Men's Basketball Hosts Purdue On Wednesday
2/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#12/11 Michigan State (17-5, 5-3)vs. Purdue (8-13, 2-8)
Feb. 8, 20068 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 - Mike Gleason (Play by Play), Greg Kelser (Color)
Michigan State-Purdue will be televised locally on ESPN Plus, including the following affiliates: Indianapolis - WTTV; South Bend/Elkhart - WHME; Evansville - WAZE; Lafayette - WLFI; Detroit/Lansing - Comcast; Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto - CSN-West
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 enters Wednesday's contest having won five of its last six games. Purdue is coming off a 70-62 victory over Wisconsin, snapping a five-game losing streak for the Boilermakers. The Spartans are a perfect 9-0 at the Breslin Center this season, and have won six straight at home against Purdue. After Wednesday's game, MSU will have back-to-back road trips to Minnesota and Iowa before closing the season with four of five at Breslin.
The Starting Five
Getting Defensive - Michigan State has won five of its last six Big Ten contests, thanks in large part to its defense. In the last six games, the Spartans are holding opponents to 64.2 points on 39.6 percent shooting, including 32.8 percent from 3-point range. In the last five games, MSU is allowing just 62.4 points on 36.8 percent shooting, including 31.1 percent from behind the arc.
MSU's Homecourt Advantage - Since the start of the 1998-99 season, MSU has won 108 of its last 115 games in Breslin, a winning percentage of .939. MSU has sold out 121 consecutive regular-season games at the Breslin Center.
1,000-Point Spartans - With 22 points against Northwestern, Shannon Brown (1,001 points) became the 36th player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 career points. He joins Maurice Ager (1,330 points) and Paul Davis (1,518 points) as current Spartans with 1,000 points. Davis ranks 12th in career scoring, Ager ranks 18th and Brown ranks 36th. Ager needs 48 points to pass Julius McCoy (1,377 points) while Davis needs 23 points to pass Chris Hill (1,540 points) and 24 to pass Mateen Cleaves (1,541 points). Brown needs 28 points to pass Kevin Smith (1,028 points). Three members of last year's team, Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert, were all 1,000-point scorers.
What Brown Can Do For MSU - Shannon Brown has elevated his play during Big Ten action. He ranks second in the conference in scoring in league games, averaging 19.6 points per contest. Overall, he ranks fifth in the league in scoring at 18.3 ppg. He has topped the 20-point mark in eight of his last 12 games and has led the team in scoring in five of the eight Big Ten contests. Leading into the conference schedule, he was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 26.
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 22 games, they are averaging a combined 55.9 points, or 71.6 percent, of MSU's 78.1 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. The 1964-65 trio of Bill Washington (21.3), Bill Curtis (19.4) and Marcus Sanders (18.5) is the only other trio in MSU history where each player averaged at least 17 points per game.
Purdue Notes
Coach Painter - Matt Painter (Purdue, '94) is 33-18 in his second season as a collegiate head coach, including 8-13 in his first season at Purdue. After one year as head coach at Southern Illinois, he served as associate head coach at Purdue last season in Gene Keady's final year as Boilermaker coach.
Boilermaker Notes - A look at Purdue's stats shows five players averaging double figures in scoring, but just two (Matt Kiefer and Marcus White) are active. Carl Landry and Nate Minnoy are out with knee injuries and Korey Spates has been dismissed from the team ... The Boilermakers are shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range in Big Ten games, ranking second in the league ... Guard Chris Lutz set a Purdue freshman record with 46 3-pointers.
Series History - Purdue leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 59-40. The Spartans, however, own a 25-23 advantage in games played in East Lansing. MSU has won 11 of the last 15 games in the series, including six straight at the Breslin Center. Tom Izzo is 11-7 in his career against Purdue, including 6-2 at Breslin.
The Last Meeting - Michigan State defeated Purdue, 68-57, in West Lafayette on Feb. 19, 2005. The Spartans led 28-18 at the half, but the Boilermakers cut the deficit to 35-30. MSU responded with a 12-0 run to put the game away. Four Spartans scored in double figures, led by Maurice Ager and Alan Anderson with 12 each. The Spartans shot 47.2 percent and held Purdue to 36.8 percent, while out-rebounding the Boilermakers, 37-27.
The Last Meeting In East Lansing - Michigan State defeated Purdue, 71-64, on Jan. 18, 2005, behind 22 points from Maurice Ager and 20 from Shannon Brown. It appeared early as if it would be an easy win for MSU, taking a 36-27 halftime lead and extending the advantage to 40-27 in the early stages of the second half. The Boilermakers responded with a 15-3 run. Purdue had the basketball with a chance to take a lead, but Ager made a steal and turned it into a dunk at the other end. Coming out of a timeout, Ager followed with back-to-back 3-pointers. Purdue, however, seemed to answer every Spartan basket. With 1:18 left, MSU called timeout leading 62-59. Ager followed with another three. Brown then hit four free throws in the final minute to seal victory. Carl Landry paced Purdue with 31 points, the most by a Spartan opponent in Big Ten play since 2001. Ager scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half, and Ager and Brown combined to score MSU's final 11 points and 23 of the final 28 over the last 8:26. Michigan State scored just seven points in the first 11:34 of the second half and 28 in the final 8:26.
Game 22 Notes - Michigan State 77 - Northwestern 66
* With 22 points, Shannon Brown became the 36th player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 career points.
* Maurice Ager recorded his third career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
* After being out-rebounded in its previous three games, MSU out-rebounded Northwestern, 40-24.
* Ager (11 rebounds), Shannon Brown (8 rebounds) and Travis Walton (5 rebounds) grabbed 24 of MSU's 40 boards.
* Brown's eight rebounds tied a season high.
* Michigan State out-scored Northwestern, 38-14, in the paint.
* A total of just 10 players made a field goal in the game.
* Tom Izzo recorded his 250th career victory.
* Michigan State attempted 25 of its 32 free throws in the second half.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 11th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 250-102 (.710), and 122-50 (.709) 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 .709 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 and Izzo (.710). With 122 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 .777 (362-of-466). According to the most recent NCAA statistics (Feb. 7), the Spartans rank fourth in the nation at .777. MSU also leads the conference in free throws made (362). Drew Neitzel (.935) and Paul Davis (.883) pace the Spartans, as Davis ranks third in the Big Ten (Neitzel does not have enough makes to qualify). 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.
Lending A Helping Hand - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in assists, averaging 17.68 per game, while ranking 14th in the nation according to the most recent NCAA statistics (Feb. 7). The Spartans have recorded assists on 64.2 percent (389 assists, 606 field goals) of their field goals this season. In conference games, the Spartans average 15.88 assists per game, ranking second in the league.
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 20.5 ppg, while Ager's teammates, Shannon Brown (18.3 ppg) and Paul Davis (18.0 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 21 games this season, Paul Davis has now recorded a double-double in 19 of his last 36 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 - Paul Davis (1,518 points, 813 rebounds) is 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 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.
Controlling The Boards - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+5.9). This season, the Spartans have out-rebounded 13 of 22 opponents, but just four of eight league opponents. MSU is 12-1 when out-rebounding its opponent, but just 5-4 when not out-rebounding the opposition. In Big Ten games, MSU ranks third with a +2.4 margin. Michigan State has led the league in rebound margin in conference games in eight of Tom Izzo's 10 years as head coach.
Chairman Of The Boards - Paul Davis ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 9.7 boards per contest. Iowa's Greg Brunner (10.1 rpg) leads the league. A Spartan has not led the Big Ten in rebounding since Antonio Smith in 1996-97 (10.6 rpg). With 813 rebounds, he now ranks seventh all-time in MSU history. He needs two boards to tie Bill Kilgore for sixth place.
Davis Among Career Leaders - Paul Davis ranks among the Michigan State career leaders in several different statistical categories, including free throws (5th, 415), free throws attempted (4th, 552), rebounds (7th, 813), blocked shots (4th, 77) and scoring (12th, 1,518). (For complete charts, see sidebars on pages 5-6.)
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 (4.5 rpg), assists (3.0 apg) and steals (0.8 spg). The same can be said for Brown, who is averaging career bests in scoring (18.3 ppg), rebounds (3.8 rpg), assists (2.7 apg) and steals (1.6 spg).
Lending A Helping Hand - Drew Neitzel ranks second in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.51-to-1 and fourth in assists, averaging 5.59 per game. Over the last 16 games, he has a 3.00-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His best effort in that stretch was a nine assist, one turnover effort against Arkansas-Little Rock.
Trannon As A Starter - Matt Trannon has started the last six games, averaging 5.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 27.0 minutes. In 14 games this season, he is averaging 4.6 points and 3.9 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.
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. Ager was also named second-team All-America by SI.com.
A High Octane Offense - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 78.1 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 (34.6 minutes), Drew Neitzel (32.4 mpg) and Paul Davis (30.9 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. Recently, he grabbed 11 rebounds at Northwestern.
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 9.7 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 59 assists and 38 turnovers in the last 17 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 17 games, after having never tallied more than four in the first 95 games of his career. This is the first time in his career he has more assists than turnovers.
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 18.2 minutes, 2.1 points and 2.5 assists, while playing strong defense. Gray and Suton are redshirt freshmen getting their first taste of college basketball. Suton is averaging 3.0 points and 3.1 boards in 15.2 minutes per contest, while Gray is averaging 3.7 points, ranks third on the team with 4.0 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 2.51-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
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
