Michigan State Plays Second Straight Road Game At Northwestern
1/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#10/10 Michigan State (16-2, 4-1)
vs. Northwestern (6-9, 0-5)
January 24, 2008
9 p.m. EST
Evanston, Ill.
Welsh-Ryan Arena
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM 1240 AM/WMMQ 94.9 FM
TV: ESPN2 - Terry Gannon (Play by Play), Stephen Bardo (Color)
Coach Izzo Press Conference - Jan. 22 (All Access)
Coach Izzo Radio Show - Jan. 21
The Opening Tip
Michigan State is back on the road as it plays at Northwestern on Thursday night. The Spartans are coming off a 78-73 road win at Minnesota on Sunday afternoon, and are 5-2 away from the Breslin Center this season. MSU has won 13 of its last 14 contests. Northwestern is looking for its first conference win of the season, having opened league play with three of its first five games on the road. After the NU contest, MSU will return home for two straight home games.
The Starting Five
1. A Balanced Scoring Attack - Although just two Spartans are averaging double-figures in scoring, Michigan State can get scoring contributions from many different sources. Seven Spartans average at least 5.9 points per game, and nine Spartans have scored 10 or more points in a single game this season. Five different players have led MSU in scoring in a single game, including all three true freshmen. In 11 games, four or more Spartans have scored in double figures, as MSU is 11-0 in those contests.
2. Suton On The Glass - Goran Suton ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding at 8.8 boards per contest, and second in offensive rebounds (3.44 orpg). In conference games, he ranks second in the league at 10.4 rpg. Earlier this season, Suton grabbed 20 caroms against Oakland, becoming the first Spartan since Kevin Willis in 1983 to record 20 boards in a game. Suton has led the team in rebounding in 11 games. He has seven games with double-figure rebounds and four more contests with nine boards. Suton leads the team with five double-doubles.
3. Lending A Helping Hand - MSU leads the Big Ten in assists, averaging 18.28 helpers per contest, ranking 12th in the nation (as of Jan. 22). The Spartans have recorded an assist on 67.0 percent of their baskets. Individually, Drew Neitzel (4th, 4.67 apg), Travis Walton (5th, 4.44 apg) and Kalin Lucas (7th, 4.11 apg) rank in the top seven in the conference in assists.
4. Production Off The Bench - Because of its depth, Michigan State usually has a more productive bench than its opponent. The Spartan bench has outscored its opponent in 14 of 18 games. The MSU bench has also out-rebounded the opponent bench in 13 games.
5. Too Many Turnovers - Michigan State is averaging 14.6 turnovers per game for the season, and 16.6 turnovers in conference play. Spartan opponents are averaging 17.2 points off turnovers in league games, compared to just 9.0 per game for the Spartans. For the most part, the turnovers are not coming from the point guards, as Drew Neitzel, Travis Walton and Kalin Lucas combine to average just 5.0 turnovers per game. Neitzel leads the Big Ten with a 3.65-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Walton ranks second at 2.76-to-1, and Lucas is seventh at 1.95-to-1. In fact, Neitzel ranks third in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, while Walton ranks 17th (as of Jan. 22).
MSU vs. Northwestern Notes
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Northwestern, 74-36. Northwestern, however, owns a 29-28 advantage in games played in Evanston. The Spartans have won nine straight games in the series, 16 of the last 17 and 36 of the last 38 contests. Tom Izzo is 19-2 in his career against Northwestern.
Coach Carmody - Bill Carmody (Union College, '75) is 193-147 in his 12th season as a collegiate head coach, including 101-122 in eight seasons at Northwestern. He served as head coach at Princeton from 1996-2000.
Wildcat Notes - Northwestern leads the Big Ten in turnover margin (+5.47), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.51) and 3-point field goals made (8.67 pg), and ranks second in assists (17.47 apg) and steals (9.27) ... Freshman Michael Thompson ranks second in the Big Ten in assists (5.13 apg) ... Craig Moore leads the conference, making 3.13 3-pointers per contest ... Kevin Coble, who missed the season's first nine games, scored 34 points against Michigan, marking the most points scored by a league player this season.
The Last Meeting In Evanston - Michigan State defeated Northwestern, 77-66, on Feb. 4, 2006 in Evanston. In the game, Tom Izzo recorded his 250th career victory, and Shannon Brown scored 22 points to become the 36th player in Spartan history to score 1,000 career points. Maurice Ager recorded his third career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. A total of just 10 players made a field goal in the game. MSU held an early 11-point lead, but an 11-0 Wildcat run tied the game at 28. With a 33-29 halftime lead, the Spartans opened the second half on a 17-6 run to jump to a 50-35 lead.
The Last Meeting - Michigan State defeated Northwestern, 62-57, on March 8, 2007, in the First Round of the Big Ten Tournament. Led by Drew Neitzel's 20 points, Michigan State shot 57.9 percent from the field, including 53.8 percent from 3-point range. Raymar Morgan added 15 points for MSU, 10 of which came in the second half. Kevin Coble and Craig Moore each scored 15 points for Northwestern.
Game 18 Notes • Michigan State 78 - Minnesota 73
* After scoring just two first-half points and missing his first three 3-pointers, Drew Neitzel hit five straight three's in the second half en route to a 17-point half.
* Michigan State starters scored just eight of the team's 31 first-half points, but scored 43 of the team's 47 second-half points.
* Goran Suton recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
* Raymar Morgan missed his first seven free throws, but hit all five in the game's final 2:32.
* As a team, Michigan State made its final 11 free throws in the final 2:32.
* Leading 55-53 with 7:36 remaining, Michigan State went on a 10-2 run over the next 2:46 to claim a 65-55 lead. Minnesota never got closer than five points after that.
* Michigan State's defense held Minnesota without a field goal over the final 5:27 of the first half, closing the stanza on a 9-2 run to take a 31-27 halftime lead.
MSU Basketball Notes
Hitting The Boards - Michigan State has a Big Ten-best +10.1 rebound margin, ranking fourth in the nation (as of Jan. 22). MSU is 15-1 this season when out-rebounding its opponent. In MSU's 16 wins, the Spartans have a +11.6 rebound margin, but lost the only game in which they were outrebounded (UCLA; 37-28). MSU and Texas tied on the boards in their Top-10 meeting. In 2006-07, MSU posted a +7.0 rebounding margin, outrebounding 24 of 35 opponents while tying three other teams.
MSU's Super Soph - After a solid freshman campaign, Raymar Morgan is having a breakout sophomore season. Morgan leads MSU in scoring (16.4 ppg), field goals made (103) and free throws made (86) and attempted (121), ranks second in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and field goals attempted (185), third in blocks (13) and fourth in steals (16). He is second on the team with three double-doubles. The Canton, Ohio, native ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring, seventh in rebounding, and third in field-goal percentage (.557). Morgan's play has been recognized nationally, as he was named a Midseason All-American by Rivals.com and a pre-conference All-American by Fran Fraschilla of ESPN.com. He also made Jay Bilas' Honor Roll on Dec. 31 (second team) and Jan. 7 (first team). He was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Jan. 7, earning the honor for the second time this season.
Kalin Raises His Play - Over the last seven games, Kalin Lucas is averaging 13.3 points and 4.6 assists, despite going scoreless against Iowa. Before the Texas game, MSU coach Tom Izzo told Lucas this was his opportunity to burst onto the national scene. Lucas responded with an 18-point, six-rebound, six-assist effort, leading the team in points and assists, and establishing new career highs in points and rebounds. Basketball experts across the nation noticed the performance, as Lucas was named Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week, and earned a spot on Jay Bilas' Honor Roll first team on ESPN.com. He followed that game with a 17-point, nine-assist, zero-turnover performance against Green Bay, and 17 points and three assists in his Big Ten debut against Minnesota. He led MSU with 16 points in a win over Purdue and tied for the team lead with 13 points against Ohio State.
MSU's Block Party - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten with 4.94 blocks per contest (89 total blocks). Over the last eight games, the Spartans have blocked 47 shots (5.9 bpg), including a school single-game record 13 against San Jose State. In 2006-07, Michigan State blocked a school single-season record 162 shots.
Naymick Breaks Block Record - Drew Naymick owns the MSU career record with 101 blocked shots. He passed Matt Steigenga for the Michigan State career lead with a block at Iowa on Jan. 12. Last season, Naymick led the Spartans with 55 rejections, good for the second-best single-season total in MSU history. He ranks fifth in the Big Ten this season with 1.50 blocks per contest. Naymick has blocked 10 shots in the five conference games, ranking second in league play.
High-Octane Offense - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 74.8 points per game. That average is the third-highest during Tom Izzo's coaching career, trailing only the 2004-05 Spartan squad which averaged 78.5 points and the 2000-01 team at 77.4 points per contest.
Attacking The Offensive Glass - Michigan State has nearly as many offensive boards (260) as its opponents have defensive rebounds (327), as the Spartans grab 44.3 percent of their own missed shots. As a point of comparison, no other league team is at 40 percent. The best percentage in Tom Izzo's head coaching career was the 2000-01 squad, which grabbed 47.1 percent of its misses. In five games (Chicago State, ULM, Oakland, Bradley and BYU), the Spartans had more offensive rebounds than their opponent had defensive boards. MSU is averaging 14.4 offensive rebounds per game, and has recorded at least 10 offensive boards in 15 of the 18 contests, including four games with 20 or more offensive rebounds.
MSU's X-Factor - Marquise Gray is a real X-factor for the Spartans in the sense that when he is productive, Michigan State will most always win. Gray has scored in double figures 14 times in his career, and the Spartans are 13-1 in those games. The lone loss came against North Carolina in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, where Gray tallied 11 points. In addition, MSU is 4-0 when Gray grabs 10 or more rebounds and 3-0 when he posts a double-double.
Finding Success At The Foul Line - Michigan State is shooting .727 from the foul line, ranking second in the Big Ten. The Spartans are averaging 21.6 attempts and 15.7 makes per contest. In the Spartans' two losses, they have totaled 19 free-throw attempts, including just four against Iowa. Last season, MSU averaged 19.2 attempts and 13.8 makes. Individually, Raymar Morgan has the most trips to the foul line (121), averaging 4.8 points per game at the stripe.
MSU's Difficult Schedule - Michigan State played four non-conference teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 at the time of the game (No. 2 UCLA, No. 24 NC State, No. 20 BYU and No. 4 Texas). The four games against ranked non-conference opponents are the most for any team currently ranked in the AP Top 25. The only other teams ranked in the Top 25 to play as many as three ranked non-conference opponents are Duke, Memphis, Texas, and Wisconsin. North Carolina did not play a ranked non-conference opponent in 2007-08.
I Love The 80's - The Spartan offense has scored more than 80 points in seven games this season, surpassing last year's number of 80-point games. Last season, MSU scored 80 or more points in just five of 35 contests.
Maintaining The Defense - Michigan State is holding its opponents to 39.1 percent shooting overall, and 32.2 percent shooting from 3-point range. Last year, MSU allowed opponents to shoot just 38.4 percent, the lowest percentage since 1958-59. The Spartans have held 10 of 18 opponents below 40 percent shooting. Green Bay shot a season-best 49.2 percent for a Spartan opponent. Last year, MSU held 23 of 35 opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field.
First-Half Shooting - Michigan State has led at halftime in 15 of 18 games. In 11 of the 15 games the Spartans led at the half, they shot 50 percent or better in the first period. MSU shot a season-best 61.5 percent in the first stanza against ULM. In the three games in which MSU trailed at the half (Bradley, BYU and Iowa), the Spartans failed to shoot 50 percent. The IPFW, San Jose State and both Minnesota contests are the only games where MSU led at half after not shooting 50 percent.
Spartans Shooting Well - Michigan State is shooting 48.3 percent from the field this season, ranking second in the Big Ten and having shot better than 50 percent in seven games. Last season, MSU shot 46.9 percent.
Spartan Depth - Nine different Spartans are averaging 12.8 minutes or more. Drew Neitzel leads the Spartans at 30.9 minutes per game, five fewer than he averaged last season (35.7 mpg), when he played more minutes than any Spartan since 1991.
Freshmen Contributions - Michigan State has played three true scholarship freshmen (Chris Allen, Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers) this season. The trio is averaging 22.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 50.2 minutes.
Neitzel Among Career Leaders - Drew Neitzel currently ranks fifth in career assists at Michigan State with 521. He stands second in MSU career free throw percentage (.853), third in 3-point field goals made (221) and 3-point field goals attempted (547).
Neitzel Moving Up Scoring List - Drew Neitzel ranks 20th in Michigan State career scoring with 1,276 points. He needs 21 points to pass Matt Steigenga (1,296 points). Neitzel scored his 1,000th-career point against Marquette in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
Dickie V's Coach Of The Week - After leading Michigan State to back-to-back victories away from East Lansing against Bradley and BYU, Tom Izzo was named Coach of the Week by Dick Vitale on his web site on Dec. 10. Vitale wrote "It is never easy to win on the road in college basketball and Izzo led the Spartans to victories at two difficult places."
Spartans Play For Record Crowds - In addition to playing in front of sellout crowds at home, Michigan State is a top draw on the road, as the Spartans played in front of two record crowds during the first week of December. On Dec. 4, MSU played in front of 11,597, the largest crowd ever to witness a Bradley home game. In Dec. 8's win over BYU, the Spartans played in front of the largest crowd ever to watch a college basketball game in Salt Lake City (16,412).
Morgan Is Two-Time Big Ten POW - Raymar Morgan was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 19, sharing the honor with Indiana freshman Eric Gordon. The Spartan sophomore averaged 19.0 points and 14.5 rebounds in the East Lansing Regional of the CBE Classic, earning Regional MVP honors. On Jan. 7, Morgan shared the honors with Penn State's Geary Claxton after the Spartan sophomore scored a career-high 31 points to go along with 10 rebounds against Minnesota.
Home Sweet Home - During Tom Izzo's career as head coach, the Spartans are 175-22 (.888) at home, including 152-13 (.921) over the last 11 years.
Returning Talent - The Spartans return 89.8 percent of their scoring (2,043 points), 92.6 percent of their rebounding (1,021 rebounds), 93.2 percent of their assists (522 assists) and 89.4 percent of their minutes (6,256 minutes) from the 2006-07 squad.
Playing With Team USA - Raymar Morgan and Drew Neitzel had the opportunity to play for Team USA over the summer. Morgan made the 2007 USA U19 World Championship Team, winning a silver medal at the FIBA U19 World Championships. He started six of the nine contests, averaging 9.2 points (sixth most on the team) and 4.3 rebounds (fourth most). Neitzel made the 2007 USA Pan American Games Team, helping the team to a 3-2 mark. He led Team USA in minutes (29.6 mpg) and assists (2.2 apg), while ranking fifth in scoring (8.2 ppg).
Big Ten Favorites - Michigan State was selected the preseason Big Ten favorite by a 22-member media panel at Big Ten Media Day on Oct. 28 in Chicago. MSU was followed in the polls by Indiana and Ohio State. At the event, Drew Neitzel was also selected Preseason Big Ten Player of The Year, becoming the first Spartan to earn the preseason nod since Mateen Cleaves was the coaches' pick in 1999. Indiana's D.J. White, Ohio State Jamar Butler, Penn State's Geary Claxton and Illinois' Shaun Pruitt joined Neitzel on the all-league team.
MSU Among Decade's Best - In early May 2007, ESPN.com released a ranking of the top 10 programs of the last 10 years. Michigan State was tied for second in the consensus ranking of five college basketball experts. One of the five voters, Andy Katz, ranked MSU as the top program over the last 10 seasons. In ranking the Spartans at the top of the list, Katz used several supporting arguments including: appearing in a nation's best four Final Fours; winning four Big Ten Championships, two Big Ten Tournament Titles and the 2000 NCAA Championship; 10 straight NCAA Tournament appearances; 10 players selected in the NBA Draft; playing 32 ranked regular-season non-conference opponents; 30 graduates; 145 consecutive home sellouts and a .916 winning percentage at Breslin over the last 10 years.
A Perfect 10 - Michigan State made its 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007. It is the longest current streak among Big Ten schools and fifth longest in the nation. Only Arizona (23), Kansas (18), Kentucky (16) and Duke (12) have longer current streaks. It is also the second longest streak in Big Ten history. Indiana appeared in 18 consecutive tournaments between 1986 and 2003.
Spartans On The Run - After Michigan State's season-ending loss to North Carolina in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Tom Izzo promised that the Spartans would return to the up-tempo style of basketball that he prefers to play. Look for the Spartans to significantly improve on the 65.0 points they averaged last season. Instead, expect something similar to the 2004-05 squad that averaged 78.5 points per contest, the most by any Izzo-coached team.
The Other Foundations - While an up-tempo offense is Tom Izzo's preferred style, his best teams are also built around exceptional rebounding and strong defense. In fact, MSU led the Big Ten in rebounding margin in 2006-07 for the eighth time in the last 10 years. Defensively, the Spartans allowed opponents just 57.2 points per game, the lowest total since 1951-52. While that number might increase due to a faster pace of game, the field-goal percentage defense need not increase. Last year, MSU allowed opponents to shoot just 38.4 percent, the lowest since 1958-59.
Preseason All-American - A second-team All-American as selected by Dick Vitale and CBS Sports.com in 2006-07, Drew Neitzel opens the 2007-08 season as a popular pick for first-team All-America honors. In fact, Neitzel is a preseason first-team All-American according to The Associated Press, Athlon Sports College Basketball, Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and Dick Vitale. Teammate Raymar Morgan made Vitale's fourth team.
Neitzel On Cousy List - Senior 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. 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. Neitzel is the only Big Ten player on the list, which also includes two Division II and Division III candidates.
Spartans Make Wooden And Naismith Lists - Raymar Morgan and Drew Neitzel are two of 50 players nationwide to earn a spot on the 2007-08 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T preseason candidate watch list. The Naismith watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its preseason criteria on player performances from last season and expectations for the 2007-08 season. Morgan and Neitzel are two of just four Big Ten players on the Naismith watch list, where they are joined by Penn State's Geary Claxton and Indiana's D.J. White. Neitzel was also selected one of the top 50 preseason candidates for the 2007-08 John R. Wooden Award. The John R. Wooden Award, presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, has been presented annually since 1976. Neitzel and White are the only Big Ten players on the preseason list for the Wooden Award. Last season, Neitzel was one of 22 players to appear on the final ballot for the Wooden Award.
Spartan Opponents In The Polls - Four Michigan State opponents are ranked in the latest The Associated Press Top 25, including No. 4 UCLA, No. 9 Indiana, No. 17 Wisconsin and No. 19 Texas. (Based on Jan. 14 rankings.)
Spartans In The NBA - Seven former Spartans are currently on NBA rosters, including Charlie Bell (Milwaukee Bucks), Shannon Brown (Cleveland Cavaliers), Paul Davis (Los Angeles Clippers), Morris Peterson (New Orleans Hornets), Zach Randolph (New York Knicks), Jason Richardson (Charlotte Bobcats) and Eric Snow (Cleveland Cavaliers).
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 13th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 294-123 (.705), and 137-64 (.682) 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 12 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 The Associated Press, Basketball News and the USBWA in '98.
Among The Big Ten's Best - Tom Izzo's .682 winning percentage in Big Ten games ranks third all-time among league coaches with at least 10 years of service, behind former Indiana coach Bob Knight (.700) and Purdue's Ward Lambert (.685). In all games, Knight ranks first at .734, followed by Wisconsin's Walter Meanwell (.712), Lambert (.709) and Izzo (.705). With 137 conference victories, Izzo ranks 13th all-time, one behind Northwestern's Arthur Lonborg.
Izzo Against Ranked Opponents - In his 13 years of coaching, Tom Izzo is 64-59 against ranked opponents.
Izzo Among Best Ever - Through his first 12 seasons, Tom Izzo won 278 games, ranking ninth in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 12 years.
Graduating Student-Athletes - In Tom Izzo's 12 full years directing the Spartan program, 82 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last eight years, 27 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees, including five each in 2001, 2003 and 2007.
Izzo's Coaching Tree - Six current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Jim Boylen (Utah), Tom Crean (Marquette), Brian Gregory (Dayton), Stan Heath (South Florida), Stan Joplin (Toledo) and Doug Wojcik (Tulsa). Gregory is in his fifth 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 third season at Tulsa. Mike Garland served as head coach at Cleveland State for three seasons after leaving Izzo's staff in 2003. He is now back as an assistant coach at MSU. Most recently, Jim Boylen left MSU following the 2007 season, and is in his first season with Utah.
