Spartans Travel To Northwestern For Saturday Contest
2/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#12/12 Michigan State (16-5, 4-3)vs. Northwestern (10-9, 3-5)
Feb. 4, 20067 p.m. ESTEvanston, Ill.Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM
TV: ESPN Plus - Eric Collins (Play by Play), Bob Ford (Color)
Michigan State-Northwestern will be televised locally on ESPN Plus, including the following affiliates: Chicago - WWME; Detroit - WKBD; Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto - CSN-West; St. Louis - Charter-St.Louis; Grand Rapids/K'zoo/Battle Creek - WXSP; Omaha - Cox2-Omaha; South Bend/Elkhart - WAAT; Lansing - WLNS
For a complete listing of television clearances, visit the official Big Ten Conference web site: http://bigten.collegesports.com/multimedia/big10-television.html
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
Michigan State hits the road for the fifth time in its first eight Big Ten contests. In fact, this game marks the beginning of a stretch that will see the Spartans play three of their next four games on the road. With a 4-3 Big Ten record, the Spartans are one of seven teams within one-and-a-half games of the conference lead. While MSU did not play a mid-week contest, Northwestern lost a 72-63 game at Indiana on Wednesday.
The Starting Five
Getting Defensive - Michigan State has won four of its last five Big Ten contests, thanks in large part to its defense. In the last five games, the Spartans are holding opponents to 63.8 points on 40.2 percent shooting, including 32.7 percent from 3-point range. In the last four games, MSU is allowing just 61.5 points on 37.0 percent shooting, including 30.5 percent from behind the arc.
Davis At The Line - Paul Davis is shooting a remarkable 90.7 percent (97-of-107) from the foul line this season, ranking third in the Big Ten. In conference games, he has made all 25 attempts, tying him for the league lead. He has made his last 28 free throws.
1,000-Point Spartans - Shannon Brown needs 21 points to become the 36th player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 career points. He will join Maurice Ager (1,309 points) and Paul Davis (1,502 points) as current Spartans with 1,000 points. Davis ranks 12th in career scoring, while Ager ranks 18th. Ager needs 69 points to pass Julius McCoy (1,377 points) while Davis needs 39 points to pass Chris Hill (1,540 points) and 40 to pass Mateen Cleaves (1,541 points) and move into the top 10. Three members of last year's team, Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert, were all 1,000-point scorers.
Ager Tames The Wildcats - In six career games against Northwestern, Maurice Ager is averaging 16.3 points per game, shooting 70.8 percent from the field (34-of-48), including a remarkable 83.3 percent from 3-point range (20-of-24). In his last five games against the Wildcats, Ager is averaging 18.0 points.
Windy City Spartan - Shannon Brown grew up in the Chicago area, attending Proviso East High School. The Maywood, Ill., native was the recipient of the 2003 Illinois Mr. Basketball Award and the 2003 Gatorade Illinois High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Now in his third season at Michigan State, Brown is averaging a career-high 18.1 points per game, ranking fifth in the Big Ten. In conference games, he is scoring a team-best 19.3 points per contest, ranking second in the league. He was named the men's basketball Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 26 and has topped the 20-point mark in seven of his last 11 games.
Northwestern Notes
Coach Carmody - Bill Carmody (Union College, '75) is 78-89 in his sixth year at Northwestern. Overall, he is 170-114 in 10 seasons as a collegiate head coach. He served as head coach at Princeton from 1996-2000.
Wildcat Notes - Northwestern leads the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.28) and ranks second in the conference in scoring defense (58.5 ppg) and steals (7.95 spg) ... Senior Vedran Vukusic leads the league in scoring (20.4 ppg) ... Vukusic has started 78 consecutive games ... The Wildcats rank third in the nation in fouls, committing just 13.9 per game.
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Northwestern, 71-36. The Wildcats, however, own a 29-27 advantage in games played in Evanston. The Spartans have won six straight games in the series, 13 of the last 14, and 33 of the last 35 contests. Michigan State has won 17 of the last 20 in Evanston. Tom Izzo is 16-2 against the Wildcats, including 6-2 in Evanston.
The Last Meeting - Michigan State got 22 points from Alan Anderson and 20 from Maurice Ager to defeat Northwestern, 69-58, on March 2, 2005, in Evanston. The Spartans made nine of their first 11 points and led by 15 points at halftime and 49-31 with 15:05 left in the game, but 11 second-half turnovers allowed the Wildcats to cut the deficit to five points in the final minutes. Anderson made six straight free throws in the final 1:24 to seal the win.
Game 21 Notes - Michigan State 69 - Penn State 60
* Michigan State improved to 16-0 all-time against Penn State in East Lansing.
* Shannon Brown scored 23 of his game-high 29 points in the second half, shooting 8-of-10 in the stanza. His dunk over Ben Luber was No. 1 on Saturday night's SportsCenter Top Plays.
* Drew Neitzel scored a career-high 19 points, hitting a career-best five 3-pointers. He scored 16 points in the second half on 6-of-7 shooting and recorded five assists and no turnovers in the half.
* Brown and Neitzel combined to score 39 of MSU's 42 second-half points.
* After shooting 34.4 percent from the field and 18.1 percent from 3-point range in the first half, Michigan State shot 60.9 percent from the field, including 57.1 percent from behind the arc in the second half.
* Penn State led 58-57 with 5:31 left in the game, but Michigan State closed on a 12-2 run.
* Paul Davis missed the contest due to a head injury suffered the day before the game in practice.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 11th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 249-102 (.709), and 121-50 (.708) in the Big Ten, as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. With last year's win over Duke in the NCAA Tournament, he passed Benjamin Van Alstyne to become the second-winningest coach in MSU history, trailing only Jud Heathcote (340) in total wins. In his 10 seasons as a head coach, Izzo has won National Coach of the Year honors four times, including the Clair Bee Award in 2005 and NABC honors in 2001. In 1999, Izzo was named National Coach of the year by Basketball Times, while earning similar honors from Associated Press, Basketball News and the USBWA in '98.
Big Ten Best - Tom Izzo's .708 winning percentage in Big Ten games ranks first all-time among league coaches with at least 10 years of service. Former Indiana coach Bob Knight ranks second at .700. In all games, Knight ranks first at .734, followed by Wisconsin's Walter Meanwell (.712), Purdue's Ward Lambert (.709) and Izzo (.709). With 121 conference victories, Izzo currently ranks 14th all-time.
Izzo Among Best Ever - Through his first 10 seasons, Tom Izzo won 233 games, ranking seventh in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 10 years.
Graduating Student-Athletes - In Tom Izzo's 10 full years directing the Spartan program, 77 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last six years, 17 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees, including five each in 2001 and 2003.
Izzo's Coaching Tree - Six current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Tom Crean (Marquette), Brian Gregory (Dayton), Mike Garland (Cleveland State), Stan Heath (Arkansas), Stan Joplin (Toledo) and Doug Wojcik (Tulsa). Gregory and Garland are in their third years as head coaches, after leaving MSU in the spring of 2003. Crean directed Marquette to the 2003 Final Four, while Heath directed Kent State to the Elite Eight in the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Wojcik is in his first season at Tulsa.
Safe At Home - Tom Izzo owns a career record of 143-19 (.883) in the Breslin Center, including a 108-7 (.939) mark over the last eight seasons. In Big Ten play, Izzo is 74-11 (.871) in Breslin, 55-4 (.932) over the last eight years.
Vs. Ranked Opponents - Tom Izzo has a career record of 58-50 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. This includes a 51-39 record since 1997-98.
At His Best When It Counts - Tom Izzo ranks second among active coaches for the best NCAA Tournament winning percentage at .767 (23-7). Duke's Mike Krzyzewski ranks first at .786 (66-18), while Louisville's Rick Pitino ranks third at .756 (31-10).
MSU Basketball Notes
Money At The Charity Stripe - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage, shooting .786 (341-of-434). According to the most recent NCAA statistics (Jan. 30), the Spartans rank third in the nation at .786. MSU also leads the conference in free throws made (341). Drew Neitzel (.923) and Paul Davis (.907) pace the Spartans, as Davis ranks third in the Big Ten (Neitzel does not have enough makes to qualify). In league games, Davis is tied for first in the conference, making all 25 of his free throws. This season, Davis has had three games in which he was perfect from the line with at least 10 attempts, shooting 12-of-12 against Gonzaga, 11-of-11 against Arkansas-Little Rock and 10-of-10 against Arizona. 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.
The Big Three - Spartan seniors Maurice Ager and Paul Davis and junior Shannon Brown make up the most dynamic offensive trio in the nation. They are the only trio in which all three members average more than 17 points per game. Through 21 games, they are averaging a combined 55.8 points, or 71.4 percent, of MSU's 78.2 points per game. The trio has each scored 20 points or more in two games (vs. Cleveland State and UW-Green Bay), accomplishing a feat that had not been done at MSU since Feb. 15, 2000.
Lending A Helping Hand - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in assists, averaging 17.71 per game, while ranking 14th in the nation according to the most recent NCAA statistics (Jan. 30). The Spartans have recorded assists on 64.1 percent (372 assists, 580 field goals) of their field goals this season. In conference games, the Spartans average a league-best 15.71 assists per game. Overall, MSU ranks second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.22).
Ager Challenges For Scoring Title - Maurice Ager ranks second in the Big Ten in overall scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game. Northwestern's Vedran Vukusic leads the league at 20.4 ppg, while Ager's teammates, Shannon Brown (18.1 ppg) and Paul Davis (18.1 ppg), rank fifth and sixth, respectively. A Spartan has not led the league in overall scoring since Shawn Respert's 25.6 ppg paced the conference in 1995.
Mr. Double-Double - With 11 double-doubles in 20 games this season, Paul Davis has now recorded a double-double in 19 of his last 35 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. For his career, he has posted 24 double-doubles.
1,500-800 Club - With 10 points against Michigan, Paul Davis (1,502 points, 806 rebounds) became just the second player in MSU history to record 1,500 career points and 800 career rebounds, joining Greg Kelser (2,014 points, 1,092 rebounds). Davis is also the 31st player in Big Ten history to reach this milestone.
Tough Starts - Michigan State opened the Big Ten season with five straight games against teams currently ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll at the time of the game, including three games on the road (at No. 6 Illinois, at No. 24 Wisconsin, No. 8 Indiana, at No. 16 Ohio State and No. 25 Iowa). The Spartans are the only team in the nation to open conference play with as many as four games against ranked opponents. Prior to this season, the Spartans had never played five straight conference games against ranked teams.
Chairman Of The Boards - Paul Davis ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 9.9 boards per contest. Iowa's Greg Brunner (10.2 rpg) leads the league. A Spartan has not led the Big Ten in rebounding since Antonio Smith in 1996-97 (10.6 rpg). With 12 rebounds against Iowa, Paul Davis surpassed 800 career boards. With 806 rebounds, he now ranks seventh all-time in MSU history. He needs eight boards to tie Bill Kilgore.
Controlling The Boards - Michigan State ranks third in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+5.4). This season, the Spartans have out-rebounded 12 of 21 opponents, but just three of seven league opponents. MSU is 11-1 when out-rebounding its opponent, but just 5-4 when not out-rebounding the opposition. In Big Ten games, MSU ranks sixth with a +0.4 margin. Michigan State has led the league in rebound margin in conference games in eight of Tom Izzo's 10 years as head coach.
All-Around Stars - While Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown give Michigan State the most athletic wing duo in the nation, they have worked to become better all-around players. Besides ranking second in the Big Ten in scoring at 19.6 points per game, Ager is averaging career bests in rebounding (4.1 rpg), assists (3.1 apg) and steals (0.9 spg). The same can be said for Brown, who is averaging career bests in scoring (18.1 ppg), rebounds (3.6 rpg), assists (2.7 apg) and steals (1.6 spg).
Davis Among Career Leaders - Paul Davis ranks among the Michigan State career leaders in several different statistical categories, including free throws (5th, 414), free throws attempted (4th, 548), rebounds (7th, 806), blocked shots (t-4th, 75) and scoring (12th, 1,502). (For complete charts, see sidebars on pages 5-6.)
Trannon As A Starter - Matt Trannon has started the last five games, averaging 6.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 28.0 minutes. In 13 games this season, he is averaging 4.9 points and 4.2 boards. The ultimate "glue-guy," Trannon adds toughness, defensive skills and athleticism to the lineup since joining the team after the conclusion of the football season. As a wide receiver on the football team, he ranked second on the squad in receptions, with 40 for 573 yards and four touchdowns.
Davis Earns Big Ten Honor - Paul Davis was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Jan. 16 after averaging 20.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in a pair of Spartan victories over No. 9/8 Indiana and No. 19/16 Ohio State. He scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the Hoosiers, and recorded 18 points and 12 rebounds at Columbus. This marked the second time this season and the fifth time in his career that Davis earned the weekly league honor. On Nov. 28, Davis was recognized after averaging 22.5 points and 12.3 rebounds in four games, including the Maui Invitational.
Free Basketball - Michigan State has played three overtime games this season, including a triple-overtime game with Gonzaga and a double-overtime win at Ohio State, along with an overtime win over Arizona. The six overtime periods tie the school record, equalling the 1987-88 Spartans who played five overtime games, including one double-overtime contest.
Lending A Helping Hand - Drew Neitzel ranks second in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.58-to-1 and fourth in assists, averaging 5.52 per game. Over the last 15 games, he has a 3.19-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His best effort in that stretch was a nine assist, one turnover effort against Arkansas-Little Rock.
Midseason All-Americans - As conference play gets underway, some analysts are releasing midseason All-America teams. ESPN's Jay Bilas put Maurice Ager on his Preconference All-America First Team, along with Kentucky's Rajon Rondo, Duke's J.J. Redick, Gonzaga's Adam Morrison and Texas' LeMarcus Aldridge. Paul Davis earned a spot on Bilas' second team. Shannon Brown earned a spot on Bilas' Preconference All-Defensive Team. CBS Sportsline's Gregg Doyel put both Ager and Davis on his All-America team with Morrison, Redick and Villanova's Randy Foye.
A High Octane Offense - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 78.2 points per game. Last season, MSU led the Big Ten and ranked 13th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 78.5 points per game.
Non-Conference Victories - Michigan State won 12 non-conference games this season, establishing a school record since joining the Big Ten in 1950-51. The 1989-90, 1998-99 and 2000-01 squads won 11 non-conference games during the regular season.
Playing A Lot Of Minutes - Shannon Brown (34.7 mpg), Maurice Ager (34.5 minutes), Drew Neitzel (32.2 mpg) and Paul Davis (31.2 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 Hits The Boards - Through the first 99 games of his career, Maurice Ager had never grabbed more than nine rebounds. In his 100th career game, Ager grabbed 10 boards against Cleveland State. He bettered that effort in game No. 101, recording 14 boards against Florida International.
Impressive Figures - Maurice Ager is currently averaging 19.6 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 9.9 rebounds, the best mark by a Spartan since Antonio Smith averaged 10.6 boards in 1996-97.
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 58 assists and 35 turnovers in the last 16 contests. In fact, he recorded a career-best six assists against Boston College. He has recorded five assists or more in six of the last 15 games, after having never tallied more than four in the first 95 games of his career.
Freshmen Contributions - Eight active Spartans are currently averaging more than 10 minutes per game (Drew Naymick averaged 10.6 minutes in the first seven games, but will apply for a medical redshirt after the season). 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 18.3 minutes, 2.0 points and 2.4 assists, while playing strong defense. Gray and Suton are redshirt freshmen getting their first taste of college basketball. Suton is averaging 3.2 points and 3.3 boards in 15.8 minutes per contest, while Gray is averaging 3.7 points, ranks tied for third on the team with 4.1 boards per game and has started seven contests.
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 is looking to score more this season. He is averaging 9.1 points and 6.9 shots per game, while maintaining a 2.58-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
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.
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.
Spartans In The NBA - Listed below is an update on seven former Spartans currently on NBA rosters: (Stats through Jan. 30)
Alan Anderson (Charlotte): 16 GP, 12.8 mpg, 4.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.8 apg Charlie Bell (Milwaukee): 20 GP, 13.4 mpg, 4.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.0 apg Mateen Cleaves (Seattle): 19 GP, 9.3 mpg, 3.4 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 1.7 apg Morris Peterson (Toronto): 44 GP, 39 GS, 34.5 mpg, 13.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.0 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 41 GP, 39 GS, 35.6 mpg, 17.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.0 apg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 41 GP, 41 GS, 38.8 mpg, 22.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.8 apg Eric Snow (Cleveland): 42 GP, 42 GS, 28.5 mpg, 5.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 4.3 apg
