Nov. 18, 2009

No. 21/21 MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (1-1) vs.
No. 5/6 NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (1-0)

Date: Thursday, Nov. 19
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Arena: Breslin Center
TV: Big Ten Network (Brent Stover - play-by-play; Mary Murphy - analyst)
Radio: WVFN 730 AM - tape delayed (Rick Berkey - play-by-play; Mo Gerhardt - analyst)
Internet: Live stats and audio at MSUSpartans.com

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ABOUT NOTRE DAME
The Fighting Irish opened the season with a 102-57 home win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday. Notre Dame set a program record with eight players posting double-figure points, led by a double-double from Becca Bruszewski (19 points, 10 rebounds). UND held a 58-38 edge on the boards.

Notre Dame enters the week ranked No. 5 by the Associated Press and No. 6 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll. UND welcomes back all 12 letterwinners from last season's 22-9 team, which tied for fourth in the BIG EAST at 10-6 and advanced to its 16th NCAA Tournament. They were picked second in the BIG EAST preseason poll, behind Connecticut, and seniors Ashley Barlow and Lindsay Schrader were choices on the 12-player preseason all-conference team.

IN HOME OPENERS
The Spartans have won their last 10 home openers and are 30-7 all-time in their first home game. It will be only the second time that MSU begins its home schedule with a ranked opponent, as No. 21/21 Texas came to the Breslin Center to begin the 1996-97 season. (Texas won 82-72 on Nov. 23, 1996).

A FIRST FOR THE BRESLIN CENTER
Notre Dame will be the first non-conference team ranked in The Associated Press top-5 to play Michigan State at the Breslin Center. No. 2 Georgia is the only non-conference top-5 team to play in East Lansing before Thursday, facing the Spartans on Dec. 17, 1988 at Jenison Field House.

In all, the Irish will be the 11th team ranked in the top-5 of the ap poll to play Michigan State in East Lansing. A matchup with No. 2 Ohio State on Feb. 20, 2005, is the last time a top-5 team played in Breslin, the results a 66-64 Spartan win, MSU has won two of its last three games against top-5 teams at home, but are 2-8 all-time.

KNOCKING THEM OFF AT BRESLIN
Michigan State has won its last four games against ranked-opponents at the Breslin Center. Last season, the Spartans knocked off No. 6/8 Duke (63-49) in the NCAA Tournament Second Round, No. 12/14 Ohio State (52-46) in conference play and No. 23/20 Old Dominion (74-48) in non-conference action. The streak began with 60-53 win over No. 17/18 Ohio State on Dec. 30, 2007.

All-time, the Spartans are 31-27 against ranked-opponents at the Breslin Center.

A PLEASANT SURPRISE
Sophomore Courtney Schiffauer has been the highlight to the early season for the Spartans. The 6-1 forward averaged only 4.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists in her freshman season, but through two games this season, she leads the team with 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. In addition, Schiffauer as already topped her made 3-point field goal total from last season, hitting 8-of-13 attempts this past week, after going 7-of-27 from behind the arc in 2008-09.

SWATTING HER WAY INTO THE NCAA RECORD BOOKS
Senior Allyssa DeHaan enters her senior season on pace to break the NCAA Division I blocked shots record. In the season opener, she moved into seventh all-time with 410 blocks, she needs only 71 rejections to surpass the record held by Sandora Irvin of TCU (2001-05). DeHaan is also third on the NCAA list with a 3.90 blocks per game average.

DeHaan became the Big Ten's all-time blocked shots leader during MSU's Big Ten Tournament game against Wisconsin on March, 6, 2009. She surpassed Ohio State's Jessica Davenport (384) for the record. In addition, in last season's win over Stony Brook (Nov. 16, 2008), she became the fastest in conference history to reach the 300-block plateau, needing only 72 games.

HISTORIC COMPANY
Senior Allyssa DeHaan is one of only five Spartans to rank in the top-10 in both career points and rebounds. She is currently ninth all-time with 1,314 points and seventh with 736 rebounds.

APPROACHING 1,000
Redshirt senior Aisha Jefferson is approaching a historic milestone, needing only 49 points to become the 20th Spartan to reach 1,000 career points. Jefferson is currently 27th all-time with 951 points. In addition, she is also climbing the career rebounds list, sitting in 20th-place with 530.

PLAYING THE BEST TO BECOME THE BEST
The Spartans will face one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the country this season. Three of the 12 possible opponents are currently ranked in the top-15 in both national polls - No. 4/7 Notre Dame, No. 5/5 North Carolina and No. 11/15 Xavier - and in all nine of the 12 possible teams qualified for postseason play last season.

Michigan State is only one of six programs to face at least three of the top-15 teams in the preseason national polls in non-conference action, joining Connecticut, Stanford, Duke, Tennessee and Middle Tennessee. Of the six, only MSU and Tennessee will welcome three to its home arena. In addition, this season could mark the first time in MSU history that three ranked non-conference opponents have played the Spartans in East Lansing.

The Big Ten campaign as always will also be no slouch. Ohio State is No. 3 in both national preseason polls, while Purdue is No. 23 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and received votes in the AP poll. In all seven conference schools advanced to postseason play last season.

ON THIS DATE
Michigan State is 3-0 all-time on November 19, including wins in two of the last three seasons.

ON BIG TEN NETWORK
Tonight's game will mark the first of at least nine games for the Spartans on the Big Ten Network. MSU is 13-7 all-time on BTN, including an 8-3 mark last season.