Feb. 1, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#8/7 Michigan State (19-2, 7-1)
vs. Penn State (10-10, 2-6)

February 2, 2008
8 p.m. EST
University Park, Pa.
Bryce Jordan Center

Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM 1240 AM/WMMQ 94.9 FM
TV: Big Ten Network - Tom Hamilton (Play by Play), Greg Kelser (Color)

Michigan State Game Notes

The Opening Tip
Off to the best 21-game start in school history, Michigan State brings a five-game winning streak on the road to Penn State in search of the Spartans' 20th victory of the season. This will be the fourth game in 10 days for the Spartans. Michigan State is 6-2 away from the Breslin Center this season, including 3-1 on an opponent's home court. Penn State is 8-4 at the Bryce Jordan Center this season.

The Starting Five
1. 20-Win Seasons - With one more victory, Michigan State will record its ninth 20-win season in the last 11 years, all under head coach Tom Izzo. Of the previous 16 20-win seasons in Spartan history, Izzo has been involved in 13 of them, eight as a head coach and five as an assistant.

2. Record Start - With a 19-2 record, Michigan State is off to the best 21-game start in 109 seasons of Michigan State basketball. The previous best was an 18-3 mark by the 2000-01 Spartans.

3. Suton On The Glass - Goran Suton ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding at 8.5 boards per contest, and in offensive rebounds (3.14 orpg). In conference games, he ranks second in the league at 9.0 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 13 games. He has eight games with double-figure rebounds and four more contests with nine boards. Suton leads the team with six double-doubles.

4. Neitzel Breaks Out - After averaging 7.7 points in the first three conference games of the season, Drew Neitzel has been strong in the last five games, averaging 17.0 points, including 18.0 in the last four. He is shooting .483 (28-of-47) from the field and .429 (18-of-42) from 3-point range over the last five, after shooting .273 (9-of-33) and .188 (3-of-16) in the first three league contests. On the season, he is shooting .432, including .414 from 3-point range, compared to .446 overall and .411 from 3-point range last season through 21 games. Neitzel was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Jan. 28 after averaging 19.0 points, 6.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds in wins over Northwestern and Michigan.

5. Lending A Helping Hand - MSU leads the Big Ten in assists, averaging 18.62 helpers per contest, ranking 5th in the nation (as of Jan. 28). The Spartans have recorded an assist on 69.0 percent of their baskets. In the last three games, MSU has recorded an assist on 62 of 76 baskets (81.6 percent). Individually, Travis Walton (3rd, 4.71 apg), Drew Neitzel (4th, 4.67 apg), and Kalin Lucas (7th, 3.81 apg) rank in the top eight in the conference in assists.

MSU vs. Penn State Notes
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Penn State, 24-3, including an 8-2 advantage in games played in University Park. The Nittany Lions' three wins in the series have been by a combined seven points. The Spartans have won eight straight games in the series and 16 consecutive regular-season meetings. Tom Izzo is 17-2 in his career against Penn State.

Coach DeChellis - Ed DeChellis (Penn State, '82) is 157-179 in his 12th season as a collegiate head coach, including 52-86 in five seasons seasons at Penn State. He served as head coach at East Tennessee State from 1996-2003.

Nittany Lions Notes - Penn State's leading scorer and rebounder, Geary Claxton, is out for the season with a knee injury ... Penn State leads the Big Ten with 14.0 offensive rebounds per game ... Stanley Pringle is shooting .500 from 3-point range in league play ... Nine different players have started a Big Ten game for PSU.

The Last Meeting - Michigan State shot a season-high 67.9 percent from the field in a 91-64 victory over Penn State on Jan. 20, 2007 in University Park, Pa. Drew Neitzel led MSU with 28 points, shooting 11-of-17 from the field, while four other Spartans scored in double figures. Leading 18-12 midway through the first half, MSU took control of the contest with a 15-3 run over the next 4:52 to take a 33-15 lead. The Spartans led by 22 at halftime and Penn State was never closer than 18 points in the second half. Jamelle Cornley led the Nittany Lions with 21 points.

Game 21 Notes • Michigan State 51 - Illinois 41
* Michigan State improved to 19-2 on the season, recording the best 21-game start in school history.
* Michigan State shot 0-of-9 from 3-point range, marking the first time the Spartans did not make a 3-pointer since Feb. 21, 1999, when MSU was 0-of-4 against Wisconsin.
* Tom Izzo, who celebrated his 53rd birthday, improved to 5-1 on his birthday in his career.
* Drew Neitzel made a season-high seven free throws.
* Trailing 14-5 with 7:57 left in the first half, Illinois went on a 15-0 run over the next 4:28.
* Drew Neitzel scored nine straight points over a span of 2:06 in the second half, turning a 26-22 deficit into a 31-26 advantage.
* Illinois held a 32-31 lead with 12:19 left, but MSU went on a 13-3 run over the next 7:30.
* The Fighting Illini were just 2-of-10 from the foul line in the final 2:44.

MSU Basketball Notes
MSU's Super Soph - After a solid freshman campaign, Raymar Morgan is having a breakout sophomore season. Morgan leads MSU in scoring (16.3 ppg), field goals made (122) and free throws made (93) and attempted (133), ranks second in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and field goals attempted (214), third in blocks (13) and fourth in steals (18). He is second on the team with three double-doubles. The Canton, Ohio, native ranks tied for fourth in the Big Ten in scoring, seventh in rebounding, and third in field-goal percentage (.570). 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 was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Jan. 7, earning the honor for the second time this season.

Kalin Raises His Play - Over the last 11 games, Kalin Lucas is averaging 12.2 points and 4.6 assists, scoring in double figures in eight of the 11 contests. He has led MSU in scoring in four of the last 11 games. 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, and establishing new career highs in points and rebounds. In his last game, Lucas tied his season high with 18 points vs. Michigan. 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).

Spartans Shooting Well - Michigan State is shooting a Big Ten-best 48.8 percent from the field this season, ranking 12th in the nation (as of Jan. 28), and having shot better than 50 percent in 10 games. MSU has shot better than its opponent in 20 of 21 games. Last season, MSU shot 46.9 percent.

A Balanced Scoring Attack - Although just two Spartans are averaging double-figures in scoring (Raymar Morgan - 16.3; Drew Neitzel - 14.1), Michigan State can get scoring contributions from many different sources. Seven Spartans average at least 5.4 points per game, and nine Spartans have scored 10 or more points in a single game this season. Five different players have led MSU in scoring in a single game, including all three true freshmen. In conference play, three Spartans average double figures (Morgan - 14.5; Neitzel - 13.5; Kalin Lucas - 11.1). In 11 games, four or more Spartans have scored in double figures, as MSU is 11-0 in those contests.

Allen In Action - Chris Allen has re-emerged as a regular part of the Spartan rotation over the last six games, having missed four of the prior six contests with a bone bruise in his left foot. Over the last six games, Allen is averaging 6.7 points in 14.5 minutes, shooting .464 (13-of-28) from the field and .500 (9-of-18) from 3-point range.

Too Many Turnovers - Michigan State is averaging 15.0 turnovers per game for the season, and 16.9 turnovers in conference play. Spartan opponents are averaging 18.9 points off turnovers in league games, compared to just 11.5 per game for the Spartans. For the most part, the turnovers are not coming from the point guards, as Drew Neitzel, Travis Walton and Kalin Lucas combine to average just 5.43 turnovers per game. Neitzel leads the Big Ten with a 3.27-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Walton ranks second at 2.83-to-1, and Lucas is eighth at 1.63-to-1. In fact, Neitzel ranks third in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, while Walton ranks 18th (as of Jan. 28).

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 16 of 21 games. The MSU bench has also out-rebounded the opponent bench in 13 games.

Hitting The Boards - Michigan State has a Big Ten-best +9.2 rebound margin, ranking sixth in the nation (as of Jan. 28). MSU is 18-1 this season when out-rebounding its opponent. In MSU's 18 wins, the Spartans have a +10.4 rebound margin, but lost the only game in which they were outrebounded (UCLA; 37-28). MSU and Texas tied on the boards in their Top-10 meeting. In 2006-07, MSU posted a +7.0 rebounding margin, outrebounding 24 of 35 opponents while tying three other teams.

MSU's Block Party - Michigan State ranks third in the Big Ten with 4.71 blocks per contest (99 total blocks). Over the last 11 games, the Spartans have blocked 57 shots (5.2 bpg), including a school single-game record 13 against San Jose State. In 2006-07, Michigan State blocked a school single-season record 162 shots.

Naymick Breaks Block Record - Drew Naymick owns the MSU career record with 108 blocked shots. He passed Matt Steigenga for the Michigan State career lead with a block at Iowa on Jan. 12. Last season, Naymick led the Spartans with 55 rejections, good for the second-best single-season total in MSU history. He ranks fourth in the Big Ten this season with 1.62 blocks per contest. Naymick has blocked 17 shots in the eight conference games (2.13 bpg), ranking second in the Big Ten in league play.

High-Octane Offense - Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 73.9 points per game. That average is the third-highest during Tom Izzo's coaching career, trailing only the 2004-05 Spartan squad which averaged 78.5 points and the 2000-01 team at 77.4 points per contest.

Attacking The Offensive Glass - Michigan State has nearly as many offensive boards (285) as its opponents have defensive rebounds (376), as the Spartans grab 43.1 percent of their own missed shots. As a point of comparison, no other league team is at 40 percent. 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 13.6 offensive rebounds per game, and has recorded at least 10 offensive boards in 16 of the 21 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.

Finding Success At The Foul Line - Michigan State is shooting .727 from the foul line, ranking second in the Big Ten. The Spartans are averaging 20.9 attempts and 15.2 makes per contest. In the Spartans' two losses, they have totaled 19 free-throw attempts, 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 (133), averaging 4.4 points per game at the stripe.

MSU's Difficult Schedule - Michigan State played four non-conference teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 at the time of the game (No. 2 UCLA, No. 24 NC State, No. 20 BYU and No. 4 Texas). The four games against ranked non-conference opponents are the most for any team currently ranked in the AP Top 25. The only other teams ranked in the Top 25 to play as many as three ranked non-conference opponents are Duke, Memphis, Texas, and Wisconsin. North Carolina did not play a ranked non-conference opponent in 2007-08.

I Love The 80's - The Spartan offense has scored more than 80 points in seven 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 14 games.

Maintaining The Defense - Michigan State is holding its opponents to 38.6 percent shooting overall, and 31.5 percent shooting from 3-point range. The Spartans rank third in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage defense and fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage defense. Last year, MSU allowed opponents to shoot just 38.4 percent, the lowest percentage since 1958-59. The Spartans have held 12 of 21 opponents below 40 percent shooting. Green Bay shot a season-best 49.2 percent for a Spartan opponent. Last year, MSU held 23 of 35 opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field.

First-Half Shooting - Michigan State has led at halftime in 17 of 21 games. In 12 of the 17 games the Spartans led at the half, they shot 50 percent or better in the first period. MSU shot a season-best 65.2 percent in the first stanza against Northwestern. In the three games in which MSU trailed at the half (Bradley, BYU, Iowa and Illinois), the Spartans failed to shoot 50 percent. The IPFW, San Jose State, Michigan and both Minnesota contests are the only games where MSU led at half after not shooting 50 percent.

Spartan Depth - Nine different Spartans are averaging 12.1 minutes or more. Drew Neitzel leads the Spartans at 31.4 minutes per game, four fewer than he averaged last season (35.7 mpg), when he played more minutes than any Spartan since 1991.

Freshmen Contributions - Michigan State has played three true scholarship freshmen (Chris Allen, Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers) this season. The trio is averaging 22.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 49.3 minutes.

Neitzel Among Career Leaders - Drew Neitzel currently ranks fifth in career assists at Michigan State with 535. He is tied for the lead in MSU career free-throw percentage (.857), and ranks third in 3-point field goals made (231) and 3-point field goals attempted (573).

Neitzel Moving Up Scoring List - Drew Neitzel ranks 19th in Michigan State career scoring with 1,329 points. He needs 49 points to pass Julius McCoy (1,377 points). Neitzel scored his 1,000th-career point against Marquette in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

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."

Spartans Play For Record Crowds - In addition to playing in front of sellout crowds at home, Michigan State is a top draw on the road, as the Spartans played in front of two record crowds during the first week of December. On Dec. 4, MSU played in front of 11,597, the largest crowd ever to witness a Bradley home game. In Dec. 8's win over BYU, the Spartans played in front of the largest crowd ever to watch a college basketball game in Salt Lake City (16,412).

Morgan Is Two-Time Big Ten POW - Raymar Morgan was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 19, sharing the honor with Indiana freshman Eric Gordon. The Spartan sophomore averaged 19.0 points and 14.5 rebounds in the East Lansing Regional of the CBE Classic, earning Regional MVP honors. On Jan. 7, Morgan shared the honors with Penn State's Geary Claxton after the Spartan sophomore scored a career-high 31 points to go along with 10 rebounds against Minnesota.

Home Sweet Home - During Tom Izzo's career as head coach, the Spartans are 177-22 (.889) at home, including 154-13 (.922) over the last 11 years.

Returning Talent - The Spartans return 89.8 percent of their scoring (2,043 points), 92.6 percent of their rebounding (1,021 rebounds), 93.2 percent of their assists (522 assists) and 89.4 percent of their minutes (6,256 minutes) from the 2006-07 squad.

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).

Big Ten Favorites - Michigan State was selected the preseason Big Ten favorite by a 22-member media panel at Big Ten Media Day on Oct. 28 in Chicago. MSU was followed in the polls by Indiana and Ohio State. At the event, Drew Neitzel was also selected Preseason Big Ten Player of The Year, becoming the first Spartan to earn the preseason nod since Mateen Cleaves was the coaches' pick in 1999. Indiana's D.J. White, Ohio State Jamar Butler, Penn State's Geary Claxton and Illinois' Shaun Pruitt joined Neitzel on the all-league team.

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.

A Perfect 10 - Michigan State made its 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007. It is the longest current streak among Big Ten schools and fifth longest in the nation. Only Arizona (23), Kansas (18), Kentucky (16) and Duke (12) 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.

Preseason All-American - A second-team All-American as selected by Dick Vitale and CBS Sports.com in 2006-07, Drew Neitzel opens the 2007-08 season as a popular pick for first-team All-America honors. In fact, Neitzel is a preseason first-team All-American according to The Associated Press, Athlon Sports College Basketball, Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and Dick Vitale. Teammate Raymar Morgan made Vitale's fourth team.

Neitzel On Cousy List - Senior point guard Drew Neitzel is one of 36 Division I candidates for the 2007 Bob Cousy Award. Presented annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the award recognizes the top collegiate point guard participating in NCAA Divisions I, II and III. The selection committee is comprised of college basketball experts including media members, former coaches and players. Candidates are evaluated on their ability to maximize their team's collective potential, their leadership, their core basketball skills and overall team acheivement. Neitzel is the only Big Ten player on the list, which also includes two Division II and Division III candidates.

Morgan On Wooden List - Raymar Morgan is one of 30 players on the midseason list for the John R. Wooden Award. Morgan joins Indiana's D.J. White and Eric Gordon as the only Big Ten players on the list. The John R. Wooden Award, presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, has been presented annually since 1976.

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.

Spartan Opponents In The Polls - Four Michigan State opponents are ranked in the latest The Associated Press Top 25, including No. 5 UCLA, No. 10 Texas, No. 11 Indiana and No. 13 Wisconsin. (Based on Jan. 28 rankings.)

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).

The Book On Tom Izzo
Coach Izzo - In his 13th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 297-123 (.707), and 140-64 (.686) 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 .686 winning percentage in Big Ten games ranks second all-time among league coaches with at least 10 years of service, behind former Indiana coach Bob Knight (.700). In all games, Knight ranks first at .734, followed by Wisconsin's Walter Meanwell (.712), Lambert (.709) and Izzo (.707). With 140 conference victories, Izzo ranks 12th all-time, three behind Ohio State's Harold "Bud" Foster.

Izzo Against Ranked Opponents - In his 13 years of coaching, Tom Izzo is 64-59 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.

MSU Men's Basketball

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