Spartans Face Boston College In Jimmy V Classic
12/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Michigan State (5-2)vs. Boston College (6-0)
Dec. 6, 2005Approx. 9:20 p.m. ESTNew York, N.Y.Madison Square Garden
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM
TV: ESPN - Dan Shulman (Play by Play), Dick Vitale (Color), Doris Burke (Sidelines)
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
Michigan State faces a top-10 team for the third time in its first eight games as it takes on Boston College in the 11th annual Jimmy V Classic. The Spartans are making their second appearance in the tournament designed to raise awareness for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The Spartans are at the end of a stretch which has seen them play eight games in 18 days between Nov. 19 and Dec. 6. It is also MSU's sixth game away from home in its first eight contests.
The Starting Five
MSU In Jimmy V History - This is Michigan State's second appearance in the Jimmy V Classic, making it just one of eight schools to appear in the classic twice. (Kansas is also making its second appearance this year.) In its first appearance, MSU defeated No. 8 Seton Hall, 72-57, on Dec. 19, 2000. The Spartans out-rebounded the Pirates, 60-39, setting a Jimmy V Classic record with 27 offensive boards. Three Spartans recorded double-figure rebounds, led by Andre Hutson's 13. Charlie Bell scored 17 points to pace MSU, while grabbing 11 boards. MSU shot just 36.8 percent and committed 19 turnovers, but still won by 15 points.
Neitzel At His Best - Drew Neitzel played some of the best basketball of his career over the last week, averaging 13.0 points and 8.0 assists in two games. Against Georgia Tech, he scored a career-best 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range, while recording seven assists. On Saturday, against Arkansas-Little Rock in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Neitzel dished out a career-best nine assists against just one turnover, while scoring nine points. He has a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last two games.
Money At The Charity Stripe - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage, shooting .812 (124-of-165). It has been a team effort as only two Spartans are shooting under 80 percent (Maurice Ager - .756; Marquise Gray - .500). Among players with more than 10 attempts, Paul Davis leads the way, shooting .857 (42-of-49). Last season, MSU led the Big Ten and ranked third in the nation in free-throw percentage (.777), while featuring the top four foul shooters in the league.
Playing A Lot Of Minutes - Through the first seven games, Maurice Ager (35.7 minutes), Shannon Brown (35.0 mpg), Drew Neitzel (33.6 mpg) and Paul Davis (31.4 mpg) are all averaging more than 30 minutes per game. By comparison, Michigan State was the only Big Ten team last season without a single player averaging 30 minutes per game. In fact, Davis led MSU in minutes played at 26.9 per game.
Ager's Improved Decision Making - One of the biggest improvements in Maurice Ager's game is his decision making. Recently, it can be seen in his assist-to-turnover ratio. After opening the season with eight assists and 15 turnovers in the first five games, he has totaled 10 assists and six turnovers in the last two contests. In each of the last two games, he has dished out a career-best five assists.
Boston College Notes
Coach Skinner - Al Skinner (Massachusetts, '74) is 291-226 in his 18th season as a collegiate head coach, including a 153-100 record at Boston College in nine years. He has led the Eagles to five consecutive postseason tournament berths, including the NCAA Tournament in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005.
Eagle Notes - Craig Smith earned Associated Press Preseason All-America honors ... Jared Dudley joined Smith as top 50 candidates for the 2005-06 Wooden Award All-America Team ... Along with Smith and Dudley, the Eagles return starting guards Sean Marshall and Louis Hinnant from last year's 25-5 squad ... The Eagles have four players averaging 30 minutes per game and just seven players averaging more than three minutes per game ... BC commits just 11.2 turnovers per game and has a +4.0 turnover margin ... Freshman guard Tyrese Rice earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors on Nov. 27.
Series History - Boston College leads the all-time series, 2-1. The Spartans won a 1947 contest in East Lansing and the Eagles won neutral site contests in 1973 and 1984. BC won the last meeting, 82-78, on Dec. 28, 1984 in the Cabrillo Classic in San Diego.
Game 7 Notes - Michigan State 72 - Arkansas-Little Rock 67
* Drew Neitzel recorded a career-high nine assists, committing just one turnover.
* Paul Davis scored a team-high 23 points, scoring more than 20 points for the third straight game.
* Davis' 11-of-11 performance at the foul line marked his third game this season in which he was perfect at the line with at least 10 attempts.
* The attendance of 11,564 marked the largest crowd for a collegiate basketball game and the third-largest crowd for a sporting event at the venue.
* Trailing 32-30 after UALR scored the first basket of the second half, Davis scored nine straight points to spark a 14-0 run, giving MSU a 44-32 advantage.
* Maurice Ager tied his career high with five assists.
* The two teams' starters scored 130 of the 139 points.
* Tom Izzo picked up his first technical of the season at the 6:54 mark of the first half. UALR led 23-16 after the free throws, but MSU responded with a 9-0 run to take a 25-23 lead.
MSU Basketball Notes
MSU At Neutral Site - The Jimmy V Classic marks Michigan State's fifth neutral-site contest already this season. The Spartans went 2-1 at the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational and defeated Arkansas-Little Rock in Grand Rapids. This Saturday, MSU will play a sixth neutral-site game, facing Wichita State in the Spartan Clash at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
On The Road Again - After two straight games at the Breslin Center, Michigan State is in the middle of three contests away from home. In fact, seven of MSU's first nine games will be away from East Lansing. This year, the Spartans opened with four road games for just the fourth time in school history.
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 seven games, the trio has not disappointed, averaging a combined 58.9 points, or 71.7 percent, of MSU's 82.1 points per game.
Mr. Double-Double - With four double-doubles in the first seven games of this season, Paul Davis has now recorded a double-double in 12 of the last 22 games. 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.
It's Early, But ... - While it's impossible to project season statistics off just seven games, a few Spartans are putting up impressive numbers in the early going. Maurice Ager is currently averaging 21.7 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 10.4 rebounds, the best mark by a Spartan since Antonio Smith averaged 10.6 boards in 1996-97.
1,000-Point Spartans - With a free throw at the 16:26 mark against IPFW, Maurice Ager became the 35th player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 career points. With 1,050 points, he joins Paul Davis (1,287 points) as current Spartans over 1,000. Davis ranks 18th in career scoring, while Ager ranks 34th. Ager needs five points to pass Marcus Sanders (1,054 points), 10 to pass Earvin Johnson (1,059 points) and 13 to pass John Green (1,062 points), while Davis needs 10 points to pass Matt Steigenga (1,296 points). Three members of last year's team, Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert, were all 1,000-point scorers. The next Spartan to reach the milestone should be Shannon Brown, who currently has 711 points.
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 8.7 points and 6.7 shots per game, while maintaining a 2.1-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
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 19.6 minutes, 1.7 points and 3.0 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 6.0 points and the second-leading rebounder at 6.0 boards in 25.0 minutes per contest. Gray is averaging 3.0 points and 3.6 boards per game.
Davis Named POW - Paul Davis was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 28. In four games, the senior center averaged 22.5 points and 12.3 rebounds. MSU posted a 3-1 record on the week, falling only to Gonzaga, 109-106 in triple overtime. Davis recorded double-doubles in three of the four games. Coach Izzo was impressed with his performance, saying "I'm pleased with the way he's playing on all ends of the court and really excited about the leadership I think he's showing. He's made some giant strides."
Big Ten Favorites - Michigan State was named the Big Ten preseason favorite at the league's media day on Oct. 30. The Spartans are followed by Illinois and Indiana in the poll. Paul Davis also earned a spot on the Preseason All-Big Ten squad.
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.
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. This year, MSU is averaging 82.1 points per contest.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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 Dec. 3)
Alan Anderson (Charlotte): 3 GP, 9.0 mpg, 3.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 1.3 apg Charlie Bell (Milwaukee): 14 GP, 11.5 mpg, 4.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.7 apg Mateen Cleaves (Seattle): 11 GP, 13.0 mpg, 5.3 ppg, 0.4 rpg, 2.4 apg Morris Peterson (Toronto): 18 GP, 13 GS, 31.4 mpg, 13.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 15 GP, 15 GS, 37.8 mpg, 18.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.9 apg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 18 GP, 18 GS, 38.6 mpg, 22.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 apg Eric Snow (Cleveland): 16 GP, 16 GS, 26.4 mpg, 3.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.9 apg
