Spartans Look For Another Road Win At Northwestern
2/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 5, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
2001-02 Michigan State Basketball
Michigan State (13-8, 4-4)at Northwestern (12-8, 3-5)February 6, 20028:00 p.m. ESTWelsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)Evanston, Ill.
Media Coverage
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - George Blaha (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM (1240 AM/97.5 FM)
TV: ESPN Plus Local - Wayne Larrivee (Play by Play), Shon Morris (Color)
Michigan State Game Notes
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NOTE OF THE GAME
Six Of Nine On The Road - The Northwestern game will mark MSU's sixth road game in its first nine Big Ten contests, making the Spartans the only team to play six of its first nine on the road. In fact, Wisconsin is the only other team in the league to play six of its first 10 games on the road.
FOUR NOTES NO MEDIA PERSON SHOULD BE WITHOUT
Finding Success Away From Breslin - Although the Spartans finished the non-conference season with a 0-4 record away from East Lansing, they are finding some road success in Big Ten play. MSU is 2-3 on the road in the Big Ten, making the Spartans one of just three conference teams with more than one road victory, joining Ohio State (two road wins) and Indiana (three). Of MSU's three road losses, two were by four points or less with the Spartans holding a lead with under two minutes to play in both of those contests.
Quality Wins Starting To Pile Up - Michigan State's 13-8 record includes some very impressive victories. The Spartans defeated Oklahoma, 67-55, on Nov. 14. The Sooners are now 17-3 and ranked No. 4. MSU then defeated Arizona, 74-60, on Dec. 15. Arizona was ranked No. 6 at the time and is now ranked No. 13. Most recently, MSU recorded a 67-61 Big Ten road victory at No. 12 Illinois. The Illini had been ranked as high as No. 2 this season and currently stand at No. 14.
Straight Shooters - This year's Spartan squad may be the best group of shooters that Tom Izzo has coached. Over the past six games, MSU is shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from three-point range. The Spartans have shot over 50 percent in two of their last three games, including 52.1 percent vs. Michigan and 53.1 percent vs. Iowa.
Spartan Offense Benefits From Ballinger - Adam Ballinger has started 15 games this season. When he starts, Ballinger averages 10.9 points and a team-best 7.2 rebounds. As a whole, the Spartan offense benefits from his presence, averaging 73.3 points and recording a 11-4 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.
Coach Izzo - In his seventh year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 161-61 (.725), 76-32 (.704) 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.
NORTHWESTERN NOTES
Spartans Vs. Wildcats - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Northwestern, 65-35. The Wildcats, however, own a 28-25 advantage in Evanston. The Spartans have won the last seven games in the series, including three in a row at Northwestern. MSU has dominated the series since the late 1980's, winning 27 of the last 28 games. NU's last win in the series was a 70-58 win on Jan. 19, 1997.
Coach Carmody - Bill Carmody (Union College, '75) is 23-27 in his second season at Northwestern. Overall, he is 115-52 in his sixth season as a collegiate head coach. Prior to his arrival at Northwestern, Carmody spent four seasons as the head coach at Princeton.
MSU-Northwestern Connections - Michigan State associate head coach Brian Gregory was an assistant at Northwestern for two seasons from 1997-99, before joining the Spartan staff.
Carmody Vs. Izzo - Tom Izzo holds a 2-0 record vs. Bill Carmody. In the only meeting between MSU and NU last season, the Spartans took a 74-58 victory. Izzo also led his Spartans against Carmody's Princeton Tigers in the second round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, winning 63-56.
Wildcat Notes - Northwestern enters Wednesday's game with a 12-8 record, 3-5 in the Big Ten. NU's 12 wins already surpass last year's season total of 11. The Wildcats are also playing very well lately, winning four of their last six games. Their only two losses during that stretch are a two-point defeat at Purdue and a one-point loss at Ohio State last Saturday.
MSU BASKETBALL NOTES
Rare Company For Spartan Freshmen - Spartan freshman Chris Hill is currently averaging 11.5 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 63 rejections. With five blocks he will tie Mike Peplowski (68) for seventh, while six 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).
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 86.3 (43.2%) minutes are played by freshmen. Kelvin Torbert's 26.1 minutes are the fourth most by any freshman in the league. Chris Hill's 25.7 minutes rank fifth in the league, while Alan Anderson's 24.1 minutes are seventh. By comparison, Arizona is the only team in The Associated Press Top 25 to get more minutes from its freshmen.
Halfway To 1,000 - With 526 career points, Taylor is the only current Spartan with over 500 career points. Aloysius Anagonye is the closest with 436 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.
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 eight losses, the Spartans are averaging 17.1 turnovers, compared to just 14.6 in the team's 13 wins. For the season, MSU is averaging 15.6 turnovers per contest. The Spartans rank 11th in the Big Ten with a turnover margin of -3.76.
Looking For Ways To Win - With such a young team, Michigan State is still learning how to win. This season, the Spartans are 1-5 in games decided by five or fewer points. Last year, MSU was 2-2 in games decided by five points or less.
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.
Wolfe Out For Season - Michigan State suffered a loss last week 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 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 during the season. Adam Ballinger, MSU's leading rebounder and one of its top scorers, missed four games with a severely sprained right ankle. MSU was 1-3 in Ballinger's absence. Marcus Taylor missed the loss to Minnesota with back spasms. Adam Wolfe missed the UNC Asheville game with a sprained ankle and against Penn State suffered a hamstring injury that will force him to miss the rest of the season.
A Tough Schedule - The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll released on Feb. 3 includes eight of MSU's 2001-02 opponents, including three in the top 10. The teams are No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 7 Florida, No. 8 Virginia, No. 13 Arizona, No. 14 Illinois, No. 17 Syracuse, No. 20 Stanford and No. 22 Ohio State.
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 (1/5), including hitting on 6-of-10 three-pointers. Against Purdue (1/16), Kelvin Torbert scored a career-best 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Hill averages 12.3 points per game in Big Ten game, compared to 11.1 in non-conference action.
Super Soph - Marcus Taylor is off to a great start in his sophomore campaign. He leads the Big Ten with 5.3 assists per game, while his 15.3 points per game lead the Spartans and rank sixth in the conference. In Taylor's 20 games, he has led the team in scoring 12 times and assists in 18 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 16 games, Taylor is averaging 16.0 points and 5.3 assists.
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 37.9 percent from the field, ranking 15th in the nation. (NCAA Stats as of 1/28/02.) In Big Ten games, however, the Spartans also lead in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot 41.7 percent from the field.
Hill Approaches Freshmen Records - Through the first 21 games of the season, freshman Chris Hill is 47-of-101 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 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.
The 35 Percent Barrier - Michigan State has held nine of 20 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 +9.2 margin to lead the Big Ten for a fifth-straight year and rank sixth in the nation. (NCAA Stats as of 1/28/02.)
Outrebounding MSU Is A Rarity - Michigan State has outrebounded its opponent in 17 of 21 games this season, with Florida, Stanford and Purdue 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 121 of 132 (91.7 percent) teams. In Tom Izzo's tenure as head coach, the Spartans have won the battle of the boards in 191 of 222 (86.0 percent) games.
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. In just 17 games, Adam Ballinger's 172 points are more than double 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 303 points this year.
Money From The Charity Stripe - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in free throw percentage, shooting 77.7 percent from the line. This total ranks seventh in the nation. (NCAA Stats as of 1/28/02.)
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 21 games, the trio of Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert have combined to average 27.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists. The three have started a combined 41 games and are averaging a combined 75.9 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 (16 games), Charlie Bell (30 games), Mateen Cleaves (24 games), Doug Davis (1 game), A.J. Granger (7 games), Chris Hill (6 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 (19 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.
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 17 depending on television decisions regarding one late-season Big Ten contests. In total, MSU will have 24 regular-season contests televised.
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.
One Breslin Streak Still Stands - Although the homecourt winning streak was snapped this season, the Breslin Center has been sold out for 62 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 21 games, the Spartan bench is outscoring the opponent's subs, 390 (18.6 ppg)-314 (15.0 ppg).
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.
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.
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, 56-14, 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.
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 Keep Reloading - Michigan State signed four players to National Letters of Intent in the early signing period. 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.
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 Feb. 3.)
Charlie Bell (Dallas): 7 GP, 6.3 mpg, 1.1 ppg, 0.7 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): 29 GP, 6.1 mpg, 3.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 45 GP, 29.6 mpg, 11.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.8 apg Steve Smith (San Antonio): 46 GP, 30.4 mpg, 12.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.9 apg Eric Snow (Philadelphia): 25 GP, 34.2 mpg, 9.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 6.1 apg Kevin Willis (Houston): 41 GP, 17.9 mpg, 6.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg
