Spartans Host IPFW In Sunday's Home Opener
11/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 26, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
No. 12/12 Michigan State (2-2)vs. IPFW (1-2)
Nov. 27, 20051 p.m. ESTEast Lansing, Mich.Breslin Center (14,759)
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM
TV: ESPN Plus Local - Jim Barbar (Play by Play), Greg Kelser (Color)
Where To Watch MSU On TV: MSU/IPFW will be televised by ESPN Plus in the following markets: Detroit...WKBD (UPN); Gr. Rapids/K'zoo/B. Creek...WXSP (UPN); South Bend/Elkhart, IN...WAAT; Lansing...WLAJ (ABC).
The game will also be carried nationwide on ESPNU.
Michigan State Game Notes
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Tickets: A limited number of tickets are still available. Tickets may be purchased online at msuspartans.com. The Breslin Center box office will also open at 10 a.m. on Sunday for ticket sales. Buy Tickets Here
The Opening Tip
After opening the season with four games away from East Lansing, the Spartans host IPFW in the home opener. Michigan State returned home from Hawai'i early on Thanksgiving evening and has spent the last few days readjusting to the Michigan climate and the Eastern time zone. The Spartans have won 99 of the last 106 games at the Breslin Center.
The Starting Five
Home Openers - Michigan State is 88-18 all-time in home openers, including having won 28 in a row. The Spartans last lost a home opener on Dec. 4, 1976, falling to Western Michigan, 74-73.
Good To Be Back Home - It is a rarity for Michigan State to open the season with four games away from home. In fact, this is the first time since Tom Izzo's first season in 1995, when MSU played its first five games away from East Lansing, and just the fourth time in school history that the first four games have been played away from home. Since Izzo's first season, he has opened every other year at home until now.
Ager Shoots For 1,000 - Maurice Ager stands just seven points shy of becoming the 35th player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 career points. The senior guard is averaging a team-best 23.8 points per game for the Spartans.
Davis Is Streaking - Paul Davis has made 23 straight free-throw attempts. The streak started with his last free throw against Chaminade. The next day, he was a perfect 12-of-12 against Gonzaga. He followed that performance with a 10-of-10 effort against Arizona, including making two free throws with 30 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and converting on all six attempts in overtime.
Freshmen Contributions - Eight Spartans are currently averaging more than 10 minutes per game. Of those eight, three are freshmen in Marquise Gray, Goran Suton and Travis Walton. A true freshman, Walton is the primary reserve in the backcourt averaging 23.3 minutes, 3.0 points and 4.0 assists, while playing strong defense. Gray and Suton are redshirt freshmen getting their first taste of college basketball games. Suton is the team's fifth-leading scorer at 6.3 points and the second-leading rebounder at 6.5 boards in 27.3 minutes per contest. In three games of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, Suton averaged 7.3 points and 7.0 rebounds. Gray is averaging 3.5 points and 4.5 boards per game. He was a spark in the Spartans' win over Chaminade, scoring nine points and grabbing eight rebounds.
IPFW Notes
Coach Fife - Dane Fife (Indiana, '02) is 1-2 in his first season at IPFW. At 25 years old, he is the youngest Division I head coach. He previously served for two seasons as an assistant at Indiana.
Mastodon Notes - IPFW is shooting 81.8 percent from the foul line ... Junior guard Brad Pompey leads the Mastodons in both rebounding (8.3 rpg) and assists (4.0 apg) ... IPFW is shooting just 36.0 percent from the field through three games, including 32.0 percent from 3-point range ... The Mastodons are averaging 9.7 steals per game, which is fitting since Coach Fife holds the Indiana career steals record and was named the 2002 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series, 1-0. The Spartans defeated IPFW, 81-68, on Nov. 30, 2001 in the only previous meeting.
Game 4 Notes - Michigan State 74 - Arizona 71, OT
* Michigan State out-rebounded Arizona, 43-23, including a remarkable 27-6 advantage in the first half.
* The Spartans did not miss a shot in overtime, shooting 3-of-3 from the field and 8-of-8 from the foul line.
* Paul Davis shot 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, marking his second consecutive game without missing a foul shot with at least 10 attempts.
* Michigan State committed 27 turnovers, compared to just 10 for the Wildcats. Arizona turned the 27 Spartan turnovers into 24 points.
* Despite playing three overtimes the day before, Michigan State shot a season-high 57.8 percent from the field.
* Thanks in large part to the turnover differential, Arizona attempted 21 more shots than Michigan State.
Maui Leaders - Spartans turned in some of the top performances at the 2005 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational. Paul Davis was the leading rebounder of the tournament, grabbing 35 rebounds in three games, an average of 11.7 boards per contest. The next closest player was J.P. Batista of Gonzaga with 25 boards. Davis also led the tournament with 24 free throws and 26 free-throw attempts. Maurice Ager was the tournament's second leading scorer with 79 points, an average of 26.3 per game. Gonzaga's Adam Morrison led the tournament with 86 points.
EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Notes -
* Paul Davis was the tournament's leading rebounder with 35 rebounds.
* Maurice Ager was the tournament's second-leading scorer with 79 points.
* Ager scored a career-best 36 points against Gonzaga, shooting 13-of-27 from the field and 7-of-17 from 3-point range.
* Michigan State's three-overtime game with Gonzaga was just the sixth triple-overtime game in school history.
* Drew Neitzel recorded a career-best eight assists against Chaminade.
* Davis averaged a double-double with 18.0 points and 11.5 boards per contest.
* Four Spartans (Ager - 37.3; Brown - 39.0; Davis - 36.3; Neitzel - 35.0) averaged 35 minutes or more for three straight days.
* The Spartans played a total of four overtimes against Gonzaga (3) and Arizona (1).
* Redshirt freshmen Goran Suton (7.0 rpg) and Marquise Gray (5.3 rpg) were the team's second- and third-leading rebounders, respectively.
* Michigan State shot 48.7 percent from the field, while holding its opponents to 41.9 percent.
* The Spartans had a rebound margin of +8.7 for the three games.
MSU Basketball Notes
MSU In November - Michigan State has an all-time record of 63-20 in games played in the month of November. This includes a 44-3 mark at home.
The Big Three - Spartan seniors Maurice Ager and Paul Davis and junior Shannon Brown will carry a lot of the scoring load for Michigan State this season. Through four games, the trio has not disappointed, averaging a combined 58 points, or 70.0 percent, of MSU's 82.8 points per game.
It's Early, But ... - While it's impossible to project season statistics off just four games, a few Spartans are putting up impressive numbers in the early going. Maurice Ager is currently averaging 23.8 points per game. It's the best scoring average by a Spartan since Shawn Respert averaged 25.6 points as a senior in 1994-95. Paul Davis is currently averaging 11.5 rebounds, the best mark by a Spartan since Lindsay Hairston averaged 11.5 boards in 1974-75.
Mr. Double-Double - With three double-doubles in the first four games of this season, Paul Davis has now recorded a double-double in 11 of the last 19 games. The only game this year in which he failed to tally a double-double came against Arizona, when he collected 18 points and nine rebounds. Davis elevated his level of play over the last two months of last 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.
Climbing The Charts - Paul Davis is making his way up the Michigan State career scoring charts. He currently ranks tied for 20th in MSU history with 1,212 points. He needs 31 points to pass Stan Washington (1,242 points) and move into 19th place.
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. He is averaging 7.0 shots per game.
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.
Breslin Success - Michigan State has sold out 112 consecutive regular-season games at the Breslin Center. Since the start of the 1998-99 season, MSU has won 99 of its last 106 regular-season games in Breslin, a winning percentage of .933.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Spartans In The NBA - Listed below is an update on seven former Spartans currently on NBA rosters: (Stats through Nov. 25)
Alan Anderson (Charlotte): 2 GP, 12.5 mpg, 4.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 2.0 apg Charlie Bell (Milwaukee): 10 GP, 8.3 mpg, 3.4 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.4 apg Mateen Cleaves (Seattle): 10 GP, 13.4 mpg, 5.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg, 2.4 apg Morris Peterson (Toronto): 13 GP, 8 GS, 30.7 mpg, 11.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.2 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 10 GP, 10 GS, 37.3 mpg, 18.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 1.8 apg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 14 GP, 14 GS, 38.6 mpg, 22.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.1 apg Eric Snow (Cleveland): 12 GP, 12 GS, 26.5 mpg, 3.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.0 apg
