Men's Basketball Opens Exhibition Play Against Grand Valley State
11/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#10/#13 Michigan Statevs. Grand Valley State
Nov. 10, 20047 p.m.East Lansing, Mich.
Michigan State Game Notes
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Time For Exhibition Games - This week will see the Spartans play two exhibition games, beginning with Grand Valley State on Nov. 10 and concluding with Northern Michigan on Nov. 14.
On The Radio - Both of Michigan State's exhibition contests will be broadcast locally by the Spartan Sports Network on WJIM-AM(1240) and WJIM-FM (97.5). Other selected affiliates may also carry the game.
Scouting The Lakers - Grand Valley State opens its first season under head coach Ric Wesley. Last season, GVSU posted a 14-13 record, including 6-12 in the GLIAC. The Lakers return eight of their top nine scorers, including four players who averaged in double figures, led by senior forward Marcus Wallace's 16.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. Grand Valley State opens its regular season on Nov. 15 at Lock Haven.
Spartans Picked Second In Big Ten Poll - In a vote of the league's media, the Michigan State men's basketball team was picked to finish second in the Big Ten. 2003-04 Big Ten Champion Illinois was selected as the preseason favorite. Wisconsin was picked to finish third.
Davis Earns Preseason Honor - Junior center Paul Davis was selected to the Big Ten preseason all-conference team. As a sophomore, Davis averaged 15.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 56.8 percent from the floor. Last year, he was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and an Associated Press honorable mention All-American. This season, he has been named a John R. Wooden Award Preseason All-American and a preseason candidate for the Naismith Award.
Chris Hill On The Court - Chris Hill enters his senior season with a chance to finish his career among the most productive players in MSU history. With 1,249 career points, Hill ranks 18th on the all-time scoring list, needing just 292 points to move into the top 10. With 311 career assists he stands just three assists out of 10th place and 60 away from the top seven. With 245 career 3-point field goals, he needs 86 to become the career leader at MSU and 87 to become the Big Ten's all-time leader. Over the last two seasons, he has averaged 89.5 3-pointers.
Chris Hill Off The Court - Chris Hill has been named the 2004 Playboy Magazine Anson Mount Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In recognition of this honor, Michigan State University will receive a $5,000 check for its general scholarship fund in Hill's name. Now in its 17th year, the purpose of the award is to call attention to the importance of scholarship combined with excellence in collegiate athletics and to honor an individual who personifies the best qualities of both. (See page 2 for a complete list of winners.) In 2003-04, Hill earned first-team Academic All-America honors, becoming the first Spartan to accomplish that feat since Greg Kelser in 1979.
Torbert Hits The Mark - Kelvin Torbert was the only player in the Big Ten last season to rank in the top 10 in field-goal percentage (8th, .534), 3-point field-goal percentage (1st, .484) and free-throw percentage (6th, .800). His .588 3-point percentage in conference games is the second highest mark in conference history.
Returning Talent - Michigan State's returning players have 312 career starts (most in the Big Ten) and 601 career appearances (second most in the Big Ten). The trio of Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert has 235 career starts, making them the most experienced trio in the Big Ten.
Returning Talent, Part II - Michigan State returns 93.7 percent of its scoring, 85.6 percent of its rebounding and 88.3 percent of its minutes from last season.
Spartans On The Attack - Michigan State returns its top six scorers from a 2003-04 squad that became the first team ever to lead the Big Ten in league games in field-goal percentage (.522), 3-point field-goal percentage (.434), free-throw percentage (.777) and scoring offense (71.3 ppg) (conference games only). Additionally, the Spartans were the only team to rank in the top 10 nationally in field-goal percentage (5th, .492), free-throw percentage (4th, .771) and 3-point field-goal percentage (8th, .401).
Playing The Best - Since 1998-99, Michigan State has played a nation's best 26 regular-season games against ranked non-conference opponents.
Coming Up On 100 - Michigan State enters the season with 97 regular-season sellouts at the Breslin Center, where the Spartans have won 85 of their last 91 games.
Winning The Right Way - In addition to excelling on the court, the Spartans are standouts in the classroom. Fourteen Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees over the last five years, including five each in 2001 and 2003.
Another Difficult Slate - Michigan State has put together another challenging schedule in 2004-05. It includes six teams that appeared in the 2004 NCAA Tournament (Duke, Illinois, Florida A&M, Maryland, Stanford and Wisconsin) and five that appeared in the NIT (George Mason, George Washington, Iowa, Michigan and Purdue).
Spartans On TV - This season, 26 of Michigan State's 27 regular-season games will be televised, including seven on ESPN, one on ESPN2 and three on CBS. In addition, MSU could have one more game on either ESPN or ESPN2.
