Michigan State Opens 2008 NCAA Tournament Against Temple
3/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 18, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
2008 NCAA Tournament
No. 5 Michigan State (25-8, 12-6)
vs. No. 12 Temple (21-12, 11-5)
March 20, 2008
12:30 p.m. EDT
Denver, Colo.
Pepsi Center
Michigan State Game Notes
Michigan State Player Updates
Coach Izzo Press Conference - March 17 (All-Access)
Listen To Spartan Sports Podcasts From Selection Sunday
DrewRaymar Travis
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM 1240 AM/WMMQ 94.9 FM
TV: CBS - Gus Johnson (Play by Play), Len Elmore (Color)
The Opening Tip
Michigan State is making its 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, earning an at-large selection as the No. 5 seed in the South Region. MSU's NCAA Tournament streak is the fifth-longest streak in the nation, and the second-longest in Big Ten history. The Spartans will face Temple, as the two teams are meeting for the first time since the 2001 Elite Eight. The MSU/TU winner will face the winner of the Pittsburgh/Oral Roberts game on Saturday.
The Starting Five (And A Sixth Man)
1. MSU's NCAA Streak - Michigan State is making its 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008. It is the longest current streak among Big Ten schools and fifth longest in the nation. Only Arizona (24), Kansas (19), Kentucky (17) and Duke (13) 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.
2. MSU In The NCAA Tournament - Michigan State is making its 22nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a record of 41-20 in its previous 21 tournaments. MSU has made six trips to the Final Four (1957, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005) and captured the NCAA Championship in 1979 and 2000.
3. At His Best When It Counts - Tom Izzo ranks fifth among active coaches for the best NCAA Tournament winning percentage at .727 (24-9). Duke's Mike Krzyzewski ranks first at .775 (68-20), followed by Florida's Billy Donovan at .759 (22-7), Louisville's Rick Pitino at .744 (32-11) and San Diego State's Steve Fisher at .737 (14-5). Of those five, Izzo and Krzyzewski are the only coaches to appear in the last 11 NCAA Tournaments.
4. MSU In Opening Games - In its 21 NCAA Tournaments, Michigan State has a record of 16-5 in its first game of the tournament. Since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the Spartans are 12-5 in the first round. Tom Izzo is 7-3 in first-round games.
5. Neitzel's Big Ten Tournament - Drew Neitzel made quite a statement in his final Big Ten Tournament, averaging 27.0 points in two contests, shooting 17-of-35 (.486) from the field, 10-of-22 (.455) from 3-point range and 10-of-10 (1.000) from the foul line. His 28 points vs. Ohio State and 26 vs. Wisconsin are the two greatest single-game totals in MSU Big Ten Tournament history. Over the past two seasons, Neitzel has been a peak performer in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments, averaging 20.3 ppg in six tournament games, including four games of 20 or more points.
6. MSU In March - Michigan State is 44-19 in March since the 1998-99 season. For his career, Tom Izzo is 51-26 in March.
MSU vs. Temple Notes
About Temple - Temple finished 21-12 overall and won the Atlantic 10 Tournament to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Owls finished second in the Atlantic 10 regular-season standings with an 11-5 record. As the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, Temple defeated LaSalle in the quarterfinals, Charlotte in the semifinals and Saint Joseph's in the championship. It marked the seventh Atlantic 10 Tournament title in Temple's history. The Owls enter the NCAA Tournament on a seven-game winning streak.
In The NCAA Tournament - Temple is making its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Owls are 31-25 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and have made two trips to the Final Four (1956, 1958). This is Temple's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001, when the Owls advanced to the South Regional final before falling to top-seeded Michigan State, 69-62. Temple has made five appearances in the Elite Eight.
Temple vs. The Field - Temple is 3-4 vs. teams in this year's NCAA Tournament. The Owls defeated Xavier, took two of three from Saint Joseph's, and also fell to Tennessee, Villanova and Duke.
Common Opponents - Michigan State and Temple did not play any common opponents this season.
Series History - Temple leads the all-time series, 6-5. The teams last met in the 2001 Elite Eight, where MSU defeated Temple, 69-62, in the South Regional final. MSU is 1-2 against Temple on neutral floors.
Coach Dunphy - Fran Dunphy (LaSalle, '70) is 343-193 in his 19th season as a collegiate head coach, including 33-30 in his second year at Temple. Prior to his arrival at Temple, Dunphy coached at Penn for 17 years (1989-2006), where he finished his Quaker career with a 310-163 overall record. Dunphy took Penn to the NCAA Tournament nine times and he won 10 Ivy League titles.
Owl Notes - Junior Dionte Christmas leads the Owls, scoring 20.2 points per game, which ranks him first in the A-10 and 33rd in the nation ... Christmas, the A-10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player and a first-team all-league selection, also ranks 27th in the nation and third in the conference with 2.6 three-point field goals made per game ... Senior Mark Tyndale, a second-team All-Atlantic 10 choice, is second on the team in scoring (15.9), and leads the team in assists (141), rebounding (7.2 rpg), and steals (52) ... Tyndale also leads the A-10, playing 37.42 minutes per game ... Temple is solid from the free throw line, hitting 74.1 percent, good for 32nd in the nation.
The Last Meeting - Michigan State, the South Region No. 1 seed, beat Temple, the No. 11 seed, 69-62, in the 2001 regional final on March 25, 2001 in the Georgia Dome. The Spartans had four players in double-figures, led by a career-high 19 points from senior David Thomas. Andre Huston added 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Charlie Bell and Jason Richardson chipped in 14 and 11, respectively. MSU had a 43-27 edge on the board, due in large part to a game-high 14 boards from Zach Randolph. Temple was led by a combined 43 points from Lynn Greer and Kevin Lyde.
NCAA Tournament Notes
Final Fours For Active Coaches - With four Final Fours to his credit, Tom Izzo ranks fourth among active coaches. Mike Krzyzewski leads all active coaches with 10 Final Four appearances, followed by Rick Pitino and Roy Williams with five Final Fours each. Lute Olson also has made five trips to the Final Four, but is not coaching this season.
Spartan Opponents In NCAA Tournament - Six of Michigan State's opponents, including three non-conference teams, from the 2007-08 season are in the NCAA Tournament. The list includes BYU, Indiana, Purdue, Texas, UCLA and Wisconsin. The Spartans are a combined 4-5 against the field of 65.
MSU As A No. 5 Seed - This is the fifth time in school history that Michigan State has been the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In 1986, MSU defeated No. 12 Washington (72-70) and No. 4 Georgetown before falling to No. 1 Kansas (96-86, OT). The Spartans were the No. 5 seed in back-to-back seasons in 1991 and 1992. In 1991, MSU defeated No. 12 UW-Green Bay (60-58), but lost to No. 4 Utah in double overtime (85-84). One year later, MSU defeated No. 12 Southwest Missouri State (61-54) before falling to No. 4 Cincinnati (72-65). Most recently, MSU advanced all the way to the Final Four as a No. 5 seed, defeating No. 12 Old Dominion (89-81), No. 13 Vermont (72-61), No. 1 Duke (78-68) and No. 2 Kentucky (94-88, 2OT), before falling to No. 1 North Carolina (87-71).
MSU In The South Region - Michigan State has had some recent success in the South Region, advancing through it to the 2001 and 2005 Final Fours. (It was called the Austin Region in 2005). In 2003, MSU advanced to the Elite Eight through the South. The Spartans were slotted in the South Region in 1990 (Sweet Sixteen), 1994 (Second Round) and 1995 (First Round), although it was called the Southeast Region all three years.
Exclusive Company - Michigan State ranks 10th among all schools in NCAA Tournament winning percentage for teams with at least 20 tournament games. MSU's .672 winning percentage (41-20) trails only Duke (.752, 85-28), UCLA (.736, 89-32), Florida (.722, 26-10), North Carolina (.708, 92-38), UNLV (.696, 32-14), Kentucky (.695, 98-43), Indiana (.681, 60-29), Michigan (.680, 34-16) and Kansas (.679, 76-36). Also, MSU's 41 tournament wins are tied for 10th most in NCAA history.
MSU In The Second Round - Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, Michigan State has advanced to the second round 12 times. MSU has an 8-4 record in second-round games, including winning six of its last seven.
Two Titles Not Too Shabby - Michigan State is one of just 14 schools to have won two or more NCAA Championships. Cincinnati, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State and San Francisco join MSU with two titles. Only Duke (3), North Carolina (4), Indiana (5), Kentucky (7) and UCLA (11) have won more titles.
Game 33 Notes • Wisconsin 65 - Michigan State 63
* Drew Neitzel scored 26 points, matching the most scored by a single player against Wisconsin this season. He also becomes the first Spartan to score 20 or more points in back-to-back Big Ten Tournament games.
* Drew Neitzel moved past 1,500 points for his career, joining Mateen Cleaves and Scott Skiles as the only players in MSU history with 1,500 points and 500 assists.
* Michigan State's defense held Wisconsin to a season-low tying 17 field goals.
* Four Spartans (Raymar Morgan, Drew Naymick, Goran Suton and Idong Ibok) fouled out of the game.
* Wisconsin shot 26-of-37 at the foul line, while MSU was just 14-of-19. The 26 free throws and 37 attempts were the second most against MSU this season (Penn State was 34-of-51).
* MSU held a 53-41 lead with 8:15 remaining, but Wisconsin closed the game on a 24-10 run, including a 13-2 spurt from the 7:53 mark to the 4:34 mark that cut MSU's lead to 55-54.
MSU Basketball Notes
A Sneaky Defender - Travis Walton made the Big Ten All-Defensive Team, and Drew Naymick is MSU's career leader in blocks, but the statistics show that Goran Suton is also an effective defender. In fact, Suton is one of just two players (Minnesota's Damian Johnson) in the Big Ten to rank in the top 15 in the conference in blocks (11th, 0.94 bpg) and steals (15th, 1.12 spg).
1,500 Points, 500 Assists - Drew Neitzel (1,502 points, 568 assists) is one of just three players in Michigan State history with 1,500 points and 500 assists, joining Mateen Cleaves (1,541 pts., 816 ast.) and Scott Skiles (2,145 pts., 645 ast.). In fact, Neitzel is one of just 12 Big Ten players in the 1,500-point, 500-assist club.
Spartans From Behind The Arc - Michigan State does not shoot a lot of 3-pointers, but it takes advantage of its shots, as the Spartans lead the Big Ten in 3-point field-goal percentage (.373). Over the last five games, MSU is shooting 46.3 percent (37-of-80) from behind the arc.
On A Neutral Court - As everyone knows, the NCAA Tournament is not played on an opponent's home court, but rather at a neutral site. This season, Michigan State is 4-2 on a neutral court, turning in some impressive performances. MSU split a pair of games in the Big Ten Tournament, defeating Ohio State and falling to No. 8 Wisconsin by two points. The Spartans played in the CBE Classic in Kansas City in November, defeating Missouri, 86-83, before falling to No. 2 UCLA, 68-63. In December, MSU played No. 20 BYU in Salt Lake City, defeating the Cougars, 68-61. Later that month, the Spartans handed No. 4 Texas its first defeat of the season in Detroit. Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan each scored 18 points to lead MSU to a 78-72 win.
The Turnover Story - Michigan State has committed 11 or fewer turnovers in seven of its last eight games, including five games with single-digit turnovers. The lone exception in the stretch came in the last regular-season game, in which MSU committed a season-high 21 turnovers, which turned into 28 Ohio State points. Despite the 21 turnovers, MSU is averaging just 9.9 turnovers in the last eight games. For the year, MSU is 13-1 when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent. Michigan State is averaging 13.7 turnovers per game for the season, and 14.0 turnovers in conference play. In four of MSU's six regular-season Big Ten losses, the Spartans recorded 18 or more turnovers, although they committed just 10 in a loss at Penn State and six versus Wisconsin.
20-Win Seasons - With 25 wins, Michigan State has notched its 17th 20-win season in school history. The 25 victories are the seventh most in school history, tied with the 1978 squad. Of the 17 20-win seasons in Spartan history, Izzo has been involved in 14 of them, nine as a head coach and five as an assistant. The 24 regular-season wins were also MSU's third-largest regular-season total, tied with the 2000-01 squad and two behind the 1989-90 and 1998-99 teams.
Stellar Point-Guard Play - Michigan State's guards have taken care of the ball all season, but the trio of Kalin Lucas (33 assists, 10 turnovers), Drew Neitzel (22 ast., 8 to.) and Travis Walton (37 ast., 13 to.) have been especially strong over the last eight games. As a unit, they have combined for 92 assists and 31 turnovers.
Suton Comes Alive - Goran Suton is averaging 9.8 points and 9.5 rebounds in the last six contests. He was named the Big Ten Men's Basketball Player of the Week on March 3, after averaging 15.5 points and 12.0 rebounds in a pair of games against ranked opponents. The 15 rebounds against No. 10 Wisconsin and 17 points against No. 12 Indiana marked personal bests against Big Ten opponents. In the previous five games, Suton had averaged just 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds. For the year, Suton averages 8.6 points and 8.1 rebounds, ranking second in the Big Ten in rebounding.
National Statistics - As of March 17, MSU ranks among the nation's statistical leaders in assists (10th, 17.6 apg), rebound margin (8th, +7.1), assist-to-turnover ratio (19th, 1.29), field-goal percentage (20th, .480) and field-goal percentage defense (29th, .401).
Lending A Helping Hand - MSU leads the Big Ten in assists, averaging 17.64 helpers per contest, ranking 10th in the nation (as of March 17). The Spartans have recorded an assist on 67.0 percent of their baskets. Individually, Travis Walton (2nd, 4.45 apg), Drew Neitzel (4th, 3.97 apg) and Kalin Lucas (5th, 3.79 apg) rank in the top five in the conference in assists. It is the first time that three teammates are ranked in the top 10 in assists since 2005, when Illinois' Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head all ranked in the top five.
Kalin Raises His Play - Over the last 23 games, Kalin Lucas is averaging 11.4 points and 3.8 assists, scoring in double figures in 13 of the 23 contests, including six games where he led MSU in scoring. 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. 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). In conference games, Lucas averaged 10.6 points, shooting .447 from the field and .379 from 3-point range. With 125 assists, Lucas ranks fourth all-time among Spartan freshmen, 21 behind Mateen Cleaves and Scott Skiles in second place. Over the last eight games, Lucas has 33 assists and 10 turnovers. Lucas was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection.
MSU's Super Soph - After a solid freshman campaign, Raymar Morgan is having a breakout sophomore season. Morgan leads MSU in scoring (14.5 ppg), field goals made (176), and free throws made (118) and attempted (174), ranks second in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and field goals attempted (316), third in blocks (17) and fourth in steals (29). He is second on the team with three double-doubles. The Canton, Ohio, native ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring, eighth in rebounding, and fourth 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 is a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week (Nov. 19 and Jan. 7) and a first-team USBWA and NABC All-District honoree. Morgan was also named Second-Team All-Big Ten by the league's media and coaches.
Spartans Shooting Well - Michigan State is shooting a Big Ten-best 48.0 percent from the field this season, ranking 20th in the nation (as of March 17), and having shot better than 50 percent in 13 games. MSU has shot better than its opponent in 26 of 33 games. The Spartans also shot a Big Ten-leading 47.4 percent in league contests, marking the fifth straight season that MSU is the best shooting team in the conference.
All-Big Ten Spartans - Drew Neitzel earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors from the league's coaches, becoming the first Spartan to earn first-team honors in back-to-back seasons since Mateen Cleaves (1998-2000) and Morris Peterson (1999-2000). Neitzel also earned a spot on the media's second team, while Raymar Morgan was a second-team selection for both the coaches and media. Kalin Lucas was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection by the media and coaches, while the league's coaches selected Travis Walton to the All-Defensive Team.
All-District Selections - Raymar Morgan and Drew Neitzel were named first-team All-District 11 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The two Spartans were joined on the first team by Marquette's Dominic James, Minnesota's Dan Coleman and Wisconsin's Brian Butch. District 11 is comprised of schools from Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Morgan and Neitzel were also named All-District V by the United States Basketball Writers of America.
Neitzel Among Career Leaders - Drew Neitzel currently ranks fourth in career assists at Michigan State with 568. He is the all-time leader in MSU career free-throw percentage (.864), and ranks third in 3-point field goals made (265) and 3-point field goals attempted (661). With seven more assists, Neitzel will move into the top 10 in Big Ten history.
Neitzel Key To Success - A productive Drew Neitzel is a key to Michigan State's success. In Spartan victories, Neitzel averages 15.1 points, shooting .450 from the field and .433 from 3-point range. In MSU's seven losses, he is averaging 11.4 points, shooting .305 from the field and .300 from behind the arc. Michigan State is 14-2 when Neitzel scores 15 or more points this season.
Neitzel Recognized For Academics - Drew Neitzel has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second team. Neitzel earned a spot on the team by posting a 3.27 grade-point average as an interdisciplinary humanities major. He is the fifth player in Spartan history to earn Academic All-America honors, joining Ralph Simpson (1970), Greg Kelser (1979), Matt Steigenga (1990) and Chris Hill (2003-05).
The 300 Club - Tom Izzo recorded his 300th career victory with Michigan State's 66-52 win over Iowa. He became just the eighth coach in Big Ten history to win 300 games at the same school, joining his mentor Jud Heathcote (340), Illinois' Harry Combes (316) and Lou Henson (423), Indiana's Branch McCracken (364) and Bob Knight (661), and Purdue's Ward Lambert (371) and Gene Keady (512).
Naymick Breaks Block Record - Drew Naymick owns the MSU career record with 131 blocked shots. He passed Matt Steigenga for the Michigan State career lead with a block at Iowa on Jan. 12. This season, he has blocked 57 shots, second on the MSU single-season chart. He ranks third in the Big Ten this season with 1.73 blocks per contest. Naymick blocked 38 shots in the 18 conference games (2.11 bpg), ranking second in the Big Ten in league play.
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 23 of 33 games. The MSU bench has also out-rebounded the opponent bench in 20 games.
Defense Remains Strong - Michigan State is holding its opponents to 40.1 percent shooting overall, and 31.7 percent shooting from 3-point range. The Spartans rank fourth in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage defense and third in 3-point field-goal percentage defense. In conference games, Michigan State ranked fourth in field-goal percentage defense (.410) and second in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.315). The Spartans have held 17 of 33 opponents below 40 percent shooting. In Bloomington, Indiana shot a season-best 54.4 percent for a Spartan opponent. Last year, MSU allowed opponents to shoot just 38.4 percent, the lowest percentage since 1958-59, and MSU held 23 of 35 opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field.
Hitting The Boards - Michigan State has a Big Ten-best +7.1 rebound margin, ranking eighth in the nation (as of March 17). MSU is 23-4 this season when out-rebounding its opponent, but just 2-4 when failing to do so. In MSU's 25 wins, the Spartans have a +9.0 rebound margin, but are 1-3 when they are out-rebounded. In addition, MSU is 1-1 when tying its opponent on the glass. In 2006-07, MSU posted a +7.0 rebounding margin, outrebounding 24 of 35 opponents while tying three other teams.
Assist-To-Turnover Ratio - For the most part, Michigan State's turnovers are not coming from the point guards, as Drew Neitzel, Travis Walton and Kalin Lucas combine to average just 5.2 turnovers per game. Neitzel leads the Big Ten with a 2.91-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Walton ranks second at 2.53-to-1, and Lucas is seventh at 1.84-to-1. In fact, Neitzel ranks sixth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, while Walton ranks 16th (as of March 17). As a team, the Spartans rank second in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.29) despite ranking seventh in the league in turnovers.
Neitzel Finalist For Senior CLASS Award - Drew Neitzel is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The four primary areas of criteria include classroom, community, character and competition. Voting for the award runs through March 21. Spartan fans can vote for Neitzel at www.seniorclassaward.com. The fan balloting will be combined with votes from coaches, media and sponsors.
Neitzel Moving Up Scoring List - Drew Neitzel ranks 14th in Michigan State career scoring with 1,502 points. He needs 39 points to pass Chris Hill (1,540 points). Neitzel scored his 1,000th-career point against Marquette in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
Suton On The Glass - Goran Suton ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding at 8.1 boards per contest, and third in offensive rebounds (2.82 orpg). In conference games, he ranked second in the league at 8.1 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 19 games. He has 10 games with double-figure rebounds and seven more contests with nine boards. Suton leads the team with eight double-doubles.
A Balanced Scoring Attack - Although just three Spartans are averaging double-figures in scoring (Raymar Morgan - 14.5; Drew Neitzel - 14.2; Kalin Lucas 10.0), Michigan State can get scoring contributions from many different sources. Nine Spartans have scored 10 or more points in a single game this season. Six different players have led MSU in scoring in a single game, including all three true freshmen. In conference play, three Spartans averaged double figures (Morgan - 13.2; Neitzel - 12.6; Lucas - 10.6). In 12 games, four or more Spartans have scored in double figures, as MSU is 12-0 in those contests.
MSU's Block Party - Michigan State ranks third in the Big Ten with 4.36 blocks per contest (144 total blocks). Against San Jose State, the Spartans blocked a single-game school-record 13 shots. In 2006-07, Michigan State blocked a school single-season record 162 shots. The 144 blocks rank second in the MSU single-season record books.
Attacking The Offensive Glass - Michigan State grabs 39.8 percent of its own missed shots. 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 12.4 offensive rebounds per game, and has recorded at least 10 offensive boards in 21 of the 33 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.
Spartan Depth - Nine different Spartans are averaging 10.9 minutes or more. Drew Neitzel leads the Spartans at 31.6 minutes per game, four fewer than he averaged last season (35.7 mpg), when he played more minutes than any Spartan since 1991.
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 18.7 attempts and 13.7 makes per contest. In the Spartans' eight losses, they have totaled 104 free-throw attempts (13.0 pg), 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 (174), averaging 3.6 points per game at the stripe.
High-Octane Offense - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 71.3 points per game. The Spartan offense has scored more than 80 points in nine 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 17 games.
Freshmen Contributions - Michigan State has played three true scholarship freshmen (Chris Allen, Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers) this season. The trio is averaging 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 49.3 minutes.
MSU's Homecourt Win Streak - Michigan State has won 21 straight home games at the Breslin Center, dating back to a Feb. 3, 2007, loss to No. 4 Ohio State. This season, the Spartans were a perfect 17-0 at home, averaging 77.9 points and 50.4 percent shooting. The 21-game home win streak is MSU's longest since it won 53 straight between November 1998 and January 2002. During Tom Izzo's career as head coach, the Spartans are 181-22 (.892) at home, including 158-13 (.924) over the last 11 years.
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."
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).
Spartan Opponents In The Polls - Five Michigan State opponents are ranked in the latest The Associated Press Top 25, including No. 3 UCLA, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 7 Texas and No. 20 Purdue. (Based on March 17 rankings.)
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.
Neitzel Up For Naismith Award - Drew Neitzel is one of 30 players on the midseason list for the 2007-08 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T. Neitzel joins Indiana's D.J. White and Eric Gordon as the only Big Ten players on the list. The Top 30 men's list was voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country.
Spartans In The NBA - Eight former Spartans were on opening day 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). Since opening day, Ager has been traded to the New Jersey Nets and Brown has been traded to the Chicago Bulls.
Pittsburgh Notes
About Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh enters the NCAA Tournament with a 26-9 overall record. After a 10-8 BIG EAST regular season, the Panthers won four games in four days to win their second-ever conference tournament. Pittsburgh is making its 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including seven straight selections, and is 17-20 all-time in tournament play. The farthest a Pittsburgh team has advanced in the NCAA Tournament is the 1974 Elite Eight.
Pittsburgh vs. The Field - The Panthers are 8-6 against this year's tournament field. Pittsburgh has beaten Georgetown, a two-seed, twice, while also topping Duke and Mississippi Valley State. The Panthers split with Louisville, Marquette, West Virginia and Villanova, and lost to Connecticut and Notre Dame in their only meetings.
Common Opponents - Michigan State and Pittsburgh have no common opponents this season.
Series History - Michigan State holds a 2-1 advantage over Pittsburgh in the all-time series, but the schools have not faced each other since the 1955-56 season. The Panthers won the first meeting, 36-34, in East Lansing back on Feb. 18, 1927. The two Spartan wins came on Dec. 22, 1953 (83-51) at home and on Dec. 17, 1955 (82-81) in Pittsburgh.
Coach Dixon - Jamie Dixon (Texas Christian `87) is in his fifth season as head coach of the Panthers and has been a member of the Pittsburgh staff for nine years. Dixon is 131-39 in his young coaching career, including a 5-4 mark in postseason play. He is the first coach in program history to win 20 or more games and advance to the NCAA Tournament in five-straight seasons.
Panther Notes - Junior forward Sam Young, an All-Big East First Team member, earned the league's Most Improved Player Award ... Freshman center DeJuan Blair, an all-conference honorable mention and all-rookie team choice, was honored as the Co-Big East Rookie of the Year and senior guard Ronald Ramon was the Co-Sportsmanship Award winner ... Young led the team and is third in the BIG EAST with 18.3 points per game, while Blair was third in the conference with 9.1 rebounds per game and fifth with a 54.4 percentage from the field ... The two primary ball-handlers - Levance Fields and Ronald Ramon - combine for a 2.85-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (254/89), helping the team to rank 16th in the country in that category (1.32-to-1) ... The Panthers also led the BIG EAST with 14.51 offensive rebounds per game.
Oral Roberts Notes
About Oral Roberts - Oral Roberts owns a 24-8 overall record, and was the Summit League regular season (16-2) and tournament champions. The bid marks ORU's third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, and fifth overall. All-time, the Golden Eagles are 2-4 in NCAA play with their only wins coming during their 1974 run to the Elite Eight.
Oral Roberts vs. The Field - Oral Roberts is 0-3 against the 2008 NCAA Tournament field, losing games at Texas, at Arkansas and at Texas A&M.
Common Opponents - Michigan State and Oral Roberts have three common opponents - Texas, Oakland and IPFW. MSU is 3-0 against the pod, while the ORU is 5-1, having beaten IPFW three times and Oakland twice. The Golden Eagles lost at Texas, 66-56.
Series History - Michigan State and Oral Roberts have never faced each other.
Coach Sutton - Scott Sutton (Oklahoma State `95) is in the midst of his ninth season at the helm of Oral Roberts, having also spent three years there as an assistant and one season as an administrative assistant. Sutton, the Summit League Coach of the Year, has a career head coaching record of 168-110 and has won the last four conference regular season championships. He has lost his only two NCAA Tournament games.
Golden Eagle Notes - Junior guard Robert Jarvis leads the team and is ninth in the league in scoring at 16.1 points per game, despite having started only three games this season ... Jarvis' success earned him the Summit League's Sixth Man of the Year award and a spot on the all-league first team ... Jarvis and junior Marcus Lewis were also named to the all-newcomer team ... The Golden Eagles are one of the top defensive teams in the country, led by Summit League Defensive Player of the Year Yemi Ogunoye ... ORU leads the Summit League in scoring defense at 61.4 points per game (27th in the nation), field goal percentage defense at 39.7 percent (23rd in the nation) and blocked shots with 4.1 per game ... Senior center Shawn King, a second-team all-league choice, leads the conference with 2.0 blocks per game.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 13th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 303-129 (.701), and 145-69 (.678) 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 .678 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 (.701). With 145 conference victories, Izzo ranks 11th all-time.
Izzo Against Ranked Opponents - In his 13 years of coaching, Tom Izzo is 65-63 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.
