Men's Basketball Opens Exhibition Play Against Northern Michigan
11/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 4, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Michigan State vs. Northern Michigan
November 5, 2008
7 p.m. EST
East Lansing, Mich.
Breslin Center
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas & Matt Steigenga (Color). Flagship - WJIM 1240 AM
Web Stream: BigTenNetwork.com
Watch Michigan State-Northern Michigan
Information on Live Web Streaming
Watch Coach Izzo Press Conference - Nov. 4
Scouting The Spartans - Michigan State returns three starters and five of its top six scorers from a squad that posted a 27-9 record and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The Spartans' returning starters include junior Raymar Morgan, a preseason All-Big Ten selection, fifth-year senior Goran Suton, the Big Ten's leading returning rebounder, and sophomore Kalin Lucas, who started 17 games at point guard as a freshman. In total, MSU returns seven players who averaged double-digit minutes last year, including multi-year senior captain Travis Walton. The Spartans were picked to finish second in the Big Ten by a 22-member media panel.
Scouting The Wildcats - Northern Michigan returns four players that saw game action in 2007-08, led by senior guard Tyler Kazmierkoski, who averaged 13.0 points and 4.6 rebounds last season. Three other players, Kyle Greene, Eric Sirrine and Sebastien Salois, all started at least 12 games. The Wildcats posted a 7-20 record last season and are picked to finished sixth in the North Division of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, according to the preseason media poll.
In The Rankings - Michigan State is ranked No. 6 in The Associated Press preseason poll and No. 7 in the USA TODAY/ESPN preseason coaches poll.
Izzo's Alma Mater - Tom Izzo received his bachelor's degree from Nothern Michigan in 1977. He played guard for the Wildcats from 1973-77, earning team MVP and third-team Division II All-America honors as a senior, establishing a school record for most minutes played in a season. In 1990, Izzo was inducted into the Northern Michigan University Hall of Fame. In 2001, he received an honorary doctorate degree and delivered the commencement address at the spring graduation ceremony.
Spartans vs. Wildcats - Michigan State and Northern Michigan met eight times between 1920 and 1975, with the Spartans winning seven games. This will be the fifth exhibition game between the two teams since 2000. MSU won 93-40 in 2000, 98-56 in 2004, 77-58 in 2005 and 74-63 in 2006.
Green-White Recap - The annual Green-White game was held last Saturday. It consisted of two 20-minute games, with Green winning the first, 50-32, and White taking the second, 47-38. Chris Allen led all scorers with 27 points, shooting 10-of-19, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range. Kalin Lucas added 24 and Travis Walton scored 21. Goran Suton posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, as did Raymar Morgan with 14 points and 11 boards.
Individual Accolades - Sophomore guard Kalin Lucas has been tabbed a preseason second-team All-American by The Sporting News. Lucas was also chosen as a second-team All-Big Ten selection by Lindy's College Basketball and Athlon Sports College Basketball. Junior forward Raymar Morgan was a first-team all-conference selection as chosen by Lindy's and Athlon. Athlon also selected senior center Goran Suton as a third-team all-league player.
A Noteworthy Frontcourt - Michigan State's frontcourt is ranked among the nation's best according to both Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn (No. 4) and Lindy's College Basketball (No. 4).
Spartans Among Big Ten's Leading Returners - Goran Suton is the Big Ten's leading returning rebounder, having averaged 8.2 boards per game in 2007-08, trailing only Indiana's D.J. White. At 14.0 points per game, Raymar Morgan ranked sixth in the conference in scoring last season, but is the second-leading returning scorer. Travis Walton (4.33 apg) and Kalin Lucas (3.81 apg) rank first and third, respectively, among all returning Big Ten players in assists.
Keys To Success - If recent trends continue, look for Michigan State to pace the conference in rebounding and shooting. Last season, MSU led the league in field-goal percentage (.480) for a fifth-straight season, and in rebound margin (+6.8) for the ninth time in 11 years.
Lofty Expectations - Michigan State is a consensus pick to finish first or second in the Big Ten by virtually every preseason magazine and is considered by many prognosticators to be a Top-10 team nationally. Here is a brief look at MSU's predicted finish in the Big Ten by preseason magazines: Lindy's College Basketball - 1st; Sporting News - 1st; Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook - 2nd; Athlon Sports College Basketball - 2nd. Nationally, the Spartans are ranked No. 2 by FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman, No. 4 by ESPN.com's Andy Katz, No. 5 by The Sporting News, No. 7 by Dick Vitale, No. 9 by CBSSports.com's Gary Parrish, No. 12 by Rivals.com, No. 13 by Blue Ribbon and No. 14 by Athlon Sports.
