Michigan State Faces Iowa In Big Ten Tournament Semifinals
3/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 11, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
2006 Big Ten TournamentMichigan State (22-10, 8-8)vs. Iowa (23-8, 11-5)
March 11, 20061:40 p.m. ESTIndianapolis, Ind.Conseco Fieldhouse
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM
TV: CBS - Jim Nantz (Play by Play), Billy Packer (Color)
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
Michigan State plays its third game in three days as it faces Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. The Spartans are coming off a 61-56 victory over No. 9 Illinois, while Iowa defeated Minnesota, 67-57. The two teams split a pair of games in the regular season, with each team winning on its home court. The Spartans and Hawkeyes have split the two previous meetings in the tournament, with MSU winning in 2000 and UI winning last season. Facing No. 20 Iowa, Michigan State is 7-6 against ranked teams this year.
The Starting Five
MSU In The Big Ten Tournament - The Spartans are looking to capture their third Big Ten Tournament championship. In nine years of the Big Ten Tournament, MSU has a record of 10-6. The Spartans won the tournament in 1999 and 2000, and lost in the quarterfinals in 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2005. MSU lost in the semifinals in 2003 and 2004. This is the first year in which Michigan State played on the opening day of the tournament. MSU is 2-2 in semifinal games. The Spartans are 3-2 when the tournament is held in Indianapolis.
MSU Vs. Iowa In The Big Ten Tournament - Michigan State and Iowa have split two meetings in the Big Ten Tournament. In 2000, No. 2 MSU defeated No. 7 Iowa, 75-65, in the quarterfinals. Iowa's Dean Oliver led all scorers with 30 points, but Morris Peterson's 22 points led four Spartans in double figures. Last season, No. 7 Iowa defeated No. 2 MSU, 71-69. The Spartans rallied from nine points down in the second half to tie the game. With MSU trailing by one point with 6.5 seconds remaining, Alan Anderson (an 89.8 percent foul shooter) missed two free throws. For the game, MSU shot 15-of-30 at the foul line, after entering the game leading the nation in free-throw percentage (.791). Anderson led MSU with 18 points and Greg Brunner and Mike Henderson led Iowa with 17 points.
No. 6 Seeds In Tournament History - Including MSU's two wins this season, No. 6 seeds are 14-7 all-time in Big Ten Tournament history. Iowa won the 2001 Big Ten Tournament as the No. 6 seed, while Wisconsin (2000) and Indiana (2003) advanced to the semifinals. Only the No. 2 seed (15-4) has more victories in tournament play.
Davis Against The Hawkeyes - Paul Davis recorded a double-double in both games against the Hawkeyes this season, recording 19 points and 12 rebounds in East Lansing and 17 points and 11 boards in Iowa City.
Playing The Best - According to ESPN.com's InsideRPI (updated March 10), no school has played more games against top 25 teams and top 50 teams than Michigan State. The Spartans have played 12 games against top 25 teams. Indiana is second on the list with 11 games. MSU also has played a nation's best 17 games against top-50 competition, followed by West Virginia with 16 and Connecticut and Northern Iowa with 15. Michigan State is 6-6 against the top 25 and 9-8 against the top 50. Only Connecticut (7) has more victories against the top 25.
Big Ten Tournament Notes
* Maurice Ager is leading MSU in scoring, averaging 18.0 points in two games, shooting 48.0 percent from the field, including 44.4 percent from 3-point range.
* Michigan State's defense is holding opponents to just 57.0 points and 39.4 percent shooting, including 27.6 percent from 3-point range.
* Michigan State has a +4.5 rebound margin in two games.
* Goran Suton is averaging 9.0 points and 6.5 rebounds, after averaging 2.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in the regular season.
* After averaging 14.3 turnovers in the regular season, Michigan State is averaging just 11.0 turnovers in two games.
* For the first time in the tournament's history, Michigan State played on Thursday.
Game 32 Notes - Michigan State 61 - Illinois 56
* Goran Suton tied a career high with 10 rebounds, tying the third most by a Spartan in Big Ten Tournament history.
* Michigan State's defense allowed Illinois to shoot 55.6 percent from 3-point range in the first half, but held the Illini to just 11.1 percent behind the arc in the second half.
* Michigan State held Dee Brown to just five points on 2-of-10 shooting, after the Illini guard averaged 27.0 points in the two regular season meetings.
* Michigan State improved to 3-0 against Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament.
* Maurice Ager's 3-pointer at 7:04 gave Michigan State a 23-20 lead. Illinois never pulled even after that, although the Illini pulled within a single point on three occasions.
* Paul Davis established a Michigan State Big Ten Tournament record, shooting 70.0 percent from the field (7-of-10).
* Michigan State improved to 5-4 in Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals action.
* Michigan State's win snapped a five-game winning streak for the Illini in the series.
Iowa Notes
Coach Alford - Steve Alford (Indiana, '87) is 289-168 in his 15th season as a collegiate head coach, including 133-91 in his seventh season at Iowa. Prior to his arrival in Iowa City, he served as the head coach at Southwest Missouri State for four seasons and at Division III Manchester College for four years.
Iowa Notes - Greg Brunner leads the Big Ten in rebounding (9.4 rpg), Erek Hansen leads the conference in blocked shots (2.65 bpg) and Jeff Horner leads the league in assists (5.67 apg) ... Iowa leads the Big Ten in field-goal percentage defense (.382), blocked shots (5.00 bpg), rebounding offense (37.9 rpg) and defensive rebounds (26.74 drpg).
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Iowa, 56-49. The two teams have split a pair of meetings in the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans have won 13 of the last 17 games. Tom Izzo is 14-5 in his career against the Hawkeyes.
The Last Meeting - Iowa defeated Michigan State, 66-54, on Feb. 14 in Iowa City. MSU led 37-35 early in the second half, but Iowa took control with an 8-0 run. The Spartan defense held Iowa to 40 percent shooting in the first half, but the Hawkeyes shot 53.8 percent in the second half, including 66.7 percent from 3-point range. Jeff Horner and Greg Brunner each scored 15 points to pace the Hawkeyes, while Brunner added 10 rebounds. Paul Davis led all scorers with 17 points, adding 11 rebounds.
