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Men's Basketball Hits The Road For Second Straight Game
Jan. 7, 2006 EAST LANSING, Mich. - #7/7 Michigan State (12-3, 0-1) vs. # -/24 Wisconsin (11-2, 1-0) Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM Michigan State Game Notes
The Opening Tip The Starting Five Midseason All-Americans - As conference play gets ready to start, some analysts are releasing midseason All-America teams. ESPN's Jay Bilas put Maurice Ager on his Preconference All-America First Team, along with Kentucky's Rajon Rondo, Duke's J.J. Redick, Gonzaga's Adam Morrison and Texas' LeMarcus Aldridge. Paul Davis earned a spot on Bilas' second team. Shannon Brown earned a spot on Bilas' Preconference All-Defensive Team. CBS Sportsline's Gregg Doyel put both Ager and Davis on his All-America team with Morrison, Redick and Villanova's Randy Foye. Improved Defense - Michigan State has shown some improved defense over the last five games. Through the first 10 games of the season, MSU was allowing opponents to shoot 44.2 percent from the field, allowing 76.6 points per game. In the last five, opponents are shooting just 40.0 percent from the field and averaging just 60.8 points. Chairman Of The Boards - Paul Davis leads the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 9.9 boards per contest. A Spartan has not led the Big Ten in rebounding since Antonio Smith in 1996-97 (10.6 rpg). Ager Challenges For Scoring Title - Maurice Ager ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 21.1 points per game. Northwestern's Vedran Vukusic leads the conference at 22.3 ppg, while Ager's teammates, Paul Davis (19.3 ppg) and Shannon Brown (17.5 ppg), rank third and sixth, respectively. A Spartan has not led the league in overall scoring since Shawn Respert's 25.6 ppg paced the conference in 1995. Marcus Taylor led the league in scoring in conference games in 2002, averaging 17.7 ppg. Wisconsin Notes Badger Notes - Wisconsin is a perfect 8-0 at the Kohl Center this season and 66-3 at home under Bo Ryan ... Alando Tucker has scored 20 points or more in six games this season, including five games with at least 25 points ... Wisconsin has used the same starting lineup in all 13 games ... The Badgers are averaging just 11.9 turnovers per game. Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Wisconsin, 64-53. The Badgers, however, hold a 38-22 advantage in games played in Madison. Tom Izzo is 13-9 in his career against Wisconsin. The Last Meeting - Michigan State snapped a six-game losing streak to the Badgers with a 77-64 victory in East Lansing on Feb. 24. MSU opened the game on a 20-6 run and Wisconsin never got closer than eight points after that. Alan Anderson scored a career-best 28 points, shooting 10-of-10 from the field and 7-of-7 from the foul line. Paul Davis recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Alando Tucker led Wisconsin with 18 points. Game 15 Notes - Illinois 60 - Michigan State 50 The Book On Tom Izzo Izzo Among Best Ever - Through his first 10 seasons, Tom Izzo has won 233 games, ranking seventh in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 10 years. Graduating Student-Athletes - In Tom Izzo's 10 full years directing the Spartan program, 77 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last six years, 17 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees, including five each in 2001 and 2003. Izzo's Coaching Tree - Six current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Tom Crean (Marquette), Brian Gregory (Dayton), Mike Garland (Cleveland State), Stan Heath (Arkansas), Stan Joplin (Toledo) and Doug Wojcik (Tulsa). Gregory and Garland are in their third 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 first season at Tulsa. Safe At Home - Tom Izzo owns a career record of 140-19 (.881) in the Breslin Center, including a 105-7 (.938) mark over the last eight seasons. In Big Ten play, Izzo is 71-11 (.866) in Breslin, 52-4 (.929) over the last seven years. Vs. Ranked Opponents - Tom Izzo has a career record of 55-50 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. This includes a 48-39 record since 1997-98. At His Best When It Counts - Tom Izzo ranks second among active coaches for the best NCAA Tournament winning percentage at .767. MSU Basketball Notes Non-Conference Victories - Michigan State won 12 non-conference games this season, establishing a school record since joining the Big Ten in 1950-51. The 1989-90, 1998-99 and 2000-01 squads won 11 non-conference games during the regular season. Statistical Leaders - A quick glance at the Big Ten stats (through Jan. 5) will find Spartans near the top of almost every category. Paul Davis leads the conference in rebounding (9.9 rpg) and defensive rebounds (6.80 drpg). Maurice Ager (21.1 ppg), Davis (19.9 ppg) and Shannon Brown (17.6 ppg), rank second, third and sixth, respectively, in scoring. Davis ranks second in free-throw percentage (.886) and sixth in field-goal percentage (.598), while Brown ranks fifth in the league in steals (1.67 spg), fourth in free-throw percentage (.841) and fourth in minutes played (34.13 mpg). Ager is third in minutes played (34.33 mpg), and Neitzel is third in assists (5.60 apg) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.71). What Can Brown Do For You? - Shannon Brown was named the men's basketball Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 26. Brown led the Spartans with 26 points in a 98-69 road win at Wisconsin-Green Bay on Dec. 21, and dished out a career best eight assists while committing no turnovers. He shot 9-of-13 from the field against the Phoenix, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, establishing career highs for field goals and 3-point field goals. The game marked the third straight contest in which Brown led the team in scoring, recording 20 points or more in all three games. He has topped the 20-point mark in four of his last six games. Davis Among Career Leaders - Paul Davis ranks among the Michigan State career leaders in several different statistical categories, including free throws (5th, 395), free throws attempted (6th, 529), rebounds (8th, 758), blocked shots (7th, 70) and scoring (13th, 1,430). (For complete charts, see sidebars on pages 5-6.) Lending A Helping Hand - Drew Neitzel ranks second in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.71-to-1, while ranking third in assists averaging 5.6 per game. Over the last nine games, he has a 4.25-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His best effort in that stretch was a nine assist, one turnover effort against Arkansas-Little Rock. Playing A Lot Of Minutes - Through the first 15 games, Maurice Ager (34.3 minutes), Shannon Brown (34.1 mpg), Paul Davis (31.1 mpg) and Drew Neitzel (31.3 mpg) are all averaging more than 30 minutes per game. By comparison, Michigan State was the only Big Ten team last season without a single player averaging 30 minutes per game. In fact, Davis led MSU in minutes played at 26.9 per game. Money At The Charity Stripe - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage, shooting .778 (270-of-347). According to the most recent NCAA statistics (Jan. 2), the Spartans rank sixth in the nation at .775. MSU also leads the conference in free throws made (270) and attempted (347). Drew Neitzel (.905) and Paul Davis (.886) pace the Spartans, as Davis ranks second in the Big Ten (Neitzel does not have enough makes to qualify). This season, Davis has had three games in which he was perfect from the line with at least 10 attempts, shooting 12-of-12 against Gonzaga, 11-of-11 against Arkansas-Little Rock and 10-of-10 against Arizona. Last season, MSU led the Big Ten and ranked third in the nation in free-throw percentage (.777), while featuring the top four foul shooters in the league. The Big Three - Spartan seniors Maurice Ager and Paul Davis and junior Shannon Brown will carry a lot of the scoring load for Michigan State this season. Through 15 games, the trio has not disappointed, averaging a combined 58.0 points, or 72.0 percent, of MSU's 80.6 points per game. The trio has each scored 20 points or more in two games (vs. Cleveland State and UW-Green Bay), accomplishing a feat that had not been done at MSU since Feb. 15, 2000. Ager Hits The Boards - Through the first 99 games of his career, Maurice Ager had never grabbed more than nine rebounds. In his 100th career game, Ager grabbed 10 boards against Cleveland State. He bettered that effort in game No. 101, recording 14 boards against Florida International. In the last seven games, he has raised his rebounding average from 2.5 to 4.4 boards per contest. Mr. Double-Double - With eight double-doubles in the first 15 games of this season, Paul Davis has now recorded a double-double in 16 of the last 30 games. Davis elevated his level of play over the last two months of last season, recording a double-double in eight of the final 15 games, including the last four NCAA Tournament contests. His best effort might have come in the Sweet 16 when he out-scored (20 to 19) and out-rebounded (12 to 8) Duke's Shelden Williams. In the Final Four, against North Carolina's Sean May, Davis recorded a career-best 15 rebounds. For his career, he has posted 21 double-doubles. Ager's Improved Decision Making - One of the biggest improvements in Maurice Ager's game is his decision making. Recently, it can be seen in his assist-to-turnover ratio. After opening the season with eight assists and 15 turnovers in the first five games, he has totaled 40 assists and 26 turnovers in the last 10 contests. In fact, he recorded a career-best six assists against Boston College. He has recorded five assists or more in five of the last 10 games, after having never tallied more than four in the first 95 games of his career. Trannon's Addition - Senior forward Matt Trannon has played in six games since joining the basketball team after the conclusion of the football season. In seven games, he is averaging 4.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 17.6 minutes. The ultimate "glue-guy," Trannon adds toughness, defensive skills and athleticism to the lineup. His stat line against Cleveland State was a great example of what he can add to the Spartans, recording two points, two assists, five rebounds, four steals and three blocks in 28 minutes, including 18 in the second half. He scored a career-high 10 points against Wisconsin-Green Bay. During the football season, he ranked second on the team in receptions, with 40 for 573 yards and four touchdowns. 1,000-Point Spartans - Earlier this season, Maurice Ager became the 35th player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 career points. With 1,215 points, he joins Paul Davis (1,430 points) as current Spartans over 1,000. Davis ranks 13th in career scoring, while Ager ranks 21st. Ager needs 28 points to pass Stan Washington (1,242 points) while Davis needs 39 points to pass Charlie Bell (1,468 points). Three members of last year's team, Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert, were all 1,000-point scorers. The next Spartan to reach the milestone should be Shannon Brown, who currently has 861 points. It's Early, But ... - While it's impossible to project season statistics off just 15 games, a few Spartans are putting up impressive numbers in the early going. Maurice Ager is currently averaging 21.1 points per game. It's the best scoring average by a Spartan since Shawn Respert averaged 25.6 points as a senior in 1994-95. Paul Davis is currently averaging 9.9 rebounds, the best mark by a Spartan since Antonio Smith averaged 10.6 boards in 1996-97. Freshmen Contributions - Eight active Spartans are currently averaging more than 10 minutes per game (Drew Naymick averaged 10.6 minutes in the first seven games, but will apply for a medical redshirt after the season). Of those eight, three are freshmen in Marquise Gray, Goran Suton and Travis Walton. A true freshman, Walton is the primary reserve in the backcourt averaging 18.3 minutes, 1.5 points and 2.7 assists, while playing strong defense. Gray and Suton are redshirt freshmen getting their first taste of college basketball games. Suton is the team's fifth-leading scorer at 4.1 points and the fourth-leading rebounder at 3.9 boards in 18.1 minutes per contest. Gray is averaging 3.7 points and ranks third on the team with 3.9 boards per game and has started six contests. An Offensive Threat - By his own admission, Drew Neitzel just tried to run the offense last season as a true freshman point guard and get the ball to the other weapons on the team. He recorded an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.1-to-1, but averaged just 3.5 points per game and attempted just 3.4 shots per contest. A prolific scorer in high school, Neitzel is looking to score more this season. He is averaging 8.2 points and 6.3 shots per game, while maintaining a 2.71-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Davis Named POW - Paul Davis was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 28. In four games, the senior center averaged 22.5 points and 12.3 rebounds. MSU posted a 3-1 record on the week, falling only to Gonzaga, 109-106 in triple overtime. Davis recorded double-doubles in three of the four games. Coach Izzo was impressed with his performance, saying "I'm pleased with the way he's playing on all ends of the court and really excited about the leadership I think he's showing. He's made some giant strides." MSU Is A "Powerhouse Program" - ESPN named Michigan State one of the 10 "Powerhouse Programs" in college basketball. Of the 10 schools featured, only seven were division I men's programs. MSU was joined by Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, division II Kentucky Wesleyan, and the Tennessee and Connecticut women's programs. The television program featuring the list was part of ESPNU's Honor Roll series. Big Ten Favorites - Michigan State was named the Big Ten preseason favorite at the league's media day on Oct. 30. The Spartans are followed by Illinois and Indiana in the poll. Paul Davis also earned a spot on the Preseason All-Big Ten squad. Winning The Right Way - In addition to excelling on the court, the Spartans are standouts in the classroom. Seventeen Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees over the last six years, including five each in 2001 and 2003. America's Best Backcourt - Lindy's College Basketball preseason magazine ranked Michigan State's backcourt the best in the nation: "The backcourt was solid enough to get the Spartans to the Final Four last season and that should be the case again in 2006. Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager will be the `wings' and either could be defined as a `shooting guard,' if you like to see players locked into position descriptions. They're both explosive enough to jump over the top or drive past any variety of defender. Drew Neitzel was solid the last half of the season as the team's playmaker and should be much improved as a sophomore." Izzo's Busy Summer - In addition to the always-busy summer recruiting season, Coach Tom Izzo enjoyed a few unique opportunities. In July, he had the opportunity to play golf with Tiger Woods at the Buick Open Pro-Am, prompting Woods to say "he's a guy that if I was playing ball, he's the type of guy that I'd want to go play for.' In mid-August, Izzo was one of a select number of coaches at Michael Jordan's Senior Flight School. The summer closed with Izzo traveling to Kuwait to take part in "Operation Hardwood - Hoops With The Troops." Izzo was one of eight coaches and sports personalities coaching 13-member military basketball teams on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, from Aug. 27-31. Camp Arifjan defeated the other bases to win the championship under the direction of Coach Izzo. Spartans In The NBA - Listed below is an update on six former Spartans currently on NBA rosters: (Stats through Dec. 26) Alan Anderson (Charlotte): 5 GP, 7.0 mpg, 1.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 1.0 apg Charlie Bell (Milwaukee): 18 GP, 12.2 mpg, 4.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.9 apg Morris Peterson (Toronto): 27 GP, 22 GS, 33.4 mpg, 13.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.6 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 26 GP, 25 GS, 35.9 mpg, 18.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.8 apg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 28 GP, 28 GS, 38.9 mpg, 22.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.6 apg Eric Snow (Cleveland): 26 GP, 26 GS, 27.3 mpg, 4.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 4.2 apg
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