Wolfe suffered the injury in the first half of the Penn State game (1/19). In 17 games this season, including seven starts, Wolfe averaged 9.4 points and 5.0 rebounds. He shot 46.7 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from three-point range and 82.9 percent from the free-throw line.
A Tough Schedule - The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll released on Feb. 17 includes nine of MSU's 2001-02 opponents. The teams are No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 8 Florida, No. 11 Stanford, No. 15 Virginia, No. 16 Arizona, No. 18 Ohio State, No. 19 Illinois, No. 23 Indiana and No. 25 Syracuse.
The Magic Lineup - With so many injuries this season, the Spartans have featured several different starting lineups, nine to be exact. There is one lineup, however, that is Izzo's lineup of choice. If everyone is healthy, Izzo has preferred the lineup of Marcus Taylor, Kelvin Torbert, Aloysius Anagonye, Alan Anderson and Adam Ballinger. That fivesome has posted an 8-0 record this season.
Breslin Success - Michigan State has won 56 of its last 58 games at the Breslin Center, including 27 of 29 against Big Ten opponents.
Hill Approaches Freshmen Records - Through the first 25 games of the season, freshman Chris Hill is 52-of-118 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.
One Breslin Streak Still Stands - Although the homecourt winning streak was snapped this season, the Breslin Center has been sold out for 64 consecutive games entering the Minnesota game.
Getting Help From Football - Aaron Alexander made his debut on the basketball court in MSU's 71-44 win against Michigan. A reserve quarterback on the football squad, Alexander (6-5, 190) joined the basketball team the last week of January. In two minutes vs. Michigan, Alexander scored two points and grabbed two rebounds. Alexander's presence is a boost to a team that has been reduced to seven recruited scholarship players with Adam Wolfe's season-ending injury.
The 35 Percent Barrier - Michigan State has held nine of 25 opponents this season to less than 35 percent field-goal shooting. MSU is 9-0 when holding its opponent below 35 percent from the field, with all nine 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 +8.6 margin to lead the Big Ten for a fifth-straight year and rank sixth in the nation. (NCAA Stats as of 2/18/02.)
Outrebounding MSU Is A Rarity - Michigan State has outrebounded its opponent in 20 of 25 games this season, with Florida, Stanford, Purdue and Illinois being the only teams to better MSU on the boards, while the Spartans tied Iowa. 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 124 of 136 (91.2 percent) teams. In Tom Izzo's tenure as head coach, the Spartans have won the battle of the boards in 194 of 226 (85.8 percent) games.
J-Rich's All-Star Weekend - Former Spartan All-American Jason Richardson had a productive Saturday at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Philadelphia. First, he was named MVP of The 'got milk?' Rookie Challenge, scoring 26 points and grabbing six rebounds to lead the NBA Rookies to a 103-97 victory over the NBA Sophomores. After resting for a few hours, Richardson won the NBA.com Slam Dunk presented by Real One. In the finals, Richardson defeated Sacramento's Gerald Wallace. Richardson was also the only contestant of the evening to record a perfect score of 50 on a single dunk.
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.
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. Every returning Spartan has scored more points this year than any previous season.
Money From The Charity Stripe - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in free throw percentage, shooting 77.6 percent from the line. This total ranks fourth in the nation. (NCAA Stats as of 2/18/02.)
Streaks Snapped - Wisconsin's win at the Breslin Center on Jan. 12 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.
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 25 games, the trio of Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert have combined to average 26.7 points, 11.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists. The three have started a combined 48 games and are averaging a combined 77.2 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 (18 games), Charlie Bell (30 games), Mateen Cleaves (24 games), Doug Davis (1 game), A.J. Granger (7 games), Chris Hill (10 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 (22 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.
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. In total, MSU will 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.
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.
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.
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.
Spartans Keep Reloading - Michigan State signed four players to National Letters of Intent in the early signing period. Additionally, Matt Trannon signed a National Letter of Intent to play football for MSU on Feb. 6. He will also play basketball for the Spartans next season. As a whole, the class ranks among the best in the nation as FoxSports.com ranks the class No. 3, while CNNSI, ESPN.com and CBS Sportsline.com rank the group the fourth best class in the nation.
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.
Matt Trannon (F, 6-7, 215, Flint/Northern High School) was named the top high school athlete in the nation by Prep Spotlight after starring in both football and basketball at Flint Northern. As a senior wide receiver, Trannon caught 32 passes for 558 yards and nine touchdowns. On the basketball floor, Trannon averaged 18.7 points and 10.2 rebounds as a junior. Trannon is ranked as the No. 18 player in the nation by ESPN.com.
