2011–12 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team


The 2011–12 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans' head coach was Tom Izzo, who was in his 17th year at Michigan State. The team played its home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan, and were members of the Big Ten Conference. MSU finished with a record of 29–8, 13–5 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for first place. The Spartans also won the Big Ten tournament. The Spartans received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, their 15th consecutive trip to the tournament, and reached the Sweet Sixteen, losing to Louisville.

2011–12 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 5
Record29–8 (13–5 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Captains
Home arenaBreslin Center
Seasons
2011–12 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 5 Michigan State135 .722298 .784
No. 13 Michigan135 .7222410 .706
No. 7 Ohio State135 .722318 .795
No. 14 Wisconsin126 .6672610 .722
No. 16 Indiana117 .611279 .750
Purdue108 .5562213 .629
Northwestern810 .4441914 .576
Iowa810 .4441817 .514
Illinois612 .3331715 .531
Minnesota612 .3332315 .605
Nebraska414 .2221218 .400
Penn State414 .2221220 .375
2012 Big Ten tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Spartans finished the 2010–11 season with an overall record of 19–15, 9–9 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place. Michigan State received a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament, their 14th straight trip to the tournament, and were eliminated in the second round.

Offseason

The Spartans lost Durrell Summers (11.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game) and Kalin Lucas (17.0 points and 3.4 assists per game) to graduation following the season.

2011 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Brandan Kearney
No. 36 SG
Detroit, MISoutheastern6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)175 lb (79 kg)Nov 3, 2009 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 96
Branden Dawson
No. 5 SF
Gary, INLew Wallace High School6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)200 lb (91 kg)Aug 4, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 97
Travis Trice
No. 37 PG
Huber Heights, OHWayne High School5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)155 lb (70 kg)Aug 4, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 92
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:

  • "Michigan State Commit List for 2011". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  • "ESPN – Michigan State Spartans Basketball Recruiting 2011". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  • "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 1, 2010.

Season summary

Senior Draymond Green (16.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game) was the unquestioned leader for the Spartans. MSU started the season unranked and suffered a loss to No. 1 North Carolina in the Carrier Classic which was played on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in San Diego in the first game of the season.[1] The teams wore special camouflage uniforms for the event.[1] MSU followed that loss with a loss to No. 6 Duke in the Champions Classic.[2] Starting the season 0–2, the Spartans refused to fold. MSU won the next 15 games in a row to jump into the top ten in the polls. The wins in the streak included a win at No. 23 Gonzaga.[3] The Spartans finished the non-conference schedule at 11–2 and ranked No. 16 in the country.

The winning streak continued in Big Ten play with wins over No. 13 Indiana,[4] and at No. 11 Wisconsin.[5] MSU also beat No. 23 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State, and No. 15 Wisconsin at Breslin Center. A loss in the regular season finale at home to No. 10 Ohio State meant the Spartans would share the Big Ten regular season championship with Ohio State and Michigan, all of which finished the Big Ten season with a 13–5 conference record.[6] In that loss to Ohio State, key freshman reserve, Branden Dawson, tore his ACL, ending his season.[6] The Spartans finished the season ranked No. 8 in the country. The Spartans, due to tiebreak rules, were the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament and beat Iowa,[7] No. 14 Wisconsin,[8] and No. 7 Ohio State to win the tournament championship.[9] Draymond Green earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors, the fifth time a player had done so under Tom Izzo.[10] Izzo was also named Big Ten Coach of the Year.[10]

MSU received a No. 1 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament, where they beat LIU–Brooklyn in the first round behind Green's triple-double.[11] The Spartans overcame Saint Louis in the second round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.[12] This marked the 10th time in 15 seasons that the Spartans advanced to at least the Sweet Sixteen. The Spartans, missing Dawson and struggling offensively, became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the tournament, falling to No. 17 and fourth-seeded Louisville, 57–44.[13]

Roster

2011–12 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G11Keith Appling6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)190 lb (86 kg)SoPershing H.S.Detroit, Michigan
F0Russell Byrd6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)205 lb (93 kg)RS FrBlackhawk Christian H.S.Fort Wayne, Indiana
G14Dan Chapman (W)6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg)SoOkemos H.S.Okemos, Michigan
G22Branden Dawson6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg)FrLew Wallace H.SGary, Indiana
F2Alex Gauna6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)240 lb (109 kg)RS FrEaton Rapids H.S.Eaton Rapids, Michigan
F23Draymond Green (C)6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)230 lb (104 kg)SrSaginaw H.S.Saginaw, Michigan
C44Anthony Ianni6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)250 lb (113 kg)RS SrGrand Valley StateEast Lansing, Michigan
G3Brandan Kearney6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)185 lb (84 kg)FrSoutheastern H.S.Detroit, Michigan
C25Derrick Nix6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)270 lb (122 kg)JrPershing H.S.Detroit, Michigan
C5Adreian Payne6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)240 lb (109 kg)SoJefferson H.S.Dayton, Ohio
G13Austin Thornton (C)6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg)RS SrCedar Springs H.S.Sand Lake, Michigan
G20Travis Trice6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)170 lb (77 kg)FrWayne H.S.Huber Heights, Ohio
G15Keenan Wetzel (W)6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg)RS FrSt. Mary Catholic CentralMonroe, Michigan
F40Colby Wollenman6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg)FrBig Horn H.S.Big Horn, Wyoming
G30Brandon Wood6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg)RS SrValparaisoKokomo, Indiana
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 30, 2011*
2:00 pm
Ferris StateW 85–58 
 15  Dawson/Nix  9  Dawson  8  Green Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Nov 4, 2011*
7:00 pm
HillsdaleW 80–58 
 15  Green  10  Payne  6  Trice Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Non-conference regular season
Nov 11, 2011*
7:00 pm, ESPN
vs. No. 1 North Carolina
Carrier Classic
L 55–67 0–1
 13  Green  11  Green  3  Trice USS Carl Vinson (8,111)
San Diego, CA
Nov 15, 2011*
7:00 pm, ESPN
vs. No. 6 Duke
Champions Classic
L 69–74 0–2
 22  Appling  9  Payne  3  Dawson Madison Square Garden (19,979)
New York, NY
Nov 18, 2011*
6:30 pm
Texas Southern
Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational
W 76–41 1–2
 13  Dawson  10  Green  6  Green Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Nov 20, 2011*
6:00 pm, BTN
Arkansas–Little Rock
Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational
W 69–47 2–2
 13  Thornton  9  Green  4  Green Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Nov 23, 2011*
7:00 pm
Milwaukee
Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational
W 68–55 3–2
 18  Green  7  Green  4  Wood Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Nov 27, 2011*
12:00 pm, ESPNU
at Eastern MichiganW 72–40 4–2
 14  Green  13  Green  5  Appling Convocation Center (3,711)
Ypsilanti, MI
Nov 30, 2011*
7:30 pm, ESPN
Florida State
ACC – Big Ten Challenge
W 65–49 5–2
 24  Appling  10  Wood  5  Wood Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 4, 2011*
2:00 pm
Nebraska–OmahaW 110–68 6–2
 23  Green  10  Green  7  Appling Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 7, 2011*
7:00 pm
Central ConnecticutW 89–69 7–2
 20  Trice  11  Dawson  4  Green/Thornton Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 10, 2011*
9:00 pm, ESPNU
at No. 23 GonzagaW 74–67 8–2
 34  Green  6  Nix  7  Appling McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Dec 17, 2011*
7:00 pm, BTN
No. 21 Bowling GreenW 74–60 9–2
 16  Wood  10  Green  6  Green Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 19, 2011*
8:30 pm, BTN
No. 19 UMKCW 89–54 10–2
 16  Dawson/Wood  11  Green  8  Appling Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 22, 2011*
9:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 19 LehighW 90–81 11–2
 19  Appling  10  Green  5  trice Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Big Ten regular season
Dec 28, 2011
7:30 pm, BTN
No. 16 No. 13 IndianaW 80–65 12–2
(1–0)
 25  Appling  7  Green  7  Appling Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 31, 2011
3:00 pm, BTN
No. 16 at NebraskaW 68–55 13–2
(2–0)
 19  Green  8  Green  4  Appling Bob Devaney Sports Center (13,595)
Lincoln, NE
Jan 3, 2012
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 10 at No. 18 WisconsinW 63–60 OT14–2
(3–0)
 18  Green  14  Green  4  Wood Kohl Center (17,230)
Madison, WI
Jan 10, 2012
7:00 pm, BTN
No. 6 IowaW 95–61 15–2
(4–0)
 22  Green  10  Green  9  Appling Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Jan 14, 2012
3:00 pm, BTN
No. 6 at NorthwesternL 74–81 15–3
(4–1)
 17  Appling  14  Green  5  wood Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Evanston, IL
Jan 17, 2012
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 9 at No. 19 Michigan
rivalry
L 59–60 15–4
(4–2)
 13  Nix  11  Gren  5  Appling Crisler Center (12,721)
Ann Arbor, MI
Jan 21, 2012
12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 9 PurdueW 83–58 16–4
(5–2)
 14  Dawson  12  Green  7  Green Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Jan 25, 2012
8:30 pm, BTN
No. 10 MinnesotaW 68–52 17–4
(6–2)
 22  Green  14  Green  6  Green Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Jan 31, 2012
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 9 at IllinoisL 41–42 17–5
(6–3)
 12  Dawson  13  Dawson  2  Appling Assembly Hall (15,629)
Champaign, IL
Feb 5, 2012
1:00 pm, CBS
No. 9 No. 23 Michigan
rivalry
W 64–54 18–5
(7–3)
 14  Green  16  Green  4  Green/Thornton/Wood Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 8, 2012
9:00 pm, BTN
No. 11 Penn StateW 77–57 19–5
(8–3)
 23  Green  12  Green  7  appling Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 11, 2012
6:00 pm, ESPN
No. 11 at No. 3 Ohio StateW 58–48 20–5
(9–3)
 15  Payne  9  Green  2  Green/Nix/Trice Value City Arena (18,809)
Columbus, OH
Feb 16, 2012
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 7 No. 15 WisconsinW 69–55 21–5
(10–3)
 20  Appling/Green  10  Green  5  Green Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 19, 2012
1:00 pm, CBS
No. 7 at PurdueW 76–62 22–5
(11–3)
 20  Green  11  Dawson  7  Green Mackey Arena (15,025)
West Lafayette, IN
Feb 22, 2012
8:30 pm, BTN
No. 6 at MinnesotaW 66–61 23–5
(12–3)
 17  Green  5  Green/Payne  5  Appling/Green Williams Arena (13,331)
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 25, 2012
8:00 pm, BTN
No. 6 NebraskaW 62–34 24–5
(13–3)
 20  Green  10  Green  5  Nix Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 28, 2012
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 5 at No. 18 IndianaL 55–70 24–6
(13–4)
 29  Green  8  Green  5  Appling Assembly Hall (17,280)
Bloomington, IN
Mar 4, 2012
4:00 pm, CBS
No. 5 No. 10 Ohio StateL 70–72 24–7
(13–5)
 19  Green  12  Green  3  Appling/Green/Thornton Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Big Ten tournament
Mar 9, 2012
12:00 pm, ESPN
(1) No. 8 vs. (8) Iowa
quarterfinals
W 92–75 25–7
 21  Green  10  Green  6  Appling Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,484)
Indianapolis, IN
Mar 10, 2012
1:40 pm, CBS
(1) No. 8 vs. (4) No. 14 Wisconsin
semifinals
W 65–52 26–7
 14  Green  16  Green  5  Appling/Green Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,451)
Indianapolis, IN
Mar 11, 2012
3:30 pm, CBS
(1) No. 8 vs. (3) No. 7 Ohio State
championship
W 68–64 27–7
 21  Wood  9  Green  5  Appling Bankers Life Fieldhouse (17,125)
Indianapolis, IN
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 2012*
9:20 pm, TBS
(1 W) No. 5 vs. (16 W) Long Island
second round
W 89–67 28–7
 24  Green  12  Green  10  Green Nationwide Arena (17,464)
Columbus, OH
Mar 18, 2012*
2:45 pm, CBS
(1 W) No. 5 vs. (9 W) Saint Louis
third round
W 65–61 29–7
 19  Appling  13  Green  6  Green Nationwide Arena (17,425)
Columbus, OH
Mar 22, 2012*
7:47 pm, TBS
(1 W) No. 5 vs. (4 W) No. 17 Louisville
Sweet Sixteen
L 44–57 29–8
 14  Wood  16  Green  4  Appling US Airways Center (14,913)
Phoenix, AZ
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time
Source[14].

Player statistics

Individual player statistics (Final)
MinutesScoringTotal FGs3-point FGsFree-ThrowsRebounds
PlayerGPTotAvgPtsAvgFGFGAPct3FG3FAPctFTFTAPctOffDefTotAvgAStlBlkTov
Appling, Keith37113930.842011.4131307.4272496.250134170.78817891062.9144431585
Byrd, Russell271495.5411.51243.279933.273810.80088160.611539
Chapman, Dan15171.100.005.00002.000001560.41000
Dawson, Branden3164020.62598.4109189.57703.0004169.59467721394.529292643
Gauna, Alex301424.7551.82238.579001121.5241113240.801313
Green, Draymond37122933.260116.2212472.44952134.388125173.7237931539410.61415435112
Ianni, Anthony21351.730.113.3330012.5002570.32112
Kearney, Brandon343269.6411.21736.472513.38527.286919280.8198611
Nix, Derrick3770018.93018.1129231.558004374.58159801393.838271350
Payne, Adreian3766117.92597.098173.56612.5006289.697571001574.212253939
Sweeny, Joe10111.120.202.00001.000221.0000110.11103
Thornton, Austin3780821.81935.254114.4743165.4775462.87133901233.34223627
Trice, Travis3255117.21454.548126.3813074.4051933.576552571.85625237
Wetzel, Keenan11121.140.412.50012.50012.5000000.00001
Wollenman, Colby9101.120.212.50000000110.10002
Wood, Brandon3799426.93258.8125269.46547130.3622845.62232721042.87023837
Legend
  GP Games played Avg Average per game
  FG Field-goals made FGA Field-goal attempts Off Offensive rebounds
 Def Defensive rebounds  A Assists  TOTurnovers
 Blk Blocks Stl Steals

Source[15]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRVRVRVRVRV21191610691091176585Not released
CoachesRVRVRVRVRV2320171179111012765847

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

Source[16]

Awards and honors

Draymond Green

  • Big Ten Player of the Year[10]
  • AP All-American (unanimous)[17]
  • Sporting News All-American First Team[18]
  • USBWA All-American[18]
  • NABC All-American First Team[19]
  • NABC Player of the Year[19]
  • USBWA District V Player of the Year
  • Big Ten All Defensive Team[10]
  • NABC All-District First Team

Tom Izzo

  • Big Ten Coach of the Year[10]
  • USBWA District V Coach of the Year[19]
  • NABC Division I Coach of the Year[19]

Branden Dawson

  • All Big Ten Honorable Mention (Media)[10]
  • Big Ten All-Freshman Team[10]

Keith Appling

  • All Big Ten Third Team[10]

References