Spartans Get Final Exhibition Tune-Up
11/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Michigan State
vs. Lake Superior State
November 10, 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-Lake Superior State
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 Lakers - Lake Superior State returns five starters from last season's squad that posted a 12-16 mark. The Lakers are led by senior center Ryan Kuhl, a 2008 Second-Team All-GLIAC selection, who averaged 14.0 points and 6.6 rebounds. Kuhl has been the Lakers' top rebounder for three straight seasons and led LSSU in scoring as a freshman and sophomore.
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. Eight Spartan opponents are also ranked, including North Carolina (#1 AP/#1 USA Today/ESPN), Texas (#7/8), Gonzaga (#10/11), Purdue (#11/10), Tennessee (#14/13), Georgetown (#22/18), Kansas (#24/23) and Wisconsin (#25/21).
Spartans Vs. Lakers - Michigan State defeated Lake Superior State, 107-73, on Nov. 7, 2005 in the only previous exhibition meeting between the two schools. In that contest, Maurice Ager scored a team-high 21 points, while Shannon Brown and Paul Davis each added 20.
Exhibition Game One Recap - Durrell Summers scored 30 points in 16 minutes as Michigan State defeated Northern Michigan, 118-57. The Spartans shot 56.5 percent from the field, including 61.5 percent from 3-point range. Raymar Morgan added 19 points and seven rebounds.
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.
