Men's Basketball Hosts Wisconsin
3/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#25/23 Michigan State (19-9, 7-7)vs. #-/25 Wisconsin (19-8, 9-5)
March 2, 20067 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 - Brent Musburger (Play by Play), Steve Lavin (Color), Erin Andrews (Sidelines)
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
Michigan State opens March with two Big Ten home games to close out the regular season. The Spartans are looking to finish the regular season on a strong note and gain some momentum heading into the postseason tournaments. The Spartans are 11-1 at home this season. Both the Spartans and the Badgers will be looking to record their 20th victory of the season when they meet on Thursday.
The Starting Five (And A Sixth Man)
MSU In March - Michigan State is 36-11 in March since the 1998-99 season. For his career, Tom Izzo is 43-18 in March.
Hot Shooting Second Halves - In Michigan State's six Big Ten home games, the Spartans have displayed some excellent second-half shooting. In MSU's five league victories at home, the Spartans are shooting 60.9 percent, including the following efforts: vs. Indiana (64.0), vs. Iowa (60.7), vs. Penn State (60.9), vs. Purdue (60.9), vs. Michigan (58.8). In MSU's lone home loss against Ohio State, the Spartans shot just 42.9 percent in the second half.
20-Win Seasons - With one more victory, Michigan State will record its seventh 20-win season in the last nine years, all under head coach Tom Izzo. Of the previous 14 20-win seasons in Spartan history, Izzo has been involved in 11 of them, six as a head coach and five as an assistant.
Davis Among Big Ten Leaders - Paul Davis stands among the top seven in the Big Ten statistics in seven different categories. He ranks third in rebounding (9.2 rpg), fifth in scoring (17.8 ppg), fourth in field-goal percentage (.569), third in free-throw percentage (.887), fifth in blocked shots (0.93 bpg), seventh in offensive rebounds (2.59 orpg) and second in defensive rebounds (6.59 drpg).
What Brown Can Do For MSU - Shannon Brown might be MSU's most consistent player during Big Ten action. He ranks third in the conference in scoring in league games (18.8 ppg) and fourth overall (18.2 ppg). He has topped the 20-point mark in nine of his last 19 games and has led the team in scoring in seven of the 14 Big Ten contests. Over the last seven games, he is averaging 6.6 rebounds. Leading into the conference schedule, he was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 26.
NABC Honorees - The National Association of Basketball Coaches recently announced its all-district teams. Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown both earned first team all-district 11 honors, while Paul Davis was a second-team honoree. Ager and Brown were joined on the first team by Illinois' Dee Brown and James Augustine and Wisconsin's Alando Tucker.
Wisconsin Notes
Coach Ryan - Bo Ryan (Wilkes, '69) is 495-148 in his 22nd season as a collegiate head coach, including 112-45 in his fifth year at Wisconsin. Prior to his arrival in Madison, Ryan coached at UW-Milwaukee for two years (1999-2001) and at UW-Platteville for 15 seasons (1984-99), winning four Division III National Championships.
Badger Notes - Wisconsin leads the Big Ten with a +2.37 turnover margin ... Alando Tucker leads the Big Ten in scoring in conference games (20.5 ppg) and ranks third overall (19.1) ... In conference games, the Badgers rank second in the league in field-goal percentage defense (.410) ... The Badgers have used just two different starting lineups this season.
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Wisconsin, 64-54, including a 39-14 advantage in games played in East Lansing. Tom Izzo is 13-10 in his career against Wisconsin.
The Last Meeting - Wisconsin defeated Michigan State, 82-63, on Jan. 8, 2006, in Madison. The Spartans jumped out to an 8-0 lead, but UW responded with a 12-1 run. Leading 36-26 at the half, the Badgers opened the second half on a 13-0 run. MSU's defense held Wisconsin to 38.9 percent shooting in the first half, but the Badgers shot 75.0 percent in the second half. UW turned 15 MSU turnovers into 21 points. Shannon Brown led all scorers with a career-high 31 points, while Kammron Taylor led UW with 27.
The Last Meeting In East Lansing - Michigan State snapped a six-game losing streak to the Badgers with a 77-64 victory in East Lansing on Feb. 24, 2005. MSU opened the game on a 20-6 run and Wisconsin never got closer than eight points after that. Alan Anderson scored a career-best 28 points, shooting 10-of-10 from the field and 7-of-7 from the foul line. Paul Davis recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Alando Tucker led Wisconsin with 18 points.
Game 28 Notes - Indiana 78 - Michigan State 71
* Maurice Ager led all scorers with 30 points, the most he's ever scored in a Big Ten game, shooting 12-of-18 from the field.
* Leading 21-20 midway through the first half, Indiana went on a 20-6 run.
* Trailing 49-33 with 18:44 left, Michigan State went on 24-8 run to tie the game at 57.
* Michigan State led 69-67 before Paul Davis fouled out at 3:32. Indiana closed the game on an 11-2 run.
* Michigan State shot 49.1 percent from the field, compared to 45.6 percent for the Hoosiers, and out-rebounded Indiana, 31-29. It marked just the second loss of the year when MSU out-shot its opponent and the second loss when out-rebounding the opposition.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 11th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 252-106 (.704), and 124-54 (.697) 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 .697 winning percentage in Big Ten games ranks second all-time among league coaches with at least 10 years of service, behind former Indiana coach Bob Knight (.700). In all games, Knight ranks first at .734, followed by Wisconsin's Walter Meanwell (.712), Purdue's Ward Lambert (.709) and Izzo (.704). With 124 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 145-20 (.879) in the Breslin Center, including a 110-8 (.932) mark over the last eight seasons. In Big Ten play, Izzo is 76-12 (.864) in Breslin, 57-5 (.919) over the last eight years.
Vs. Ranked Opponents - Tom Izzo has a career record of 58-52 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. This includes a 51-41 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
MSU's Homecourt Advantage - Since the start of the 1998-99 season, MSU has won 110 of its last 118 games in Breslin, a winning percentage of .932. Over that same stretch, the Spartans are 57-5 (.919) at home in Big Ten action. MSU has sold out 124 consecutive regular-season games at the Breslin Center.
Good To Be Back Home - Michigan State closes the regular season with two games at the Breslin Center. MSU is 11-1 at home this season, including 5-1 in conference action. The Spartans are averaging 81.2 points per game at home, shooting 50.0 percent from the field. Maurice Ager is averaging a team-best 20.6 ppg), followed closely by Paul Davis (19.6 ppg) and Shannon Brown (18.8 ppg). In Big Ten home games, MSU is averaging 79.3 points, shooting 50.7 percent.
Lending A Helping Hand - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in assists, averaging 17.25 per game, while ranking 16th in the nation according to the most recent NCAA statistics (Feb. 28). The Spartans have recorded assists on 63.5 percent (483 assists, 761 field goals) of their field goals this season. In conference games, the Spartans lead the Big Ten, averaging 15.79 assists per game.
Award Candidates - Maurice Ager, Shannon Brown and Paul Davis are among 30 midseason candidates for the Naismith Award. Ager and Davis are also among the 30 midseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award.
Money At The Charity Stripe - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage, shooting .779 (438-of-562). According to the most recent NCAA statistics (Feb. 28), the Spartans rank fourth in the nation at .779. MSU also leads the conference in free throws made (438). Drew Neitzel (.946) and Paul Davis (.887) 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.
Cracking The Top Ten - Paul Davis ranks in the top 10 in Michigan State history in six statistical categories, including scoring (9th, 1,620) free throws (5th, 443), free throws attempted (4th, 583), rebounds (5th, 857), blocked shots (4th, 83) and field goals (582). (For complete charts, see sidebars on pages 5-6.)
Chairman Of The Boards - Paul Davis ranks third in the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 9.2 boards per contest. Iowa's Greg Brunner (10.0 rpg) leads the league. A Spartan has not led the Big Ten in rebounding since Antonio Smith in 1996-97 (10.6 rpg). With 857 rebounds, Davis now ranks fifth all-time in MSU history. He needs 49 rebounds to tie Mike Peplowski for fourth place.
1,000-Point Spartans - Three current Spartans, including Paul Davis (1,620 points), Maurice Ager (1,436 points) and Shannon Brown (1,107 points) have scored more than 1,000 career points. Davis ranks 9th in career scoring, Ager ranks 14th and Brown ranks 31st. Ager needs 33 points to pass Charlie Bell (1,468 points), while Davis needs 98 points to pass Mike Robinson (1,717 points). Brown needs three points to pass Al Ferrari (1,109 points). Three members of last year's team, Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert, also were 1,000-point scorers.
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 28 games, they are averaging a combined 55.2 points, or 72.4 percent, of MSU's 76.2 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. 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.
Ager Challenges For Scoring Title - Michigan State's offense features three of the Big Ten's five leading scorers. Maurice Ager ranks second in the Big Ten in overall scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game, while Shannon Brown (18.2 ppg) and Paul Davis (17.8 ppg) rank fourth and fifth, respectively. Northwestern's Vedran Vukusic leads the league at 19.6 ppg. 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 13 double-doubles in 27 games this season, Paul Davis has now recorded a double-double in 21 of his last 42 games. The 13 double-doubles this season lead the Big Ten, two ahead of Iowa's Greg Brunner. 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 25 double-doubles.
MSU In The RPI - Michigan State is ranked No. 8 in the most recent official NCAA RPI, released Feb. 22. Five Big Ten teams are in the top 13 and seven are in the top 44, including No. 7 Ohio State, No. 10 Iowa, No. 12 Illinois, No. 13 Wisconsin, No. 31 Michigan, and No. 44 Indiana.
1,500-800 Club - Paul Davis (1,620 points, 857 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.
Lending A Helping Hand - Drew Neitzel ranks second in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.63-to-1 and third in assists, averaging 5.54 per game. Over the last 22 games, he has a 3.05-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His best effort in that stretch was a 12-assist, one-turnover effort against Michigan on Feb. 18, as the 12 assists marked the most by a Spartan since Mateen Cleaves recorded 20 against Michigan on March 4, 2000.
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.
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.
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 19.2 points per game, Ager is averaging career bests in rebounding (4.2 rpg), assists (2.7 apg) and steals (0.8 spg). The same can be said for Brown, who is averaging career bests in scoring (18.2 ppg), rebounds (4.3 rpg), assists (2.7 apg) and steals (1.6 spg).
Trannon Out Indefinitely - Matt Trannon broke his jaw against Michigan (Feb. 18) and is out indefinitely. Prior to missing the last two contests, he had started the last 10 games, averaging 5.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.3 minutes. In 18 games this season, he is averaging 4.7 points and 4.3 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.
A High Octane Offense - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 76.2 points per game. Last season, MSU led the Big Ten and ranked 13th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 78.5 points per game.
Playing A Lot Of Minutes - Shannon Brown (35.0 mpg), Maurice Ager (34.6 minutes), Drew Neitzel (32.9 mpg) and Paul Davis (31.0 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 19.2 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 9.2 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 68 assists and 56 turnovers in the last 23 contests. In fact, he recorded a career-best six assists against Boston College. He has recorded five assists or more in seven of the last 22 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 19.0 minutes, 2.0 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 2.7 points and 2.6 boards in 13.5 minutes per contest, while Gray is averaging 3.1 points and 3.7 boards per game and has started eight 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 8.9 points and 7.1 shots per game, while maintaining a 2.63-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 six former Spartans currently on NBA rosters: (Stats through Feb. 23)
Alan Anderson (Charlotte): 22 GP, 12.3 mpg, 4.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.8 apg Charlie Bell (Milwaukee): 31 GP, 1 GS, 16.9 mpg, 5.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.5 apg Morris Peterson (Toronto): 54 GP, 49 GS, 35.7 mpg, 14.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.1 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 51 GP, 49 GS, 35.0 mpg, 18.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.0 apg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 49 GP, 49 GS, 38.4 mpg, 22.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.7 apg Eric Snow (Cleveland): 54 GP, 54 GS, 28.9 mpg, 4.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.3 apg
