Michigan State Hosts Michigan In Only Regular-Season Meeting
1/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#10/10 Michigan State (17-2, 5-1)
vs. Michigan (5-14, 1-6)
January 27, 2008
1 p.m. EST
East Lansing, Mich.
Breslin Center
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM 1240 AM/WMMQ 94.9 FM
TV: CBS - Kevin Harlan (Play by Play), Clark Kellogg (Color)
Listen To Spartan Sports Podcasts
Drew
Kalin
The Opening Tip
Michigan State will host Michigan in the 162nd meeting between the two schools. This will be the only game between the Spartans and Wolverines during the regular season. The Spartans return home after back-to-back road wins at Minnesota and Northwestern. MSU is a perfect 11-0 at home this season, and has won 15 straight games at the Breslin Center. Michigan is coming off a strong showing at Wisconsin on Tuesday, losing to the No. 11 Badgers by just three points.
The Starting Five
1. Neitzel Breaks Out - After averaging 7.7 points in the first three conference games of the season, Drew Neitzel has been strong in the last three games, averaging 17.3 points, including 19.5 in the last two. He is shooting .515 (17-of-33) from the field and .538 (14-of-26) from 3-point range over the last three, after shooting .273 (9-of-33) and .188 (3-of-16) in the first three league contests. On the season, he is shooting .431, including .436 from 3-point range, compared to .435 overall and .401 from 3-point range last season through 19 games.
2. Allen In Action - Chris Allen has re-emerged as a regular part of the Spartan rotation over the last four games, having missed four of the prior six contests with a bone bruise in his left foot. Over the last four games, Allen is averaging 9.3 points in 15.5 minutes, shooting .571 (12-of-21) from the field and .615 (8-of-13) from 3-point range. He is averaging 14.0 points in the last two games, including tying his season high with 17 points vs. Northwestern.
3. A Balanced Scoring Attack - Although just two Spartans are averaging double-figures in scoring (Raymar Morgan - 16.8; Drew Neitzel - 13.8), Michigan State can get scoring contributions from many different sources. Seven Spartans average at least 5.6 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 conference play, three Spartans average double figures (Morgan - 15.5; Neitzel - 12.5; Kalin Lucas - 11.0). In 11 games, four or more Spartans have scored in double figures, as MSU is 11-0 in those contests.
4. Suton On The Glass - Goran Suton ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding at 8.5 boards per contest, and in offensive rebounds (3.32 orpg). In conference games, he ranks second in the league at 9.2 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.
5. Lending A Helping Hand - MSU leads the Big Ten in assists, averaging 18.63 helpers per contest, ranking 9th in the nation (as of Jan. 25). The Spartans have recorded an assist on 68.1 percent of their baskets. Individually, Drew Neitzel (3rd, 4.68 apg), Travis Walton (5th, 4.53 apg) and Kalin Lucas (7th, 4.05 apg) rank in the top seven in the conference in assists.
MSU vs. Michigan Notes
Series History - Michigan leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 91-70. MSU, however, owns a 43-35 advantage in games played in East Lansing and has won 14 of the last 17 games overall. The Spartans have won nine straight at the Breslin Center. Tom Izzo is 14-8 in his career against the Wolverines.
Coach Beilein - John Beilein (Butler, `90) is 481-289 in his 26th season as a four-year collegiate head coach, including 5-14 in his first season at Michigan. His coaching career also includes stints at West Virginia, Richmond, Canisius, LaMoyne, Nazareth and Erie Community College.
Wolverine Notes - Michigan leads the Big Ten in blocked shots, averaging 5.26 blocks per contest. Individually, Ekpe Udoh leads the conference with 2.89 blocks per game ... Freshman Manny Harris ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring (16.4 ppg), ranking second among league freshmen.
The Last Meeting - Michigan defeated Michigan State, 67-56, on Feb. 27, 2007 in Ann Arbor. Suffering from illness, Drew Neitzel did not start and attempted a season-low seven shots. Neitzel hit a 3-pointer with 5:09 remaining to pull MSU within three points at 59-56, but the Spartans would not score again. Dion Harris led the Wolverines with 24 points, while Michigan out-rebounded the Spartans, 33-30. Raymar Morgan led MSU with 13 points, while Goran Suton posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Last Meeting In East Lansing - Michigan State defeated Michigan, 59-44, on Feb. 13, 2007, in East Lansing. The Wolverines held a slim lead for most of the first half, but a Drew Neitzel 3-pointer in the final seconds of the period gave MSU a 24-23 halftime advantage. The game remained tight for most of the second half as MSU clung to a 38-36 lead with 6:43 left. The Spartans scored the next nine points and held the Wolverines without a point for four minutes to push their lead up to a comfortable margin at 11 points. Neitzel finished with a game-high 21 points, while Raymar Morgan scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half. Dion Harris was the only Wolverine to score in double figures, tallying 13 points.
Game 19 Notes • Michigan State 78 - Northwestern 62
* Michigan State made a season high 11 3-pointers on 18 attempts, shooting a season-best .611 from behind the arc. In the first half, the Spartans connected on 8-of-9 3-point attempts.
* The trio of Raymar Morgan (23 points), Drew Neitzel (20 points) and Chris Allen (17 points) combined for 60 points, nearly outscoring the Wildcats (62 points).
* It was the first game all season in which Michigan State had two players score 20 or more points in a game.
* Chris Allen's 17 points tied a season high previously established in the second game of the season against ULM.
* Michigan State's bench outscored Northwestern's 25-4.
* Drew Neitzel scored 20 points for just the second time this season, connecting on a season-best six 3-pointers.
* Michigan State led by as many as 21 points (36-15) with 5:18 remaining in the first half, but Northwestern used a 16-2 run to cut the lead to seven.
* Leading 41-31 at the half, MSU scored the first 12 points of the second stanza and never led by fewer than 10 after that.
MSU Basketball Notes
MSU's Super Soph - After a solid freshman campaign, Raymar Morgan is having a breakout sophomore season. Morgan leads MSU in scoring (16.8 ppg), field goals made (112) and free throws made (90) and attempted (125), ranks second in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and field goals attempted (196), third in blocks (13) and tied for third in steals (18). 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 second in field-goal percentage (.571). 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.
Too Many Turnovers - Michigan State is averaging 14.6 turnovers per game for the season, and 16.5 turnovers in conference play. Spartan opponents are averaging 19.0 points off turnovers in league games, compared to just 10.3 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 5.3 turnovers per game. Neitzel leads the Big Ten with a 3.42-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Walton ranks second at 2.29-to-1, and Lucas is seventh at 1.83-to-1. In fact, Neitzel ranks second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, while Walton ranks 18th (as of Jan. 25).
Hitting The Boards - Michigan State has a Big Ten-best +9.6 rebound margin, ranking fourth in the nation (as of Jan. 25). MSU is 16-1 this season when out-rebounding its opponent. In MSU's 16 wins, the Spartans have a +11.0 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.
Kalin Raises His Play - Over the last nine games, Kalin Lucas is averaging 12.3 points and 4.3 assists, scoring in double figures in seven of the nine contests. He has led MSU in scoring in three of the last nine games. Lucas burst onto the national scene against Texas (Dec. 22) 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. Recently, Lucas was recognized as one of the nation's top sixth men by ESPN.com (Jan. 24).
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 15 of 19 games. The MSU bench has also out-rebounded the opponent bench in 13 games.
MSU's Block Party - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten with 4.95 blocks per contest (94 total blocks). Over the last nine games, the Spartans have blocked 52 shots (5.8 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 105 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 1.63 blocks per contest. Naymick has blocked 14 shots in the six conference games (2.33 bpg), ranking second in league play.
High-Octane Offense - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 74.9 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 (268) as its opponents have defensive rebounds (338), as the Spartans grab 44.2 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 19 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 .731 from the foul line, ranking second in the Big Ten. The Spartans are averaging 20.9 attempts and 15.3 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 (125), averaging 4.7 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. Michigan State has scored 75 or more points in 13 games.
Maintaining The Defense - Michigan State is holding its opponents to 39.2 percent shooting overall, and 32.7 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 19 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 16 of 19 games. In 12 of the 16 games the Spartans led at the half, they shot 50 percent or better in the first period. MSU shot a season-best 65.2 percent in the first stanza against Northwestern. 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 48.8 percent from the field this season, ranking second in the Big Ten and having shot better than 50 percent in nine 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 31.1 minutes per game, nearly 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 23.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 50.3 minutes.
Neitzel Among Career Leaders - Drew Neitzel currently ranks fifth in career assists at Michigan State with 526. He stands second in MSU career free throw percentage (.853), third in 3-point field goals made (227) and 3-point field goals attempted (557).
Neitzel Moving Up Scoring List - Drew Neitzel ranks tied for 19th in Michigan State career scoring with 1,296 points. He needs one point to pass Matt Steigenga (1,296 points) and 82 points to pass Julius McCoy (1,377 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.
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 - Eight former Spartans are currently on NBA rosters, including Maurice Ager (Dallas Mavericks), 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 295-123 (.706), and 138-64 (.683) 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 .683 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 138 conference victories, Izzo ranks 12th all-time, tied with 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.
