Men's Basketball Hits The Road To Take On Iowa
2/4/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#10/12 Michigan State (14-4, 5-2)vs. Iowa (15-5, 3-4)
Feb. 5, 20052:30 p.m. ESTIowa City, IowaCarver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500)
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM (97.5 FM/1240 AM)
TV: ESPN Plus Regional- Dick Bremer (Play by Play), Mac McCausland (Color)
The Opening Tip
Michigan State is looking to bounce back from a loss to No. 1 Illinois as it travels to take on Iowa. The Spartans are 2-1 on the road in Big Ten play this season, while Iowa is 3-1 at home in league action. MSU has won 11 of the last 13 games in the series. At 14-4, Michigan State is still off to its best start since the Final Four squad of 2001.
MSU Game Notes
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The Starting Five
Hill To Join Elite Company - With six more assists, Chris Hill (1,415 points, 394 assists) will become just the fourth player in Michigan State history to record 1,400 points and 400 assists in his career. Mateen Cleaves (1,541 points, 816 assists), Scott Skiles (2,145 points, 645 assists) and Steve Smith (2,263 points, 453 assists) are the other three Spartans to accomplish this feat. Hill will become just the 24th player in Big Ten history to reach the milestone.
Spartans Off To Strong Start - Michigan State's current 14-4 record is its best 18-game mark since the 2000-01 squad posted a 16-2 record in its first 18 contests. By comparison, the Spartans started 11-7 in 2001-02 and 10-8 in both 2002-03 and 2003-04.
Torbert Hits The Mark - After shooting 41.1 percent from the floor in his first two seasons, Kelvin Torbert is shooting 55.1 percent in his last two years. This season, he is the only Big Ten player to rank in the top 10 in all three shooting categories, ranking 1st in 3-point field-goal percentage (.468), 2nd in free-throw percentage (.881) and 5th in field-goal percentage (.583). In 2003-04, he accomplished the same feat, ranking 8th in field-goal percentage (.534), 1st in 3-point field-goal percentage (.484) and 6th in free-throw percentage (.800). His .588 3-point percentage in conference games in 2003-04 is the second highest mark in conference history.
Ager's Explosion - Maurice Ager is currently playing the best basketball of his Spartan career. Over the last five games, he is averaging 16.8 points and shooting 53.4 percent from the field. Finally healthy for the first time in his three seasons, Ager is having a very good junior campaign. He leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.2 points per game, and ranks third in rebounding with 4.6 boards per contest. He entered the season averaging 7.5 points for his career, shooting 39.2 percent, including 36.9 percent from 3-point range. His accuracy has improved greatly this season, shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from 3-point range.
Talking Defense - In the last two games, Spartan opponents are averaging 78.0 points and shooting 54.8 percent from the field. In the 11 contests prior to that, Spartan opponents averaged just 57.7 points, with no opponent scoring more than 64 points. Opponents were also shooting just 41.8 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from 3-point range, while averaging 16.3 turnovers. In conference games, MSU leads the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing just 61.6 points per contest.
Game 18 Notes - Illinois 81 - MSU 68 - Feb. 1, 2005
* Michigan State fell to 1-14 all-time against No. 1-ranked teams.
* Paul Davis scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half.
* Illinois went 12:46 in the second half (18:14-5:28) without missing a shot, converting on 12 straight attempts.
* Michigan State shot a perfect 13-of-13 from the foul line.
* Illinois shot 68.2 percent from the field in the second half, including 57.1 percent from 3-point range, marking the best shooting half for any Spartan opponent this season.
* In the first half, the Illini made just one more shot than the Spartans, but held an eight-point halftime lead thanks to nine 3-pointers, compared to just three for MSU.
* Michigan State committed 13 turnovers, slightly below its season average, but 12 of them came on Illinois steals.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Coach Alford - Steve Alford (Indiana, '87) is 260-153 in 14 seasons as a collegiate head coach, including 104-76 in six years at Iowa. Alford's career also includes four-year coaching stints at Manchester College (1992-95) and Southwest Missouri State (1996-99).
Hawkeye Notes - Iowa opened the season with a 12-1 record, marking its best start under Steve Alford ... Junior guard Pierre Pierce has been permanently dismissed from the Hawkeye basketball team. He led the team in scoring (17.8) and steals (2.5) and ranked second in rebounding (5.2) ... Of the Hawkeyes' four Big Ten losses, two have come in overtime (73-68 at Illinois; 75-74 at Northwestern) ... In conference games, Iowa leads the league in field-goal percentage defense (.407).
MSU-Iowa Notes
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Iowa, 54-47. The Hawkeyes, however, own a 30-18 advantage in games played in Iowa City. The Spartans have won 11 of the last 13 and 15 of the last 19. Tom Izzo is 12-3 in his career against Iowa, including 3-3 in Iowa City.
The Last Meeting - MSU 89 - Iowa 72 - Feb. 4, 2004 - East Lansing, Mich. - Tom Izzo recorded his 200th career victory as MSU posted an 89-72 victory. Trailing 9-8 five minutes into the game, the Spartans went on a 9-0 run keyed by a Kelvin Torbert 3-pointer, three point play and an assist on a Maurice Ager 3-pointer. Leading 28-24 late in the first half, MSU went on a 19-6 run to take control of the game. After that, Iowa never got closer than 12 points. Michigan State shot 54.8 percent in the first half, including 50.0 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Iowa shot just 34.4 percent in the first half. The Spartans had four players in double figures, led by Paul Davis' 19 points and Kelvin Torbert with 18, 14 of which came in the first half. Jeff Horner and Pierre Pierce each scored 21 for the Hawkeyes.
The Last Meeting In Iowa - Iowa 68 - MSU 64 - Jan. 11, 2003 - Michigan State held an early 6-4 lead behind two Chris Hill 3-pointers, but Iowa followed with an 11-0 run. After the Spartans cut the lead to three points, the Hawkeyes scored eight of the final 10 points of the half to take a nine-point lead into the break. MSU cut the lead to 41-39, but Iowa used a 10-2 run to create some breathing room. The Spartans battled back to tie the game at 60 on Hill's sixth 3-pointer of the game with 2:23 remaining. Kelvin Torbert then stole the ball and was fouled. He made one of two free throws to give MSU its first lead since 6-4. MSU struggled down the stretch, however, committing two turnovers, missing two free throws and two field goals as Iowa scored seven straight points. MSU hit a late three, but it was not enough. The Hawkeyes were led by Glen Worley's 29 points. Hill's 18 points led the Spartans, followed by Maurice Ager with 14. MSU held a 42-29 advantage on the boards, but committed 18 turnovers and shot just 42.3 percent from the field and 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from the foul line.
MSU Notables - Tom Izzo became the third Spartan coach to record 200 career victories and the eighth coach in Division I history to win 200 games in his first nine seasons with a 89-72 win over Iowa on Feb. 4, 2004. Izzo's career wins No. 50 (Feb. 7, 1998) and 75 (Feb. 6, 1999) also came against Iowa ... Chris Hill is averaging 4.4 made 3-point field goals per game in his career against the Hawkeyes ... Kelvin Torbert's 12.4 points per game average is his best against any Big Ten opponent.
MSU Basketball Notes
The Free Throw Story - According to the most recent NCAA statistics, Michigan State leads the nation in free-throw percentage (79.7 pct. through Jan. 31). The Spartans are currently shooting 80.4 percent from the foul line, including seven players who are shooting at least 80 percent. Among players with at least 20 attempts, Shannon Brown paces the way, connecting on 91.1 percent of his attempts (51-of-56). In fact, Brown, Kelvin Torbert (88.1 percent), Alan Anderson (86.6 percent) and Maurice Ager (81.0 percent) rank first, second, third and fourth in the Big Ten in free-throw percentage. MSU is shooting 81.5 percent in games which it won and 75.9 percent in games which it lost.
Hitting The Boards - Michigan State is doing a much better job rebounding the basketball this season than it did last year. The Spartans are out-rebounding their opponents by a +7.4 margin. They are also hitting the offensive glass, grabbing 12.22 offensive boards per game. MSU leads the conference in rebounding margin and ranks third in offensive rebounds. Rebounding is also a good indicator of the team's success. MSU is 13-2 when it out-rebounds its opponent, 1-2 when it is out-rebounded.
MSU In NCAA Stats - According to the most recent NCAA statistics (through games of 1/31), MSU ranks in the top 10 in four categories nationally and in the top 15 in six categories. The Spartans lead the nation in free-throw percentage (.797), rank fifth in scoring margin (+18.3), 8th in assists per game (17.7), 10th in rebound margin (+7.7), 14th in field-goal percentage (.496) and 14th in scoring offense (80.5).
Balanced Scoring - Michigan State's impressive offensive performance has been the result of a team effort. Five Spartans are averaging in double figures, led by Maurice Ager at 14.2 ppg. Chris Hill had been averaging in double figures all year, but has slipped to 9.2 points per game after scoring in single digits in eight of the last nine games. Michigan State had been the only team in the nation with six guys averaging in double figures. By comparison, just three Spartans averaged in double figures last year, after Chris Hill was the only player to do so in 2002-03.
The Turnover Story - Taking care of the basketball continues to be a point of emphasis for the Spartans. Michigan State is 11-0 this season when committing fewer turnovers than its opponents, but just 3-4 when committing an equal number or more than the opposition. On the season, MSU is averaging 14.2 turnovers per game. MSU ranks second in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+2.78) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.26).
Spartan Point Guards Value The Ball - Michigan State's two point guards, Chris Hill and Drew Neitzel, have done a remarkable job taking care of the basketball over the last 13 games. In that stretch, the two have combined for 95 assists and just 32 turnovers (Hill - 63 assists, 21 turnovers; Neitzel - 32 assists, 11 turnovers). In the last nine games, Hill has recorded 46 assists and 13 turnovers, while Neitzel has recorded 28 assists and just nine turnovers in his last 11 games.
Hill's Ratio - Chris Hill currently leads the Big Ten with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.07-to-1. That number ranks first among Spartan point guards of the last 20 years, ahead of solid point guards like Mateen Cleaves (1.9 in his last three years); Mark Montgomery (2.3 as a junior), Scott Skiles (2.0 as a senior) and Eric Snow (2.5 as a junior and senior).
Big Ten Leaders - The Spartans lead the conference in three statistical categories, including free-throw percentage (.804), rebounding defense (28.5) and rebounding margin (+7.4). MSU ranks in the top three in 12 of 19 categories. Individually, Chris Hill leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.07-to-1, while Shannon Brown paces the conference in free-throw percentage (.911) followed closely by Kelvin Torbert (2nd, .881), Alan Anderson (3rd, .866) and Maurice Ager (4th, .810). Torbert also paces the Big Ten in 3-point field-goal percentage (.468)
Off The Gridiron, Onto The Hardwood - Matt Trannon is back with the basketball team after playing football in the fall. This year, he ranked second on the team in receptions (36) and yards (405), while also scoring two touchdowns in 11 games. He returned to practice on Dec. 13. This season, he is averaging 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 points in 12.0 minutes per contest. He grabbed a career-best eight rebounds against Wisconsin and scored a career-best seven points against Oakland. Last season, he averaged 6.9 minutes in 17 games, recording 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds.
Using The Bench - Michigan State's bench has outscored its opponent's bench in 16 out of 18 games. In fact, Spartan subs have scored 171 more points (9.5 per game). In eight of the 18 games, MSU's bench advantage has been greater than 10 points, including three of 19 or more.
The 1,000 Club - With 11 points against Penn State, Kelvin Torbert (1,066 points) became the 32nd player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 in his career. He joins teammate Chris Hill (1,415) as current Spartans with more than 1,000 career points, while Alan Anderson (972) and Paul Davis (964) also are likely to reach 1,000 points this year.
Hitting The Mark - Last season, Michigan State was 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). Through 18 games this year, the Spartans are just as good, shooting 49.2 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from 3-point range and 80.4 percent from the free-throw line. MSU's shooting should come as no surprise considering the team 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).
Hill Moves Up Career Scoring List - Chris Hill currently stands at 1,415 points, in 12th place on the MSU all-time scoring list. With 54 points, he will move into 11th place, passing Charlie Bell (1,468 points). With 126 points, he will move into the top 10.
Hill For Three - Chris Hill is among the best 3-point shooters in MSU history. He ranks second in career 3-point field goals made (285) and career attempts (671) and sixth in career 3-point field-goal percentage (.425). Hill has made at least one 3-point field goal in 109 of 114 games in his career. His 285 career 3-point field goals rank fifth in Big Ten history, 47 behind Big Ten career leader Pete Lisicky of Penn State.
Spartans Share The Ball - One of the greatest traits of this Michigan State team is its unselfishness. Through 18 games, MSU is averaging 17.89 assists per game, ranking second in the Big Ten. The Spartans have recorded assists on 322 of their 499 baskets (64.5 percent).
He Can Pass, Too - In addition to all of his scoring and long-range shooting, Chris Hill is positioned to finish his career among the school's all-time leaders in assists. He currently stands in seventh place in MSU history with 394 career assists. Hill dished out a season-best nine assists against UNC Asheville and recorded eight assists against Stanford.
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 receives 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. In 2003-04, Hill earned first-team Academic All-America honors, becoming the first Spartan to accomplish that feat since Greg Kelser in 1979.
Taking Turns - Through 18 games, five different Spartans have led the team in scoring this season. Maurice Ager has led the team in seven games, while Paul Davis and has done it five times. Alan Anderson has done it four times and Kelvin Torbert has done it twice. Chris Hill has led the team in one game.
Spartan Depth - Through 18 games, 10 Michigan State Spartans are averaging at least 10 minutes of action, including six players playing more than 20 minutes. No single player is averaging more than 26.2 minutes per contest.
Anderson Feeling Comfortable - With the addition of Drew Neitzel to help handle the point guard duties, Alan Anderson has been able to return to his natural forward position. The change has led to increased production, as he is currently averaging career highs with 11.9 points and 4.9 rebounds, shooting a career-best 53.3 percent from the field.
No Sophomore Slump - In 2003-04, Shannon Brown earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team, averaging 7.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game. This season, he is averaging 11.4 points and 3.5 boards in 24.3 minutes per contest. Recently, he posted career highs in scoring (20 points) and rebounding (9 boards) against Purdue (1/18).
The Century Mark - Michigan State opened the season with three consecutive 100-point games for just the second time in school history (1963-64). Prior to this season, Tom Izzo's Spartans had topped 100 points just twice in his nine full seasons.
Davis Earns Big Ten POW Honors - After scoring a season-best 20 points and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds vs. Stanford, Paul Davis was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday, Dec. 13. He shot 7-of-12 from the field and 6-of-7 from the foul line in recording the 10th 20-point game of his career.
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.
Experience Matters - Michigan State players have a combined 402 starts in their careers, including 271 career starts for Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert. Entering the season, MSU's returning players had 312 career starts (most in the Big Ten) and 601 career appearances (second most in the Big Ten). The trio of Anderson, Hill and Torbert had 235 career starts, making them the most experienced trio in the Big Ten. The Spartans also return 93.7 percent of their scoring, 85.6 percent of their rebounding and 88.3 percent of their minutes from last year.
Another Difficult Slate - Michigan State has put together another challenging schedule in 2004-05. It includes five teams that appeared in the 2004 NCAA Tournament (Duke, Illinois, Florida A&M, 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 six on ESPN, one on ESPN2 and three on CBS.
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.
The Golden Arches - Michigan State is becoming the home for McDonald's All-Americans. Over the past six 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.
Home To Mr. Basketball - Five of the last six 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 current through Jan. 29)
Mateen Cleaves (Seattle): 8 GP, 1.6 mpg, 0.3 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 0.3 apg Morris Peterson (Toronto): 44 GP, 26.9 mpg, 11.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.5 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 35 GP, 36.6 mpg, 19.9 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.0 apg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 35 GP, 37.9 mpg, 22.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.7 apg Steve Smith (Charlotte): 27 GP, 18.0 mpg, 8.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.9 apg Eric Snow (Cleveland): 41 GP, 22.6 mpg, 4.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.8 apg Kevin Willis (Atlanta): 24 GP, 11.6 mpg, 2.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.3 apg
