2007–08 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team

The 2007–08 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were coached by 13th-year head coach, Tom Izzo. MSU finished the season 27–9, 12–6 to finish in fourth place in Big Ten play. They defeated Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament before losing to No. 1-seeded Wisconsin in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, their 11th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, as the No. 5 seed in the South region. They defeated Temple in the First Round and upset No. 4-seeded Pittsburgh to reach the Sweet Sixteen. There they lost to No. 2-ranked Memphis.

2007–08 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 13
APNo. 18
Record27–9 (12–6 Big Ten)
Head coach
Associate head coachMark Montgomery (7th season)
Assistant coaches
Captains
Home arenaBreslin Center
2007–08 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 6 Wisconsin†16–2 .88931–5  .861
No. 20 Purdue15–3 .83325–9  .735
Indiana14–4 .77825–8  .758
No. 18 Michigan State12–6 .66727–9  .750
Ohio State10–8 .55624–13  .649
Minnesota8–10 .44420–14  .588
Penn State7–11 .38915–16  .484
Iowa6–12 .33313–19  .406
Illinois5–13 .27816–19  .457
Michigan5–13 .27810–22  .313
Northwestern1–17 .0568–22  .267
† 2008 Big Ten tournament winner
As of March 23, 2008
Rankings from AP poll[1]

Previous season

The Spartans finished the 2006–07 season with an overall record of 23–12, 8–8 in Big Ten play to finish in seventh place. Michigan State received a No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament, their 10th straight trip to the Tournament, and advanced to the Second Round before losing to North Carolina.

Offseason

Recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kalin Lucas
No. 6 PG		 Orchard Lake, Michigan St. Mary's High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Dec 29, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 97
Durrell Summers
No. 14 SG		 Redford, Michigan Covenant Christian 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jan 25, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Chris Allen
No. 16 SG		 Lawrenceville, Georgia Meadowcreek High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jan 9, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Austin Thornton
SF		 Sand Lake, Michigan Cedar Springs 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Feb 16, 2007 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Season summary

The Spartans were led by senior Drew Neitzel (13.9 points and 4 rebounds per game), sophomore Raymar Morgan (14.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game), and freshman Kalin Lucas (10.3 points and 3.8 assists per game).

Michigan State began the season ranked No. 8 in the country and participated in the CBE Classic, losing to No. 2 UCLA in the finals.[2] They cruised through the remaining non-conference schedule with wins over No. 24 NC State,[3] No. 20 BYU,[4] and No. 4 Texas,[5] finishing 12–1 and ranked No. 6 in the country.

MSU won six of their first seven Big Ten games, their lone loss an ugly 43–36 loss to Iowa on the road.[6] They lost four of their next seven games thereafter at Penn State, at No. 19 Purdue,[7] at No. 13 Indiana,[8] and at No. 10 Wisconsin.[9] They avenged their loss to Indiana by blowing them out 103–74 at the Breslin Center on March 2 after Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson had resigned.[10] They finished with a loss at Ohio State to finish in fourth place in the Big Ten with a record of 12–6 record and 24–7 overall. They finished the season ranked 18th in the country.

As the No. 4 seed tn the Big Ten tournament, they beat Ohio State 67–60 led by Drew Netizel's season-high 28 points.[11] In the semifinals, MSU led by as many as 12 in the second half, they were defeated by two points by No. 8 Wisconsin.[12] The Spartans were called for 30 fouls in the game and had four players foul out.[12]

The Spartans received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament to mark their 11th consecutive trip to the Tournament under Tom Izzo. As a No. 5 seed, the Spartans, led by Raymar Morgan's 15 points, beat No. 12-seeded Temple 72–61.[13] In the Second Round, the Spartans looked to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the seventh time in 11 years. Led by Drew Neitzel's 21 points and Kalin Lucas' 19, the Spartans overcame No. 17 Pittsburgh to move on to the Sweet Sixteen.[14] In the Sweet Sixteen, the Spartans faced No. 2-ranked Memphis. Led by Derrick Rose's 27 points, the Tigers routed the Spartans, leading 50–20 at the half and cruising to 18-point win over MSU.[15] Goran Suton led the Spartans with 23 points and Chris Allen had 20.[16] It marked senior Drew Neitzel's final game for the Spartans.

Roster
2008–09 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 3 Chris Allen 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrMeadowcreek Lawrenceville, Georgia
F 10 John Crandell 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) SoRochester Adams Rochester, Michigan
G 11 Isaiah Dahlman 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoBraham Area Braham, Minnesota
F 41 Marquise Gray 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)235 lb (107 kg) RS JrBeecher Flint, Michigan
C 40 Tom Herzog 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS FrPowers Flint, Michigan
C 00 Idong Ibok 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)255 lb (116 kg) RS JrMontverde (Fla) Academy Lagos, Nigeria
G 20 Mike Kebler 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrOkemos Okemos, Michigan
G 1 Kalin Lucas 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)165 lb (75 kg) FrOrchard Lake St. Mary's Sterling Heights, Michigan
F 2 Raymar Morgan 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) SoMcKinley Canton, Ohio
F 34 Drew Naymick 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)245 lb (111 kg) RS JrNorth Muskegon Muskegon, Michigan
G 11 Drew Neitzel 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)180 lb (82 kg) SrWyoming Park Grand Rapids, Michigan
G 15 Durrell Summers 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrRedford Covenant Christian Detroit, Michigan
F 14 Goran Suton 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)245 lb (111 kg) RS JrEverett Lansing, Michigan
G 13 Austin Thornton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrCedar Springs Sand Lake, Michigan
G 5 Travis Walton 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)195 lb (88 kg) JrLima Senior Lima, Ohio
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2016-02-10

Schedule and results
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 02, 2007*
7:00 pm, BTN		 No. 8 Grand Valley State L 82–85 2OT
 15 – Allen  8 – Gray  4 – Lucas/Walton  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Nov 07, 2007*
7:00 pm, BTN		 No. 8 Michigan Tech W 61–55 
 16 – Lucas  8 – Suton  4 – Neitzel  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Non-conference regular season
Nov 13, 2007*
7:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 12 Chicago State
CBE Classic		 W 86–53  1–0
  25 – Morgan  15 – Morgan  8 – Neitzel  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, I
Nov 14, 2007*
7:00 pm		 No. 12 Louisiana-Monroe
CBE Classic		 W 83–65  2–0
  17 – Allen  14 – Morgan  5 – Neitzel  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Nov 19, 2007*
9:30 pm, ESPNU		 No. 10 vs. Missouri
CBE Classic semifinals		 W 86–83  3–0
  21 – Neitzel  9 – Suton  5 – Walton  Sprint Center (18,022)
Kansas City, MO
Nov 20, 2007*
10:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 11 vs. No. 2 UCLA
CBE Classic championship		 L 63–68  3–1
  13 – Neitzel  6 – Gray  4 – Walton  Sprint Center (16,737)
Kansas City, MO
Nov 24, 2007*
4:00 pm, BTN		 No. 10 Oakland W 75–71  4–1
  20 – Morgan  20 – Suton  6 – Neitzel  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Nov 28, 2007*
7:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 10 NC State
ACC–Big Ten Challenge		 W 81–58  5–1
  17 – Neitzel  12 – Suton  7 – Walton  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 1, 2007*
7:00 pm, BTN		 No. 10 Jacksonville W 80–51  6–1
  24 – Morgan  7 – Morgan  7 – Neitzel  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 04, 2007*
9:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 9 at Bradley W 66–61  7–1
  15 – Morgan  11 – Suton  5 – Neitzel/Walton  Carver Arena (11,597)
Peoria, Il
Dec 8, 2007*
4:00 pm, Versus†		 No. 9 at No. 20 BYU W 68–61  8–1
  15 – Morgan/Neitzel  13 – Suton  3 – Walton  EnergySolutions Arena (16,412)
Salt Lake City, UT
Dec 15, 2007*
5:30 pm, ESPNU		 No. 9 IPFW W 79–57  9–1
  18 – Neitzel  7 – Morgan  5 – Netizel  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 19, 2007*
8:00 pm, BTN		 No. 9 San Jose State W 85–45  10–1
  16 – Morgan/Summers  7 – Summers/Suton  10 – Walton  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 22, 2007*
6:30 pm, ESPN2		 No. 9 vs. No. 4 Texas
Spartan Clash		 W 78–72  11–1
  18 – Lucas/Morgan  9 – Suton  6 – Lucas  The Palace of Auburn Hills (22,076)
Auburn Hills, MI
Dec 29, 2007*
4:00 pm, BTN		 No. 7 Green Bay W 93–75  12–1
  24 – Morgan  8 – Morgan  11 – Walton  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Big Ten regular season
Jan 5, 2008
8:00 pm, BTN		 No. 6 Minnesota W 65–59  13–1
(1–0)		  31 – Morgan  10 – Morgan  7 – Neitzel  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Jan 8, 2008
9:00 pm, BTN		 No. 6 Purdue W 78–75  14–1
(2–0)		  16 – Lucas  10 – Suton  5 – Lucas/Neitzel  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Jan 12, 2008
8:30 pm, BTN		 No. 6 at Iowa L 36–43  14–2
(2–1)		  10 – Morgan/Neitzel  11 – Suton  6 – Neitzel  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (13,044)
Iowa City, IA
Jan 15, 2008
7:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 9 Ohio State W 66–60  15–2
(3–1)		  13 – Lucas/Neitzel  9 – Suton  5 – Lucas/Neitzel  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Jan 20, 2008
4:00 pm, BTN		 No. 9 at Minnesota W 78–73  16–2
(4–1)		  19 – Neitzel  13 – Suton  6 – Walton  Williams Arena (14,625)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 24, 2008
9:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 7 Northwestern W 78–62  17–2
(5–1)		  23 – Morgan  8 – Morgan/Naymick  6 – Walton  Welsh-Ryan Arena (6,738)
Evanston, IL
Jan 27, 2008
1:00 pm, CBS		 No. 7 Michigan
Rivalry		 W 77–62  18–2
(6–1)		  18 – Lucas/Neitzel  7 – Neitzel/Suton  8 – Walton  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Jan 30, 2008
9:00 pm, BTN		 No. 8 Illinois W 51–41  19–2
(7–1)		  15 – Neitzel  10 – Suton  5 – Walton  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 2, 2008
8:00 pm, BTN		 No. 8 at Penn State L 76–85  19–3
(7–2)		  18 – Lucas  9 – Suton  7 – Lucas  Bryce Jordan Center (11,159)
University Park, PA
Feb 9, 2008
7:00 pm, BTN		 No. 11 Northwestern W 70–55  20–3
(8–2)		  21 – Neitzel  8 – Naymick  4 – Neitzel  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 12, 2008
7:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 10 at No. 19 Purdue L 54–60  20–4
(8–3)		  20 – Lucas  7 – Morgan/Suton  4 – Neitzel  Mackey Arena (14,123)
West Lafayette, IN
Feb 16, 2008
9:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 10 at No. 13 Indiana L 61–80  20–5
(8–4)		  21 – Neitzel  4 – Morgan/Neitzel  4 – Walton  Assembly Hall (17,400)
Bloomington, IN
Feb 20, 2008
7:00 pm, BTN		 No. 19 Penn State W 86–49  21–5
(9–4)		  16 – Morgan  7 – Gray  8 – Lucas  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 23, 2008
2:00pm, ESPN		 No. 19 Iowa W 66–52  22–5
(10–4)		  16 – Morgan  8 – Naymick  5 – Neitzel  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 28, 2008
9:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 19 at No. 10 Wisconsin L 42–57  22–6
(10–5)		  14 – Suton  15 – Suton  3 – Lucas/Neitzel  Kohl Center (17,190)
Madison, WI
Mar 2, 2008
2:00 pm, CBS		 No. 19 No. 12 Indiana W 103–74  23–6
(11–5)		  20 – Morgan  9 – Suton  11 – Walton  Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
Mar 6, 2008
9:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 17 at Illinois W 59–51  24–6
(12–5)		  17 – Neitzel  10 – Suton  4 – Neitzel/Suton/Walton  Assembly Hall (16,618)
Champaign, IL
Mar 9, 2008
12:00 pm, BTN		 No. 17 at Ohio State W 63–54  24–7
(12–6)		  19 – Morgan  8 – Suton  4 – Lucas  Value City Arena (19,049)
Columbus, OH
Big Ten tournament
Mar 14, 2008*
2:30 pm, ESPN		 (4) No. 18 vs. (5) Ohio State
quarterfinals		 W 67–60  25–7
  28 – Neitzel  9 – Suton  5 – Walton  Conseco Fieldhouse (15,355)
Indianapolis, IN
Mar 15, 2008*
1:40 pm, CBS		 (4) No. 19 vs. (1) No. 8 Wisconsin
semifinals		 L 63–65  25–8
  26 – Neitzel  7 – Morgan  3 – Lucas  Conseco Fieldhouse (17,520)
Indianapolis, IN
NCAA tournament
Mar 20, 2008*
12:30 pm, CBS		 (5 S) No. 20 vs. (12 S) Temple
First Round		 W 72–61  26–8
  15 – Morgan  9 – Suton  7 – Lucas  Pepsi Center (19,010)
Denver, CO
Mar 22, 2008*
7:10 pm, CBS		 (5 S) No. 18 vs. (4 S) No. 17 Pittsburgh
Second Round		 W 65–54  27–8
  21 – Neitzel  9 – Suton  4 – Neitzel  Pepsi Center (19,299)
Denver, CO
Mar 28, 2008*
9:57 pm, CBS		 (5 S) No. 20 vs. (1 S) No. 2 Memphis
Sweet Sixteen		 L 74–92  27–9
  23 – Suton  9 – Suton  7 – Neitzel  Reliant Stadium (32,931)
Houston, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time[17]
†Versus was scheduled to air the game, but did not due to a mixup with the MTW conference..

Player statistics
Individual player statistics (Final)
Scoring Total FGs 3-point FGs Free-Throws Rebounds
Player GP Pts Avg FG FGA Pct 3FG 3FA Pct FT FTA Pct Tot Avg A Stl Blk Tov
Allen, Chris 32 202 6.3 70 182 .385 36 100 .360 26 33 .788 39 1.2 20 12 3 29
Crandell, Jon 6 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.2 1 0 0 0
Dahlman, Isaiah 19 20 1.1 6 16 .375 3 8 .375 5 8 .625 9 0.5 2 0 0 5
Gray, Marquise 36 156 4.3 65 107 .607 0 0 26 40 .650 132 3.7 12 10 9 45
Herzog, Tom 13 14 1.1 6 14 .429 0 0 2 4 .500 14 1.1 0 1 6 1
Ibok, Idong 26 12 0.5 5 10 .500 0 0 2 5 .400 26 1.0 0 0 10 9
Kebler, Mike 9 2 0.2 1 3 .333 0 1 .000 0 1 .000 4 0.4 0 0 0 0
Lucas, Kalin 36 369 10.3 138 320 .431 20 55 .364 73 95 .795 56 1.6 137 30 1 73
Morgan, Raymar 36 505 14.0 187 335 .558 10 33 .303 121 180 .672 221 6.1 58 33 19 83
Naymick, Drew 36 154 4.3 65 100 .650 0 1 .000 24 31 .774 149 4.1 14 11 60 25
Neitzel, Drew 36 501 13.9 165 407 .405 97 244 .398 74 86 .860 90 2.5 145 35 2 51
Summers, Durrell 36 176 4.9 62 123 .504 11 22 .500 41 55 .745 85 2.4 20 5 7 32
Suton, Goran 36 326 9.1 136 247 .551 2 12 .167 52 67 .776 295 8.2 66 38 33 60
Walton, Travis 36 127 3.5 43 112 .384 0 7 .000 41 56 .732 71 4.3 156 33 2 65
Legend
  GP  Games played  Avg  Average per game
  FG  Field-goals made  FGA  Field-goal attempts   Tov Turnovers
 Blk  Blocks  Stl  Steals   A  Assists

Source[18]

Rankings
Main article: 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP81210109997661110811101919171918Not released
Coaches812111310101076611107109171518192013

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings Source[19][20]

Awards and honors
  • Drew Neitzel – All-Big Ten First Team (Coaches), All-Big Ten Second Team (Media)[21]
  • Raymar Morgan – All-Big Ten Second Team[21]
  • Kalin Lucas – All-Big Ten Honorable Mention[21]
  • Kalin Lucas – Big Ten All-Freshman Team[21]
  • Travis Walton – Big Ten All Defensive Team[21]

References
  1. "2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings - Postseason (Mar. 23)". ESPN. March 23, 2008.
  2. "Top-ranked UCLA fights back vs. Michigan State". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  3. "Suton's double-double sparks streaking Spartans". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  4. "Michigan St. turns in it up in 2nd half to beat BYU". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  5. "Key First-Half Run Powers No. 9 Michigan State Past No. 4 Texas – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  6. "Spartans Fall At Iowa, 43-36". Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  7. "Big Ten leader Purdue knocks off Michigan St". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  8. "Spartans Fall at Indiana - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  9. "Spartan Offense Struggles in Loss at Wisconsin - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  10. "No. 19 Spartans Score 103 to Blow Out No. 12 Indiana, 103-74". Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  11. "No. 19 Michigan State Handles the Buckeyes, 67-60, in the Big Ten tournament - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  12. "No. 19 Spartans Edged by No. 8 Badgers - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  13. "Spartans Knock Out Temple, 72-61, To Advance To Second Round - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  14. "Spartan guards shoot Michigan St. past Pittsburgh". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  15. "Memphis shows top-seed cred, spanks Spartans". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  16. "Spartans Fall To Memphis". Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  17. "msuspartans.com Retrieved on October 8, 2010
  18. "2007-08 Michigan State Spartans Roster and Stats".
  19. "NCAA College Basketball Polls, College Basketball Rankings, NCAA Basketball Polls – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  20. "2008 Michigan State Spartans". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  21. "Neitzel Named First-Team All-Big Ten By League's Coaches – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
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