Men's Basketball In Action At Indiana On Sunday
1/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#-/24 Michigan State (13-3, 0-1)
vs. Indiana (9-4, 0-1)
January 7, 2007
4:30 p.m. EST
Bloomington, Ind.
Assembly Hall
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM
TV: CBS - Verne Lundquist (PBP), Billy Packer (Color)
The Opening Tip
Michigan State and Indiana enter Sunday's game both looking for their first Big Ten win. The Spartans lost at Iowa on Thursday night, while the Hoosiers fell to Ohio State on Tuesday night in Columbus. Two of the last three and three of the last six games between the two teams in Assembly Hall have gone into overtime. This will be the first meeting between Tom Izzo and Kelvin Sampson in the Big Ten, although they split four games while Sampson was coach at Oklahoma.
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Starting Five
1. Close Calls In Bloomington - Two of the last three Michigan State-Indiana games in Bloomington have gone into overtime. IU won, 78-74, on Feb. 27, 2005, while MSU was a 67-62 victor on Feb. 8, 2003. In fact, three of the last six meetings in Assembly Hall have gone into extra time as the Hoosiers won an 81-79 overtime contest on Feb. 11, 2000. One year later, Indiana defeated No. 1 Michigan State, 59-58, on a last-second 3-pointer. Last season, IU won, 78-71, after MSU held a lead in the final four minutes.
2. 65 Is The Limit - The Spartans have not allowed more than 65 points in a game this season. In fact, Michigan State and Texas A&M are the only two teams in the nation who have not allowed a team to score more than 65 points in a single game.
3. Spartan Defense Among Big Ten's Best - Michigan State ranks among the top defensive teams in the Big Ten. The Spartans lead the league in field-goal percentage defense (.369) and scoring defense (55.4 ppg), while ranking fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.320) and blocked shots (5.63 bpg). Maryland shot a season-high 54.8 percent from the field, and is the only one of MSU's 16 opponents to shoot better than 46 percent from the field, as 12 opponents have shot below 40 percent. The Spartans have held four opponents (Brown, The Citadel, Bradley and IPFW) below 30 percent shooting. MSU's defense is also among the nation's best, ranking ninth in scoring defense (54.9 ppg), ninth in field-goal percentage defense (36.6%) and 20th in blocked shots (5.80 bpg), according to the most recent NCAA stats (Jan. 2).
4. Hitting The Boards - Michigan State has made a commitment to rebounding in 2006-07, as the Spartans boast a Big Ten-best +9.9 rebounding margin, out-rebounding 13 of their 16 opponents, while tying two other teams. According to the most recent NCAA statistics (Jan. 2), the Spartans rank eighth in the nation (+9.8). MSU's greatest margin came against Youngstown State (+21, 39-18), while Boston College is the only team to out-rebound the Spartans (37-36). MSU's rebound margin has been at least +15 in six games. In two games, the Spartans have grabbed more offensive rebounds than their opponents totaled defensive boards. MSU accomplished this feat against both Youngstown State (MSU - 15 off. reb.; YSU - 9 def. reb.) and Maryland (MSU - 17 off. reb.; UMD - 16 def. reb.). Three different Spartans have grabbed 10 or more rebounds in a game, including Marquise Gray (12 vs. Oakland & BYU, 11 vs. Chicago State & Loyola), Drew Naymick (10 vs. Bradley) and Goran Suton (15 vs. UW-Green Bay, 12 vs. Youngstown State & 11 vs. BYU).
5. Nitro's New Role - Last season, Drew Neitzel ranked among the Big Ten leaders in assists, but averaged just 8.3 points per game and attempted just 7.1 shots per game as he distributed the ball to three future NBA players. This year, Neitzel is averaging a team-best 18.4 points per game. In nine of the last 12 games, Neitzel has scored 20 or more, averaging 19.9 points over those 12 contests. He is averaging 12.9 shots and 4.4 free-throw attempts per game. Despite taking more shots, he is shooting a career-best 44.0 percent from the field, including 40.7 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhile, he has continued to be a distributor of the ball, averaging 4.8 assists per contest. For his efforts, Neitzel was named the co-Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 20 and Nov. 27. He leads the Big Ten in minutes played (34.50 mpg), while ranking second in 3-point field goals made (3.13 pg) and free-throw percentage (.900), fourth in scoring (18.4 ppg), fifth in assists (4.81 apg) and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.88).
MSU vs. Indiana Notes
Series History - Indiana leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 62-41, including a 40-10 advantage in games played in Bloomington. MSU has won 10 of the last 16 games in the series. Tom Izzo is 11-8 in his career against Indiana.
Coach Sampson - Kelvin Sampson (Pembroke State University, '78) is 464-261 in his 24th season as a collegiate head coach, including 9-4 in his first season at Indiana. Prior to his stint in Bloomington, Sampson served as head coach at Oklahoma, Washington State and Montana Tech.
Hoosier Notes - Indiana leads the Big Ten in 3-point field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 29.2 percent from behind the arc ... D.J. White leads the Big Ten in rebounding (7.6 rpg) and blocked shots (2.54 bpg) ... Indiana is two wins shy of becoming the ninth program in college basketbal history to record 1,600 wins ... Indiana has used nine different starting lineups this season.
The Last Meeting - Indiana defeated Michigan State, 78-71, on Feb. 26, 2006 in Bloomington. The Hoosiers took control early, using a 20-6 run to take a 41-26 lead late in the first half. Trailing 49-33 with 18:44 left in the game, Michigan State went on a 24-8 run to tie the game at 57. The Spartans held a 69-67 lead before Paul Davis fouled at 3:32. Indiana closed the game on an 11-2 run. Maurice Ager led all scorers with 30 points, the most he ever scored in a Big Ten game, shooting 12-of-18 from the field. Robert Vaden led the Hoosiers with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Game #16 Notes - Iowa 62 - Michigan State 60
* Drew Neitzel scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half.
* For the first time all season, just one Spartan scored in double-figures.
* MSU out-rebounded Iowa by 11, but they were even on the boards in the second half.
* Maurice Joseph scored nine points in 16 minutes off the bench in what Coach Izzo called a "heroic effort" after receiving medical clearance to play just hours before the game. Joseph had missed the last four games with a stress reaction in his right foot.
* Iowa led by 13 points in the first half, before a 12-3 run cut the Spartan deficit to just four at halftime. The Hawkeyes led again by 13 points with 11:50 remaining in the game, but the Spartans pulled within two points with 40 seconds left. Neitzel missed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left that would have tied the game.
* MSU was just 1-of-9 from 3-point range in the first half, but 4-of-7 in the second.
* The Spartans committed eight of their 12 turnovers in the first 12:26 of the game.
Michigan State Notes
Walton's Improved Play - Sophomore co-captain Travis Walton has been asked to carry a lot of the point guard duties this season. He has responded by posting a 2.70 assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking second in the Big Ten, while ranking fourth in the league in assists (5.56 apg). Against UW-Green Bay, Walton recorded eight assists, no turnovers and three steals, while shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the field. He dished out a career-high nine assists against Bradley, while also scoring a career-best 15 points. He has seven games with seven or more assists and four games scoring in double-figures, after not scoring more than seven in a game last season. In addition, Walton usually draws the opponent's top perimeter player as a defensive assignment.
Doing Better With Turnovers - Although Michigan State has struggled with turnovers throughout the season, averaging 14.8 per game, the Spartans are beginning to cut the number a little bit. Over the last three games, MSU is averaging just 10.3 turnovers. Against UW-Green Bay, MSU committed a season-low seven turnovers, the fewest by a Spartan team since March 2004. The turnover problem, however, is not due to poor guard play as MSU's starting backcourt of Drew Neitzel and Travis Walton are averaging a combined 4.6 per game, while both rank in the top eight in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio.
From Way Downtown - Michigan State leads the Big Ten Conference in 3-point field-goal percentage, connecting on 39.7 percent of its attempts from behind the arc. Coach Tom Izzo credits the success in large part to the right players attempting the shots, as just five Spartans have made more than one. Drew Neitzel (50-123, .407) and Maurice Joseph (24-53, .453) are MSU's two most prolific long-range shooters.
Neitzel's Second Halves - As a general rule, Drew Neitzel has been a more explosive scorer in the second half. Through 16 games, Neitzel is averaging 6.8 points in the first half and 11.7 after halftime. In his last game, he scored 17 of his 20 points vs. Iowa in the second half. Recently, he scored 11 points in the first half against Chicago State and 21 after the break, followed by a two-point first half and 18-point second against Belmont. Earlier this season, he followed a four-point first half vs. Maryland with 17 points in the second. In five games this season, Neitzel has scored at least 10 more points in the second half than he did in the first. On the flip side, however, he has also shown a knack for some quick starts. He knocked down four first-half 3-pointers against Youngstown State and Vermont and three in the first against IPFW and Chicago State.
Neitzel Among All-Time Assists Leaders - Drew Neitzel ranks ninth in MSU history with 363 career assists. Neitzel needs nine assists to pass Charlie Bell (371) for eighth place all-time at MSU.
Non-Conference Victories - Michigan State won 13 non-conference games, establishing a school record for regular-season non-conference victories since joinint the Big Ten in 1950-51. Last year's squad won 12 non-conference games. The 1989-90, 1998-99 and 2000-01 squads won 11 non-conference games during the regular season.
Dahlman's Opportunity - With Maurice Joseph and Raymar Morgan both out of the Spartan lineup with injuries, freshman Isaiah Dahlman will see significantly increased playing time. In the seven games without Morgan in the lineup, Dahlman has averaged 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 31.7 minutes, shooting 20-of-40 from the field. He has started the last five games, averaging 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 32.8 minutes, scoring a career-best 11 points vs. Chicago State and grabbing a career-high-tying six boards vs. Belmont. In the first nine games of the season, with Morgan in the lineup, Dahlman averaged just 11.1 minutes, 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
MSU's Block Party - Michigan State has blocked 90 shots through the first 16 games, an average of 5.6 blocks per contest, ranking fourth in the Big Ten. By comparison, MSU blocked just 101 shots last season in 34 games, an average of 3.0 per game. As recently as 2004, MSU blocked just 54 shots for the entire season. The Spartans are led in blocks by Drew Naymick with 29, followed by Idong Ibok with 20 and Marquise Gray with 16. Since blocked shots were first kept as an official statistic in 1977-78, MSU's greatest single-season total was 133 in 2001.
What A Difference A Year Makes - Prior to missing four games with a stress reaction in his right foot, MSU guard Maurice Joseph had opened his sophomore campaign on a strong note. In 12 games this season, he is averaging 8.3 points, including a career-best 16 points vs. Youngstown State, and 18.7 minutes. Joseph returned to action against Iowa, coming off the bench to score nine points in 16 minutes, despite getting medical clearance to play just hours before the game. In 2005-06, Joseph scored 16 points for the entire season, playing just 54 minutes. Joseph is just one example of a player having made giant strides for the Spartans since last year. Drew Naymick (14 vs. YSU), Drew Neitzel (32 vs. Chicago State), Travis Walton (15 vs. Bradley), Marquise Gray (19 vs. Loyola), Goran Suton (27 vs. Loyola) and Idong Ibok (7 vs. Belmont) are returning players who have also posted career highs in scoring this season.
Gray Raises Level Of Play - Marquise Gray has enjoyed the most consistent stretch of his Spartan career over the last eight games. During that stretch, Gray is averaging 11.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in just 21.8 minutes, shooting 65.0 percent (39-of-60) from the field. He has started the last four contests, averaging 11.3 points and 7.8 rebounds, including posting a double-double vs. Loyola, with a career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Ibok Perfect From The Field - Idong Ibok has increased his offensive productivity over the last six games, averaging 4.0 points per game. He has scored 28 points in the last seven contests after scoring just seven points through the first nine games. During the last seven games, Ibok is shooting a perfect 12-of-12 from the field.
Ducre Steps In - With Raymar Morgan and Maurice Joseph out of action with injuries, DeMarcus Ducre is MSU's first perimeter sub off the bench. Ducre saw a career-high 18 minutes of action against Chicago State and scored a career-best four points vs. Belmont. He also owns a career high of four rebounds (vs. Coppin State, 12/31/05). Over the last five games, he is averaging 2.2 points in 12.6 minutes per contest.
Morgan's Contributions - Raymar Morgan has missed the last seven games with a stress reaction in his right shin. He opened his freshman season with six double-figure efforts, becoming the first Spartan freshman to open his career with six games scoring in double figures. In fact, no other Spartan freshman had scored double figures in more than their first three games. Previously, Sam Vincent (1981-82) was the only Spartan freshman to score 10 or more in his first three games. Morgan is currently the team's second-leading scorer at 11.7 ppg, and has scored in double-figures in eight of his nine contests. He scored a game-high 18 points in MSU's win over No. 19 Texas, and also scored 18 against Bradley.
College Hoops Classic Recap - Michigan State finished second in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches Vs. Cancer. MSU defeated Brown, 45-34, and Youngstown State, 86-61, to advance to the Championship Rounds in New York's Madison Square Garden. In the semifinals, MSU upset No. 19 Texas, 63-61, when Drew Neitzel made a driving layup with 2.4 seconds remaining. The next day, the Spartans lost a close 62-60 decision to Maryland. Neitzel was named the East Lansing Regional MVP and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team in New York.
Looking For No. 10 - Last year, Michigan State made its ninth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. It is the longest current streak among Big Ten schools and fifth longest in the nation. Only Arizona (22), Kansas (17), Kentucky (15) and Duke (11) have longer current streaks.
Spartans In The NBA - Nine former Spartans were on NBA rosters on opening day of the 2006-07 season. They include Maurice Ager (Dallas Mavericks), Alan Anderson (Charlotte Bobcats), Charlie Bell (Milwaukee Bucks), Shannon Brown (Cleveland Cavaliers), Paul Davis (Los Angeles Clippers), Morris Peterson (Toronto Raptors), Zach Randolph (Portland Trail Blazers), Jason Richardson (Golden State Warriors) and Eric Snow (Cleveland Cavaliers). The nine players on opening day rosters gives MSU the most of any Big Ten school and ranks sixth in the nation behind UConn (14), Duke (13), North Carolina (12), Arizona (10) and UCLA (10).
Backcourt Leadership - Michigan State will be led in 2006-07 by the backcourt duo of Drew Neitzel and Travis Walton, having been voted co-captains by their teammates. Neitzel is MSU's leading returning scorer, having averaged 8.3 points per game last season. He also led the Big Ten in assists in conference games, dishing out 5.56 helpers per contest. Although just a sophomore, Walton is an unquestioned leader on the Spartan squad. He averaged just 1.8 points and 2.4 assists last year, but in just under 20 minutes per game, he provided good defense and solid leadership. Walton becomes the third sophomore captain under head coach Tom Izzo, joining Antonio Smith in 1996-97 and Mateen Cleaves in 1997-98.
Spartans In The NBA Draft - With three Spartans selected in the 2006 NBA Draft, Michigan State has had 10 players drafted in the last seven drafts, ranking behind only Connecticut (11) and Duke (11). With Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown being selected in the first round, the Spartans have produced six first rounders in the last seven years, ranking behind only Connecticut (8) and Duke (7) and tied with North Carolina.
A Familiar Situation - While much is made of Michigan State losing three starters to the 2006 NBA Draft, it's encouraging to know that the Spartans are not in an unfamiliar setting. On the stat sheet, MSU returns just 22.4 percent of its points, 30.8 percent of its rebounds, and 40.5 percent of its minutes from last year's team. By comparison, the 2001-02 team returned just 19.0 percent of the points, 18.0 percent of the rebounds and 26.3 percent of the minutes from the 2001 team that won the Big Ten and advanced to the Final Four. In 2002, the Spartans finished just one game out of first place and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The key was that players stepped up their level of performance: Marcus Taylor went from averaging 7.4 points to being a first-team all-league selection, and Adam Ballinger increased his scoring average from 1.9 ppg to 11.2, securing third-team All-Big Ten accolades.
Winning Freshmen - If there is one common trait for freshmen Isaiah Dahlman, Tom Herzog and Raymar Morgan, it is that they are all winners. Over the last two years, the trio posted a combined mark of 152-8 with their high school teams, winning a combined four state championships. Dahlman was 95-4 over the last three years, including winning 65-straight games at one point, while Braham Area won three-consecutive Minnesota 2A state championships. Morgan led Canton McKinley to back-to-back Ohio Division 1 state championships, becoming the first school to win two straight crowns in Ohio's largest division since 1974. Herzog was 37-3 over the last two seasons, winning a district championship in 2005.
Experience In The Front Court - While Drew Neitzel is the only full-time returning starter for Michigan State, there are three Spartans in the frontcourt that gained starting experience in 2005-06, combining for 22 starts. Red-shirt junior Drew Naymick started the first seven games of the season before a shoulder injury forced him to miss the rest of the year. Red-shirt sophomore Marquise Gray started nine contests as an athletic power forward, while classmate Goran Suton used his wide array of skills to earn the starting job in six games, including all four postseason contests.
Tough Competition - Michigan State will play nine teams that appeared in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, including five league foes (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State and Wisconsin) and four non-conference teams (Belmont, Boston College, Bradley and Texas). In addition, five other opponents appeared in the 2006 NIT (BYU, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and Penn State), making it likely that 20 of the Spartans' 31 regular-season games will be against team that played in the 2006 postseason. For comparison, Michigan State played eight 2005 NCAA Tournament teams last season, six 2004 NCAA Tournament teams in 2004-05 and 10 2003 NCAA Tournament teams in 2003-04, a year which featured one of the most difficult schedules in recent college basketball history.
Spartans On TV - Michigan State will have a minimum of 26 games televised in 2006-07, including at least 14 on national television networks (ESPN - 6, ESPN2 - 4, CBS - 3, ESPNU - 1). In addition, the final two regular-season games could be picked up by national networks. MSU will also have one game (vs. IPFW) carried on ESPN360, ESPN's internet broadcast. From 1997-98 to 2005-06, MSU averaged 29 televised games per year, including 18 per season on national television networks. This includes 71 appearances on CBS and 91 on ESPN and ESPN2.
Neitzel On Cousy List - Junior point guard Drew Neitzel is one of 36 Division I candidates for the 2007 Bob Cousy Award. Presented annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the award recognizes the top collegiate point guard participating in NCAA Divisions I, II and III. As a sophomore, Neitzel ranked third in the Big Ten in overall assists (5.56 apg) and tied for the conference lead in league games (5.56 apg). Additionally, he led the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.78). The selection committee is comprised of college basketball experts including media members, former coaches and players. Candidates are evaluated on their ability to maximize their team's collective potential, their leadership, their core basketball skills and overall team acheivement. Wisconsin's Kammron Taylor is the only other Big Ten player on the list, which also includes two Division II and one Division III candidates.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 12th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 268-112 (.705), and 125-56 (.691) in the Big Ten, as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. In 2005, 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.
Among The Big Ten's Best - Tom Izzo's .691 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 (.705). With 125 conference victories, Izzo is currently tied for 13th all-time with former Iowa head coach Tom Davis.
Izzo Among Best Ever - Through his first 11 seasons, Tom Izzo won 255 games, ranking ninth in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 11 years.
Graduating Student-Athletes - In Tom Izzo's 11 full years directing the Spartan program, 82 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last seven years, 21 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees, including five each in 2001 and 2003.
Izzo's Coaching Tree - Five current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Tom Crean (Marquette), Brian Gregory (Dayton), Stan Heath (Arkansas), Stan Joplin (Toledo) and Doug Wojcik (Tulsa). Gregory is in his fourth year as head coach, 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 second season at Tulsa. Former assistant Mike Garland served as head coach at Cleveland State for three seasons after leaving Izzo's staff in 2003. He is currently an assistant coach at SMU.
Vs. Ranked Opponents - Tom Izzo has a career record of 60-54 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. This includes a 53-43 record since 1997-98.
