Dec. 21, 2007

EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Dick's Sporting Goods Spartan Clash

#9/10 Michigan State (10-1)
vs. #4/5 Texas (11-0)

December 22, 2007
6:30 p.m. EST
Auburn Hills, Mich.
The Palace of Auburn Hills

Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM 1240 AM/WMMQ 94.9 FM
TV: ESPN2 - Sean McDonough (Play by Play), Bill Raftery (Color)

Michigan State Game Notes

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Listen To Spartan Sports Podcasts
Travis Walton Interview
Durrell Summers Interview

The Opening Tip
Michigan State will play its fourth game against a ranked opponent as it faces #4 Texas in the Spartan Clash at The Palace of Auburn Hills. No other team in The Associated Press Top 25 has played four games against ranked opponents this season. The Longhorns are also used to top-caliber competition as they will be playing their third Top-10 opponent in the non-conference slate. This will be MSU's fourth game on a neutral court this season, posting a 2-1 mark in the previous three.

The Starting Five (And A Sixth Man)
1. The Spartan Clash - Michigan State is 3-1 in Spartan Clash history. On Dec. 2, 2003, Oklahoma defeated Michigan State, 80-77, in overtime. In 2004, MSU defeated Stanford, 78-53, behind 20 points and eight rebounds from Paul Davis on Dec. 11. The Spartans beat Wichita State, 83-64, on Dec. 10, 2005, as MSU's Big Three of Davis, Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown totaled 59 points. Last year, Marquise Gray (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Goran Suton (10 points, 11 rebounds) each recorded a double-double as Michigan State defeated BYU, 76-61, on Dec. 9 (See page 4 for complete recaps).

2. MSU At The Palace - Michigan State is 7-2 all-time at the Palace of Auburn Hills. In addition to the Spartan Clash, MSU has played five other games at the Palace. On Dec. 15, 1990, No. 1 UNLV defeated MSU, 95-75, behind 35 points and 14 rebounds from Runnin' Rebel All-American Larry Johnson. MSU's first victory at the Palace was a 75-72 win over Arkansas in the 1995 Great Eight, out-rebounding the Razorbacks, 47-23 and grabbing 24 offensive boards. The Spartans returned to the Palace for the 2000 Midwest Regional semifinals and finals. In the Sweet 16, MSU trailed Syracuse by 10 at the half and 14 early in the second half, but rallied to tie the game at 58 with 5:55 left. Michigan State then closed the game on a 17-0 run. In the Elite Eight, Iowa State held a nine-point lead with a little over five minutes left in the game. But the Spartans closed the game on a 23-5 run to claim a 75-64 victory. One year later, MSU brought a No. 1 ranking into the Palace and defeated Bowling Green, 85-69, behind 21 points from Jason Richardson. Since then, MSU is 3-1 at the Palace in the Spartan Clash.

3. MSU's Difficult Schedule - Michigan State has played three teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 at the time of the game (No. 2 UCLA, No. 24 NC State and No. 20 BYU). The game against No. 4 Texas will be MSU's fourth against a ranked opponent, the most for any team currently ranked in the AP Top 25. The game will be Texas' third against a ranked opponent, while Duke has also played three. North Carolina and Georgetown are yet to play a ranked opponent in 2007-08. The only other teams ranked in the Top 25 to play as many as three ranked opponents are BYU and USC.

4. Quick Start - Michigan State's 10-1 record is its best 11-game start to the season since the 2000-01 squad opened the year with 12 straight victories.

5. Summer Camp - Michigan State's Drew Neitzel and Texas' D.J. Augustin were two of 10 collegiate participants in Steve Nash's Skills Academy, a three-day camp emphasizing skill development and individual improvement. The event was held in late June at Kean University in Union, N.J. That same week, Spartan sophomore Raymar Morgan participated in a similar camp for small forwards at the Vince Carter Skills Academy in Orlando.

6. Attacking The Offensive Glass - Through 11 games, Michigan State has nearly as many offensive boards (165) as its opponents have defensive rebounds (184), as the Spartans grab 47.3 percent of their own missed shots. As a point of comparison, a total of just four other league teams are above 40 percent, led by Wisconsin (42.9 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 15.0 offensive rebounds per game, and has recorded at least 10 offensive boards in nine of the 11 contests, including three games with 20 or more offensive rebounds.

MSU vs. Texas Notes
Series History - Texas leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 2-1, with all three games having been played on a neutral court. The Longhorns defeated MSU, 81-74, on Nov. 27, 1999 in the Puerto Rico Shootout, and 85-76 on March 30, 2003 in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in San Antonio. Most recently, MSU defeated Texas, 63-61, on Nov. 16, 2006 in Madison Square Garden.

Coach Barnes - Rick Barnes (Lenoir-Rhyne, '77) is 429-220 overall in his 21st season as a collegiate head coach, including 227-86 in 10 seasons at Texas. His coaching career also includes stints at George Mason, Providence, Clemson and Texas. Along the way he has guided his teams to a total of 15 NCAA and three NIT appearances.

Longhorn Notes - Texas is 11-0 for the first time since 1981-82 ... UT is shooting .507 from the floor, .441 from 3-point range and .745 from the foul line, leading the Big 12 in free-throw and 3-point field-goal percentage and ranking third in field-goal percentage ... The Longhorns average just 10 turnovers per game ... Junior A.J. Abrams averages 3.3 made 3-point field goals per game ... Sophomore D.J. Augustin leads the Longhorns in scoring (19.9 ppg), assists (6.4 apg), and steals (1.9 spg) ... Texas averages 8.1 steals per game.

The Last Meeting - Drew Neitzel split the Longhorn defense and drove the lane for the winning basket in Michigan State's 63-61 victory over Texas on Nov. 16, 2006, in the semifinals of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in Madison Square Garden. Texas held a 40-36 halftime lead and led 47-42 early in the second half, but MSU responded with a 12-0 run to take a 54-47 lead. The Spartans would never trail again, although the game was tied at 59 and 61 in the final minutes. After allowing Texas to shoot 48.5 percent in the first half, MSU's defense held the Longhorns to 20.0 percent in the second half. Raymar Morgan led MSU with 18 points, while A.J. Abrams led UT with 22 points, and Kevin Durant added 21.

Spartan Clash Recaps
2003 - The Inaugural Clash - Oklahoma defeated Michigan State, 80-77, in overtime of the inaugural Spartan Clash on Dec. 3, 2003. MSU trailed 50-35 with 13:13 left in regulation, but staged a furious comeback. Paul Davis' three-point play with 6.9 seconds remaining sent the game into overtime. In the extra period, the game went back and forth and the Sooners held a two-point lead with 7.7 seconds left. After a missed OU free throw, Maurice Ager grabbed the rebound and raced down the court. He hit a game-tying lay-up, but the shot was waved off on an offensive foul. The game featured an unusually high number of free throws as the Spartans were 42-of-48 from the foul line, just two makes short of a school record, and Oklahoma was 31-of-37 at the charity stripe. Davis and Anderson led the Spartans with 17 points each, while Anderson was 11-of-11 from the foul line.

2004 - MSU Sprints Past Stanford - Michigan State defeated Stanford, 78-53, on Dec. 11, 2004, in the second edition of the Spartan Clash. The Spartans got off to a sluggish start, committing five turnovers in the first 8:22 of the game as Stanford got out to a 13-6 lead. After a timeout, the Spartans scored the next 10 points. Stanford tied the game at 16 with 7:39 remaining, but the Spartans closed the half on a 15-6 run. The Cardinal tried to stay in the game early in the second half, trailing by just 10 points with 15:29 left. At 15:11, Maurice Ager hit a 3-pointer to give MSU a 40-27 lead. Stanford answered with a basket, but the Spartans pushed the ball up the court and Shannon Brown finished the blitz with a tomahawk dunk over a Cardinal defender. MSU's defense forced a miss and after an offensive rebound, Ager hit another 3-pointer to give his squad a 45-29 lead. After that, Stanford never got closer than 13 points. After committing the five early turnovers, MSU recorded just six more in the final 31:38. Paul Davis finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, earning Big Ten Player of the Week honors.

2005 - No Shocker Here, MSU Beats Wichita State - Michigan State improved to 2-1 in the Spartan Clash with an 83-64 win over Wichita State on Dec. 10, 2005. Trailing 11-6 at 16:24, MSU went on a 13-0 run to take a 19-11 advantage at 11:42. It was part of a 23-2 run to take a 29-13 lead with 7:26 left. Maurice Ager led MSU with 21 points, while Paul Davis added a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Shannon Brown recorded a career-high six steals, which helped him score 18 points. On the glass, the Spartans held a 33-24 rebounding advantage, after the Shockers entered the game with a +10.9 margin. Center Paul Miller led the WSU attack with 21 points.

2006 - Spartans Use Double-Doubles To Beat BYU - Marquise Gray (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Goran Suton (10 points, 11 rebounds) each recorded a double-double as Michigan State defeated BYU, 76-61, on Dec. 9, 2006. Drew Neitzel led Michigan State with 22 points, adding seven assists and not committing a turnover. The Spartans shot 50.9 percent from the floor, while holding the Cougars to 41.8 percent. Trent Plaisted led all scorers with 23 points, but MSU held BYU's leading scorer Keena Young to just four points. MSU led by six points at the half, and pushed the lead out to double figures five minutes into the period. The Cougars never got closer than nine points after that.

Game 11 Notes • Michigan State 85 - San Jose State 45
* Michigan State set a school record with 13 blocks, led by four each from Drew Naymick and Goran Suton.
* Durrell Summers tied for the team lead with 16 points, 13 of which came after halftime. Summers also tied for the team lead with seven rebounds. Both totals were season highs.
* MSU was out-rebounded, 25-21, in the first half, but out-rebounded San Jose State, 25-9, in the second half.
* Michigan State forced a season-high 23 turnovers, recording a season-high 16 steals, led by four from Goran Suton and Travis Walton.
* MSU's 40-point margin of victory was its largest since Nov. 27, 2004, when the Spartans defeated Nicholls State, 102-52.
* San Jose State's 45 points were the fewest by an MSU opponent this season.
* MSU's starting backcourt of Travis Walton and Drew Neitzel recorded a combined 17 assists and just three turnovers. Walton's 10 assists marked the fourth double-figure effort of his career.
* For the first time this season, five different Spartans scored in double figures.

MSU Basketball Notes
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.

A Balanced Scoring Attack - Although just two Spartans are averaging double-figures in scoring, Michigan State can get scoring contributions from many different sources. Seven Spartans average more than six points per game, and eight Spartans have scored 10 or more points in a single game this season. In six games, four Spartans have scored in double figures, as MSU is 6-0 in those contests. Against San Jose State, five Spartans scored in double figures for the first time all season.

Hitting The Boards - Michigan State has a Big Ten-best +11.2 rebound margin. Goran Suton paces the Spartans at 8.5 boards per contest, having grabbed 20 caroms against Oakland, becoming the first Spartan since Kevin Willis in 1983 to record 20 boards in a game. In MSU's 10 wins, the Spartans have a +13.2 rebound margin, but lost the only game in which they were outrebounded (UCLA; 37-28). In 2006-07, MSU posted a +7.0 rebounding margin, outrebounding 24 of 35 opponents while tying three other teams.

I Love The 80's - The Spartan offense has scored more than 80 points in six of 11 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.

Spartans Among Big Ten Stat Leaders - Look at the Big Ten individual statistics and you will see a Spartan near the top in several categories. Spartans lead the league in field-goal percentage (Marquise Gray, .673) and assist-to-turnover ratio (Drew Neitzel, 4.50-to-1), while ranking third in rebounds (Goran Suton, 8.5), offensive rebounds (Goran Suton, 3.45), scoring (Raymar Morgan, 16.7) and assists (Drew Neitzel, 4.91).

Finding Success At The Foul Line - Michigan State is shooting a Big Ten-best .748 from the foul line. The Spartans are averaging 22.0 attempts and 16.5 makes per contest. In fact, MSU has made more free throws (181) than its opponents have attempted (179). In the Spartans' lone loss to UCLA, they made 93.3 percent of their attempts, but attempted just 15 free throws. Last season, MSU averaged 19.2 attempts and 13.8 makes. Individually, Raymar Morgan has the most trips to the foul line (71), averaging 4.8 points per game at the stripe.

Maintaining The Defense - Michigan State is holding its opponents to 38.1 percent shooting overall, and 30.5 percent shooting from 3-point range. Last year, MSU allowed opponents to shoot just 38.4 percent, the lowest percentage since 1958-59. The Spartans have held seven of 11 opponents below 40 percent shooting. Missouri shot a season-best 45.5 percent for a Spartan opponent. Last year, MSU held 23 of 35 opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field.

Value The Basketball - Michigan State is averaging 14.7 turnovers per game. The turnovers are not coming from the point guards, as Drew Neitzel, Travis Walton and Kalin Lucas combine to average just 4.8 turnovers per game. Neitzel leads the Big Ten with a 4.50-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Walton ranks eighth at 2.58-to-1, and Lucas is 10th at 1.83-to-1.

First-Half Shooting - Michigan State has led at halftime in nine of 11 games. In seven of the nine games the Spartans led at the half, they shot better than 50 percent in the first period. MSU shot a season-best 61.5 percent in the first stanza against ULM. In the two games in which MSU trailed at the half (Bradley and BYU), the Spartans failed to shoot 50 percent. The IPFW and San Jose State contests are the only games where MSU led at half after not shooting 50 percent.

Spartans Shooting Well - Michigan State is shooting 49.5 percent from the field this season, having shot better than 50 percent in five games. The Spartans currently rank second in the Big Ten stats in field-goal percentage. Last season, MSU shot 46.9 percent.

Spartan Depth - Nine different Spartans are averaging 14.3 minutes or more. At the same time, no Spartan is averaging 30 minutes. Drew Neitzel leads the Spartans at 29.4 minutes per game, six 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 21.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 52.1 minutes.

Neitzel Among Career Leaders - Drew Neitzel is currently tied with Earvin Johnson for fifth in career assists at Michigan State with 491. He stands second in MSU career free throw percentage (.854), fourth in 3-point field goals attempted (502) and 3-point field goals made (204). He is currently 8 threes behind Kirk Manns (212).

Neitzel Moving Up Scoring List - Drew Neitzel ranks 26th in Michigan State career scoring with 1,193 points. He needs three points to pass Kelvin Torbert and Alan Anderson (1,195 points) and 20 points to pass Kirk Manns and Ken Redfield (1,212 points). Neitzel scored his 1,000th-career point against Marquette in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

MSU's Block Party - Drew Naymick currently stands tied for third with Aloysius Anagonye on the MSU career blocked shots chart with 88 rejections. He is nine blocks shy of Matt Steigenga in first place. In 2006-07, Michigan State blocked a school single-season record 162 shots. Naymick led the Spartans with 55 rejections, good for the second-best single-season total in MSU history. Idong Ibok had 33 blocks, the seventh-best single-season total at MSU.

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 Named 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.

Home Sweet Home - During Tom Izzo's career as head coach, the Spartans are 171-22 (.886) at home, including 148-13 (.919) over the last 11 years.

Non-Conference Home Winning Streak - Michigan State has won 33 straight non-conference home games at the Breslin Center, good for the third-longest active streak in the nation. Only Duke (57 - vs. Cornell - 1/6) and Sam Houston State (41 - vs. Cal Irvine-12/20) have longer active streaks.

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.

Spartans On The Run - After Michigan State's season-ending loss to North Carolina in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Tom Izzo promised that the Spartans would return to the up-tempo style of basketball that he prefers to play. Look for the Spartans to significantly improve on the 65.0 points they averaged last season. Instead, expect something similar to the 2004-05 squad that averaged 78.5 points per contest, the most by any Izzo-coached team.

The Other Foundations - While an up-tempo offense is Tom Izzo's preferred style, his best teams are also built around exceptional rebounding and strong defense. In fact, MSU led the Big Ten in rebounding margin in 2006-07 for the eighth time in the last 10 years. Defensively, the Spartans allowed opponents just 57.2 points per game, the lowest total since 1951-52. While that number might increase due to a faster pace of game, the field-goal percentage defense need not increase. Last year, MSU allowed opponents to shoot just 38.4 percent, the lowest since 1958-59.

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.

Spartans Make Wooden And Naismith Lists - Raymar Morgan and Drew Neitzel are two of 50 players nationwide to earn a spot on the 2007-08 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T preseason candidate watch list. The Naismith watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its preseason criteria on player performances from last season and expectations for the 2007-08 season. Morgan and Neitzel are two of just four Big Ten players on the Naismith watch list, where they are joined by Penn State's Geary Claxton and Indiana's D.J. White. Neitzel was also selected one of the top 50 preseason candidates for the 2007-08 John R. Wooden Award. The John R. Wooden Award, presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, has been presented annually since 1976. Neitzel and White are the only Big Ten players on the preseason list for the Wooden Award. Last season, Neitzel was one of 22 players to appear on the final ballot for the Wooden Award.

Spartan Opponents In The Polls - Four Michigan State opponents are ranked in the latest The Associated Press Top 25, including No. 4 Texas, No. 8 UCLA, No. 13 Indiana and No. 21 Brigham Young. (Based on Dec. 17 rankings.)

Spartans In The NBA - Seven former Spartans are currently on NBA rosters, including 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 288-122 (.702), and 133-63 (.679) 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 .679 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 (.702). With 133 conference victories, Izzo ranks 13th all-time, five behind Northwestern's Arthur Lonborg.

Izzo Against Ranked Opponents - In his 13 years of coaching, Tom Izzo is 63-59 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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