Jan. 5, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#8/12 Michigan State (11-2, 2-0)
vs. Ohio State (10-2, 1-1)
January 6, 2009
7 p.m. EST
East Lansing, Mich.
Breslin Center
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play),
Gus Ganakas and Matt Steigenga (Color), Adam Ruff (Host)
Flagship - WJIM 1240 AM/WMMQ 94.9 FM
TV: ESPN2 - Dave O'Brien (Play by Play), Steve Lavin (Color)
Michigan State Game Notes
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Raymar Morgan | Travis Walton
The Opening Tip
After playing nine of its first 13 games away from East Lansing, the Spartans return home to host Ohio State in their Big Ten home opener. Michigan State is 2-0 in the Big Ten, opening conference play with a pair of road victories for the first time in school history. The Buckeyes, who opened the season with nine straight wins, split a pair of conference games last week, beating Iowa at home and falling at Minnesota.
The Starting Five
1. Good To Be Home
Michigan State is playing just its fifth home game of the 2008-09 season. The Spartans have won 25 straight games at the Breslin Center. Chris Allen leads the Spartans in scoring at 18.0 points per home contest, including shooting 50.0 percent (13-of-26) from 3-point range, while Kalin Lucas averages 8.5 assists. MSU is shooting 53.5 percent at home, including 43.1 percent from 3-point range, averaging 93.0 points. The Spartans are holding opponents to 37.4 percent shooting, including 32.5 percent from behind the arc.
2. Morgan Earns Big Ten Player of the Week Honor
Raymar Morgan was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Jan. 5 after averaging 16.0 points and 11.5 rebounds in a pair of Spartan road victories. In a win at No. 21 Minnesota, Morgan scored 10 points and collected 10 rebounds. He posted another double-double at Northwestern, leading the squad with 22 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 9-of-13 from the field. For the week, he shot 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range and 4-of-5 from the foul line. It is the third weekly award of Morgan's career and the first for any Spartan this season.
3. MSU's Ohio Connection
Michigan State's roster features three players from the Buckeye State: senior Travis Walton, junior Raymar Morgan and freshman Delvon Roe. Walton was the 2005 Northwest Ohio Player of the Year and a first-team all-state honoree at Lima Senior High School. Morgan earned The Associated Press Division I Player of the Year honors as a senior at Canton McKinley High School. He led McKinley to back-to-back Division I state championships, as his school became the first Division I team to accomplish that feat since 1974. Canton McKinley is the same school that produced former Spartan and All-Big Ten performer Eric Snow. Roe was a prep All-American at St. Edward High School as a junior before a knee injury forced the Euclid native to miss all but one game of his senior season. Other Spartans from Ohio under coach Tom Izzo include Andre Hutson (Trotwood), A.J. Granger (Findlay), Jamie Feick (Lexington), Quinton Brooks (Akron), Jason Andreas (Sugarcreek), Adam Wolfe (Westerville) and Doug Davis (Columbus). Next year, MSU will add Garrick Sherman (Kenton), a second-team all-state performer as a junior.
4. Streaking Spartans
Since losing to No. 1 North Carolina, Michigan State has won seven straight games, including wins against No. 5 Texas in Houston and at No. 21 Minnesota. The Spartans are out-scoring opponents 81.1-62.4, while shooting .492 from the field, compared to .384 for opponents. Kalin Lucas is averaging a team-best 14.6 points to go with 6.6 assists, while Raymar Morgan is averaging 13.4 points and 8.9 boards. MSU also boasts a +14.4 rebounding margin during the streak.
5. Hitting The Offensive Glass
Michigan State leads the Big Ten in offensive rebounds, grabbing 14.69 per game. The Spartans are grabbing 41.4 percent of their missed shots, collecting 191 offensive rebounds compared to 270 defensive boards for the opponent. In three games this season (Wichita State, Minnesota, Northwestern), MSU has grabbed more offensive boards than the opponent has grabbed defensive rebounds. In Big Ten play, MSU has totaled 42 offensive rebounds compared to 34 defensive boards for the opponents. The 23 offensive rebounds MSU collected against Minnesota were the most by a Spartan team against a Big Ten opponent since 1998.
MSU vs. Ohio State Notes
Series History
Michigan State leads the all-time series with Ohio State, 61-50. Overall, the Spartans have won 21 of the last 28 games in the series. Tom Izzo is 16-7 in his career against the Buckeyes.
Coach Matta
Thad Matta (Butler, `90) is 217-68 in his ninth season as a collegiate head coach, including 115-37 in his fifth season at Ohio State. Prior to his arrival in Columbus, he served as the head coach at Xavier for three seasons and at Butler for one year.
The Last Meeting
Michigan State defeated Ohio State, 67-60, on March 14, 2008, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Drew Neitzel scored an MSU Big Ten Tournament-record 28 points, shooting 9-of-17 from the field, including 6-of-12 from 3-point range. With MSU leading 47-45 with 7:43 left in the game, Spartan freshman Durrell Summers scored on a 3-pointer and a driving layup to extend the lead to seven. Four Buckeyes scored in double-figures, led by Kosta Koufus with 19 points.
The Last Meeting In East Lansing
Michigan State defeated Ohio State, 66-60, on Jan. 15, 2008, in East Lansing. The Spartans jumped out to a 32-11 lead with just 3:54 remaining in the first half, but the Buckeyes responded with a 23-6 run over a span of two halves, pulling within three points at 37-34. MSU held a 20-6 advantage in offensive rebounds, leading to a 23-5 margin in second-chance points. Kalin Lucas and Drew Neitzel each scored 13 points and Drew Naymick added 11. Jamar Butler led all scorers with 21.
Buckeye Notes
The Buckeyes are led by sophomore Evan Turner, who paces the squad in scoring, rebounding and assists, while ranking second in the conference in steals (2.33 spg) ... Sophomore Dallas Lauderdale leads the Big Ten with 2.92 blocks per game ... Ohio State's record includes wins over No. 21 Miami and No. 7 Notre Dame ... Junior David Lighty broke his foot on Dec. 17 and is out for 6-12 weeks; Lighty was averaging 9.7 points and 5.7 rebounds and had started the first seven games ... Through two games, sophomore Jon Diebler leads the Big Ten in scoring in conference games, averaging 21.0 points and six 3-pointers per contest.
Game 13 Notes - Michigan State 77 - Northwestern 66
* MSU opened Big Ten play 2-0 with two road wins for the first time in school history.
* MSU broke Northwestern's streak of holding 15 straight opponents below 70 points.
* MSU grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, compared to just 18 defensive boards for NU.
* The Spartans shot a season-best 56.3 percent from 3-point range (9-16), including hitting 4-of-6 in the second half.
* Michigan State won its 12th straight game against Northwestern, including five straight double-figure victories at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
* The Spartans trailed 33-32 at the half, but opened the second stanza on a 12-0 run, including eight points from Chris Allen, holding the Wildcats without a point for the first 5:35.
MSU Basketball Notes
Suton Back In Action
After missing six straight games with a left knee injury, Goran Suton has appeared in the last five games, averaging 11.0 points and 6.6 rebounds in 23.2 minutes. Suton injured his knee in the second game of the season against IPFW on Nov. 19. After his knee did not respond to rest, he underwent arthroscopic surgery on Dec. 4. His first full practice came on Monday, Dec. 15. He returned to action against The Citadel on Dec. 17, scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds in 17 minutes. In a win over No. 5 Texas, Suton played 26 minutes off the bench, scoring a team-best 18 points. Against Oakland, Suton led MSU in both scoring (16 points) and rebounding (9 rebounds). He posted a double-double against Minnesota (11 points, 12 rebounds). Michigan State is 7-0 with Goran Suton in the lineup.
Michigan State's Balanced Attack
Through the first 13 games, Michigan State has proven to have great depth. Nine Spartans average 9.2 minutes or more, although Kalin Lucas is the only player to average 30.4. Three players average double figures in scoring, while two more Spartans average 8.7 points or better for the highest scoring team in the Big Ten. On the boards, three Spartans average 5.2 boards per contest, as MSU paces the league in rebounding margin.
MSU's Home-Court Advantage
Since the Breslin Center opened for the 1989-90 season, Michigan State has posted a 259-37 (.875) home record, including 162-13 (.926) in the last 12 seasons. Last year, the Spartans were 17-0 at Breslin, finishing the season as the only Big Ten squad with a perfect home mark. Michigan State has won 25 straight home games, dating back to Feb. 3, 2007, a loss to No. 4 Ohio State.
Deadly From Distance
Over the last three games, Michigan State has been very efficient from 3-point range, shooting .481 percent (26-54). Kalin Lucas is shooting .636 (7-11), while Chris Allen has made a team-best eight 3-pointers in 19 attempts (.421). Even Goran Suton has got into the action, making 3-of-4 from behind the arc. On the season, MSU ranks third in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage (.397).
Morgan On The Glass
Raymar Morgan is averaging a team-best 8.9 rebounds in his last seven games, after averaging just 4.3 boards in the first six games of the season. Morgan has led the team or tied for the team lead in rebounding in five of the last seven games and grabbed 10 boards against Bradley, The Citadel and Minnesota, and 13 at Northwestern. On the season, he ranks eighth in the Big Ten in rebounding.
Working On The Defense
In the first six games of the year, MSU's defense allowed opponents to score 72.5 points on 44.7 percent shooting. In the last seven games, the Spartans are allowing just 62.4 points on 38.4 percent shooting, including just 31.2 percent from 3-point range.
It's All About Boardwork
Michigan State has led the Big Ten in rebounding margin in nine of the last 11 years. This season, the Spartans lead the Big Ten at +9.7, and are 9-1 when out-rebounding their opponent. It's a group effort for MSU, as not a single Spartan averages more than 6.8 rebounds per game, and six different players have led the team or shared the team lead in rebounding in a single game. In Big Ten play, the Spartans own a +20.5 rebounding margin (48.0-27.5).
The Free Throw Story
Traditionally a strong free-throw shooting team, Michigan State is shooting just .657 from the charity stripe. MSU is averaging 23.3 free throw attempts per game, compared to just 17.9 attempts for Spartan opponents.
Morgan Reaches 1,000
With eight points against Oakland, Raymar Morgan became the 38th player in MSU history to score 1,000 career points. Now at 1,032 points for his career, he ranks 37th on the MSU all-time scoring chart. He needs 23 points to pass Marcus Sanders (1,054 points) for 36th place and 28 to pass Earvin Johnson for 35th place (1,059 points).
Lending A Helping Hand
Michigan State is recording an assist on 65.4 percent of its baskets (244-of-373). The Spartans average 18.77 assists per game, ranking second in the Big Ten. Against Alcorn State, MSU established a new school record with 35 assists. Individually, Kalin Lucas ranks second in the conference with 6.31 assists per contest, while freshman Korie Lucious dished out 11 against Alcorn State, the most by any Spartan this season.
Morgan Among Big Ten Leaders
Raymar Morgan currently leads the Big Ten in field-goal percentage (.630), and ranks fifth in scoring (15.4 ppg), eighth in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and 12th in free-throw percentage (.723). Michigan's DeShawn Sims is the only other player in the Big Ten to rank in the top 15 all four categories.
Bench Scoring
Michigan State's bench has out-scored the opponent's bench in 10 of 13 games this season, including seven of the last eight contests. The Spartan reserves have out-scored the opponent subs, 412-245, an average of 31.7-18.8.
Life Away From Home
Michigan State played nine of its first 13 games away from home. MSU is 3-0 in true road games, winning at No. 21 Minnesota, Northwestern and IPFW. The Spartans have also played six neutral site games, the most by a MSU squad in the regular season since the 2005-06 season. MSU is 6-2 away from the Breslin Center. Gonzaga is the only other team ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 to have played just four home games this season.
Juggling The Lineup
Due in large part to Goran Suton missing six games with a knee injury and Delvon Roe continuing to improve from two knee surgeries, the Spartan coaching staff has been forced to make continual adjustments in the rotation. This has led to Michigan State starting nine different starting lineups through the first 13 games of the season. Nine different Spartans have started a game this season. Kalin Lucas and Travis Walton are the only Spartans to start all 13 games.
Allen From Distance
Sophomore guard Chris Allen is shooting 43.1 percent from 3-point range in the last eight games, connecting on 22-of-51 attempts, while averaging 12.5 points per game. In the first five games of the season, Allen shot just 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from behind the arc. On the season, Allen is shooting 39.7 percent from distance. His teammate Durrell Summers ranks third in the Big Ten in 3-point field-goal percentage, shooting 50.0 percent (16-of-32).
Spartans Hit The Mark
After leading the Big Ten in field-goal percentage for the last five seasons, the Spartans are taking aim at a sixth straight statistical crown. Michigan State currently ranks second in the league in field-goal percentage (.481). Individually, Raymar Morgan leads the conference, connecting on 63.0 percent of his shots.
Roe's Recovery
Despite undergoing two knee surgeries in the last 12 months, including microfracture surgery last December, Delvon Roe is showing flashes of the skills that had him ranked among the elite high school players in his class nationally. In the first four games of the season, he averaged 15.0 minutes and 3.5 rebounds. In the next nine games, he is averaging 5.9 rebounds, 5.2 points and 17.3 minutes per contest, despite being limited to just five minutes against Minnesota due to a sprained left ankle.
Lucas Dishes It Out
Kalin Lucas paces the nation with a 5.13-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while ranking second in the conference, and 18th in the nation, at 6.31 helpers per contest. Lucas has recorded one or no turnovers in 10 of 13 games. Against Oklahoma State, Lucas recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-best 10 assists. As a freshman, Lucas ranked fifth in the Big Ten in assists (3.81 apg) and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.88), while his 137 assists were the fourth most ever by a Spartan freshman.
Finding A Shooting Touch
Travis Walton worked hard in the offseason to improve his offensive game, but was unable to find the range during the first two games of the season, making just one of his first six shots. He quickly found the shooting touch in the first two games of the Old Spice Classic, scoring a career-high 16 points in each contest, while shooting a combined 15-of-20 (.750) from the field. On the season, Walton is shooting .444, averaging 6.4 points per game.
Walton Moves Up Career Assists Chart
With 468 career assists, Travis Walton ranks seventh in Michigan State history. He needs 24 assists to pass Earvin Johnson (491 assists) for sixth place.
The Turnover Story
In the first two games of the season, Michigan State averaged 9.5 turnovers and held a combined 47-17 edge in points off turnovers. In the five games that followed, the Spartans averaged 17.6 turnovers, resulting in a 93-57 deficit in points off turnovers. In the last six games, MSU is averaging 13.0 turnovers, while opponents are averaging 14.0, resulting in a combined 98-62 advantage in points off turnovers. Last season, the Spartans averaged 13.6 turnovers, which was the lowest average of the Tom Izzo era. This year, MSU is 6-0 when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent, and 2-0 when turnovers are equal, but just 3-2 when committing more.
In The Rankings
Michigan State is ranked No. 8 in The Associated Press poll and No. 12 in the USA TODAY/ESPN coaches' poll. Four Spartan opponents are also ranked, including North Carolina (#3 AP/#3 USA Today/ESPN), Texas (#7/7), Purdue (#14/14) and Minnesota (#22/19). MSU is 2-1 against ranked opponents this season.
MSU's X-Factor
Marquise Gray is a real X-factor for the Spartans in the sense that when he is productive, Michigan State almost always wins. Gray has scored in double figures 16 times in his career, and the Spartans are 15-1 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.
Spartans On The Run
Michigan State leads the Big Ten in scoring offense at 78.6 points per game, a sign of the up-tempo pace the Spartans are playing in 2008-09. This year's edition of the Spartans could challenge the 2004-05 squad for the highest-scoring team of the Tom Izzo era. In '04-05, MSU averaged 78.5 points en route to a Final Four appearance.
An Impressive Streak
Michigan State made 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.
Spartans In The NBA
Eight former Spartans are currently on NBA rosters, including Maurice Ager (New Jersey Nets), Charlie Bell (Milwaukee Bucks), Shannon Brown (Charlotte Bobcats), Paul Davis (Los Angeles Clippers), Morris Peterson (New Orleans Hornets), Zach Randolph (Los Angeles Clippers), Jason Richardson (Phoenix Suns) and Eric Snow (Cleveland Cavaliers).
Morgan Makes Wooden Award List
Raymar Morgan was selected one of the top 50 preseason candidates for the 2008-09 John R. Wooden Award. The John R. Wooden Award, presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, has been presented annually since 1976. Morgan and Purdue's Robbie Hummel are the only Big Ten players on the preseason list for the Wooden Award.
The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo
In his 14th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 316-132 (.705), and 147-69 (.681) 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 14 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 .681 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 147 conference victories, Izzo ranks 11th all-time.
Izzo Against Ranked Opponents
In his 14 years of coaching, Tom Izzo is 67-65 against ranked opponents.
Izzo Among Best Ever
Through his first 13 seasons, Tom Izzo won 305 games, ranking seventh in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 13 years.
Graduating Student-Athletes
In Tom Izzo's 13 full years directing the Spartan program, 83 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last nine years, 29 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees, including five each in 2001, 2003 and 2007.
Izzo's Coaching Tree
Five current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Jim Boylen (Utah), Tom Crean (Indiana), Brian Gregory (Dayton), Stan Heath (South Florida) and Doug Wojcik (Tulsa). Gregory is in his sixth 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 fourth 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 second season with Utah. Stan Joplin, an assistant during Izzo's first season, spent 12 seasons as head coach at Toledo.
Home Sweet Home
During Tom Izzo's career as head coach, the Spartans are 185-22 (.894) at home, including 162-13 (.926) since the start of the 1997-98 season.
Coaches Vs. Cancer
During the 2007-08 season, Tom and Lupe Izzo launched the Michigan State chapter of the Coaches Vs. Cancer program. Now in its second season, the Izzos are looking for an even better year. Signature events for 2009 include the Suits and Sneakers Fundraising Challenge, where employees donate funds for the right to wear sneakers in the work place, an NCAA Final Four Reception (April 3, 2009), and Izzo Goes To Broadway (May 6, 2009), a cabaret style show featuring special guests and professional talent, directed by Broadway director and East Lansing native Greg Ganakas at the Wharton Center on the MSU campus. For more information on any of these initiatives contact Kate Follett from the American Cancer Society at 517-664-1370.
