Men's Basketball Opens Season At Hawai'i
11/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
No. 4/5 Michigan State (0-0)vs. Hawai'i (0-0)
Nov. 19, 20056 p.m. ESTHonolulu, Hawai'iStan Sheriff Center (10,300)
Radio: The Michigan State-Hawaii game will be broadcast on the complete lineup of Spartan Sports Network affiliates at 8:30 p.m. following the conclusion of the Michigan State-Penn State football broadcast. The game will also be carried live on the 50,000-watt WKRK-FM (97.1) in Detroit. Additionally, fans can listen to a live radio broadcast on www.msuspartans.com free of charge.
Webcast: The game is being televised in Hawaii on WB affiliate KFVE-TV, which makes the broadcast available to fans nationwide via live webcast. Fans can purchase "iTickets" for $9.95 at www.hawaiiantelmedia.com.
The Opening Tip
Michigan State opens its 107th season of basketball on Saturday in Hawai'i. MSU is looking to extend its streak of 28 straight season-opening victories. Eleventh-year head coach Tom Izzo leads his Spartans against a Rainbow Warrior team expected to challenge for a WAC championship. MSU opens the season with four games in Hawai'i before returning to East Lansing for its home opener on Nov. 27 against IPFW.
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Starting Five (And A Sixth Man)
Spartans In Hawai'i - Michigan State has an all-time record of 10-5 in Hawai'i. The Spartans won the 1998 Pearl Harbor Classic in Laie and the 1991 Maui Invitational. MSU also participated in the 1965 (2-1) and 1981 (1-2) Rainbow Classics and the 1995 Maui Invitational (1-2).
For Openers - Michigan State is 85-21 all-time in openers, including 28 straight season-opening wins. The last loss in a season opener came on Nov. 29, 1976, when the Spartans fell to Central Michigan, 81-76. Tom Izzo has won his 10 season openers by an average of 24.4 points.
MSU In November - Michigan State has an all-time record of 61-18 in games played in the month of November.
Openers On Road - This season will mark just the 23rd time in school history that Michigan State has opened the regular season on the road. The Spartans are 12-10 all-time in season openers on the road, including a remarkable 9-2 since 1950. In fact, MSU has won its last seven season openers on the road. Tom Izzo's only season-opening road game came in his first season as head coach, defeating Chaminade, 69-66, on Nov. 20, 1995.
An Offensive Threat - By his own admission, Drew Neitzel just tried to run the offense last season as a true freshman point guard and get the ball to the other weapons on the team. He recorded an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.1-to-1, but averaged just 3.5 points per game and attempted just 3.4 shots per contest. A prolific scorer in high school, Neitzel will look to score more this season as evidenced by his play in two exhibition games where he averaged 13.0 points and 9.0 shots per contest, while maintaining a 2.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Big Ten Favorites - Michigan State was named the Big Ten preseason favorite at the league's media day on Oct. 30 in Chicago. The Spartans are followed by Illinois and Indiana in the poll. Paul Davis also earned a spot on the Preseason All-Big Ten squad.
Exhibition Game Notes
* Maurice Ager was the Spartans' leading scorer in two exhibition games, averaging nearly a point a minute (23.0 ppg in 28.0 mpg).
* Michigan State shot 53.4 percent from the field, including 57.8 percent against Lake Superior State. The Spartans shot 45.5 percent from 3-point range against the Lakers, but just 30.0 percent against Northern Michigan.
* Eleven different Spartans averaged double-figure minutes in the two games.
* The Spartans struggled with turnovers, averaging 20.5 in two games, including 26 against Northern Michigan.
MSU Basketball Notes
MSU Is A "Powerhouse Program" - ESPN named Michigan State one of the 10 "Powerhouse Programs" in college basketball. Of the 10 schools featured, only seven were division I men's programs. MSU was joined by Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, division II Kentucky Wesleyan, and the Tennessee and Connecticut women's programs. The television program featuring the list was part of ESPNU's Honor Roll series.
MSU Is No. 1 - The Sporting News has tabbed Michigan State as its preseason No. 1 team, listing the Spartans' strengths as "two elite playmaking wings; size and skill at center; toughness." The publication also lists Maurice Ager as the No. 2 shooting guard in the nation and a second-team All-American. Paul Davis is the No. 4 center and Shannon Brown is ranked the No. 9 small forward. As a unit, the Spartan backcourt is ranked second in the nation.
A High Octane Offense - Michigan State led the Big Ten and ranked 13th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 78.5 points per game. It was MSU's highest scoring-offense since the 1985-86 Spartans averaged 83.1 points. The Spartans return three of their top four scorers and a starting point guard to help key the attack.
America's Best Backcourt - Lindy's College Basketball preseason magazine ranked Michigan State's backcourt the best in the nation: "The backcourt was solid enough to get the Spartans to the Final Four last season and that should be the case again in 2006. Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager will be the `wings' and either could be defined as a `shooting guard,' if you like to see players locked into position descriptions. They're both explosive enough to jump over the top or drive past any variety of defender. Drew Neitzel was solid the last half of the season as the team's playmaker and should be much improved as a sophomore."
MSU In NCAA Stats - Michigan State finished the 2004-05 season ranked in the top 15 nationally in six statistical categories, including free-throw percentage (3rd, 77.7), scoring margin (7th, +13.1), assists per game (10th, 17.1), field-goal percentage (13th, 48.7), rebound margin (11th, +6.8) and scoring offense (13th, 78.5).
Returning Talent - Michigan State lost three 1,000-point scorers from last year's squad, yet it returns four starters from the Final Four starting lineup, including 83 percent of its scoring and 76 percent of its rebounds from the National Semifinal game against North Carolina. Paul Davis was the NCAA Tournament's leading rebounder, averaging 11.6 boards per game. Shannon Brown was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Austin Regional, scoring a career-high 24 points against Kentucky. Maurice Ager was MSU's leading scorer during the regular season (14.1 ppg) and the NCAA Tournament (18.2 ppg) and scored a career-high tying 24 points against the Tar Heels. Drew Neitzel took over the starting duties in February and increased his productivity in the NCAA Tournament, raising his scoring average from 3.3 ppg in the regular season to 5.0 ppg in the tournament.
Mr. Double-Double - Paul Davis elevated his level of play over the last two months of the season, recording a double-double in eight of the final 15 games, including the last four NCAA Tournament contests. His best effort might have come in the Sweet 16 when he out-scored (20 to 19) and out-rebounded (12 to 8) Duke's Shelden Williams. In the Final Four, against North Carolina's Sean May, Davis recorded a career-best 15 rebounds.
Another Tough Schedule - The Spartan schedule includes 10 teams that appeared in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, including six non-league opponents (Arizona, Boston College, Connecticut, Georgia Tech, Gonzaga and Kansas) and four league foes (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin).
Izzo's Busy Summer - In addition to the always-busy summer recruiting season, Coach Tom Izzo enjoyed a few unique opportunities. In July, he had the opportunity to play golf with Tiger Woods at the Buick Open Pro-Am, prompting Woods to say "he's a guy that if I was playing ball, he's the type of guy that I'd want to go play for.' In mid-August, Izzo was one of a select number of coaches at Michael Jordan's Senior Flight School. The summer closed with Izzo traveling to Kuwait to take part in "Operation Hardwood - Hoops With The Troops." Izzo was one of eight coaches and sports personalities coaching 13-member military basketball teams on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, from Aug. 27-31. Camp Arifjan defeated the other bases to win the championship under the direction of Coach Izzo.
Winning The Right Way - In addition to excelling on the court, the Spartans are standouts in the classroom. Seventeen Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees over the last six years, including five each in 2001 and 2003.
The Golden Arches - Michigan State is becoming the home for McDonald's All-Americans. Over the past seven seasons, seven 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, Kelvin Torbert in 2001, Paul Davis in 2002 and Shannon Brown and Brandon Cotton in 2003.
MSU On TV - Michigan State is also slated to appear on television at least 30 times, including up to 17 times on national television (4 CBS, 7 ESPN, 3 ESPN2, 1 ESPNU and 2 appearances that will either be on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU).
Home To Mr. Basketball- Five of the last seven recipients of Michigan's Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award, presented to the top high school player in the state, have 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, Kelvin Torbert (Flint Northwestern HS) in 2001, Paul Davis (Rochester HS) in 2002 and Drew Neitzel (Wyoming Park HS) in 2004. While the 2003 winner did not attend MSU, Shannon Brown (Proviso East HS) captured Illinois' Mr. Basketball Award that same year.
Spartans In The NBA - Listed below is an update on seven former Spartans currently on NBA rosters: (Stats through Nov. 12)
Alan Anderson (Charlotte): 1 GP, 19.0 mpg, 8.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.0 apg Charlie Bell (Milwaukee): 5 GP, 9.6 mpg, 3.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.8 apg Mateen Cleaves (Seattle): 4 GP, 12.0 mpg, 4.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg, 2.3 apg Morris Peterson (Toronto): 5 GP, 29.4 mpg, 13.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 5 GP, 38.2 mpg, 20.2 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 1.4 apg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 7 GP, 39.1 mpg, 20.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.4 apg Eric Snow (Cleveland): 6 GP, 26.7 mpg, 3.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.0 apg
