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
Big Ten regular season co-champions Big Ten tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 7
AP	No. 5
Record	29–8 (13–5 Big Ten)
Head coach	Tom Izzo (17th season)
Assistant coaches	Dwayne Stephens (9th season) Mike Garland (5th season) Dane Fife (1st season)
Captains	Draymond Green Austin Thornton
Home arena	Breslin Center
Seasons ← 2010–11 2012–13 →

2011–12 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 5 Michigan State†	13	–	5		.722			29	–	8		.784
No. 13 Michigan	13	–	5		.722			24	–	10		.706
No. 7 Ohio State	13	–	5		.722			31	–	8		.795
No. 14 Wisconsin	12	–	6		.667			26	–	10		.722
No. 16 Indiana	11	–	7		.611			27	–	9		.750
Purdue	10	–	8		.556			22	–	13		.629
Northwestern	8	–	10		.444			19	–	14		.576
Iowa	8	–	10		.444			18	–	17		.514
Illinois	6	–	12		.333			17	–	15		.531
Minnesota	6	–	12		.333			23	–	15		.605
Nebraska	4	–	14		.222			12	–	18		.400
Penn State	4	–	14		.222			12	–	20		.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

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Brandan Kearney No. 36 SG	Detroit, MI	Southeastern	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Nov 3, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Branden Dawson No. 5 SF	Gary, IN	Lew Wallace High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Aug 4, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 97
Travis Trice No. 37 PG	Huber Heights, OH	Wayne High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	155 lb (70 kg)	Aug 4, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/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
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 11 Keith Appling 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Pershing H.S. Detroit, Michigan F 0 Russell Byrd 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Fr Blackhawk Christian H.S. Fort Wayne, Indiana G 14 Dan Chapman (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Okemos H.S. Okemos, Michigan G 22 Branden Dawson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Lew Wallace H.S Gary, Indiana F 2 Alex Gauna 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Fr Eaton Rapids H.S. Eaton Rapids, Michigan F 23 Draymond Green (C) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Saginaw H.S. Saginaw, Michigan C 44 Anthony Ianni 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Sr Grand Valley State East Lansing, Michigan G 3 Brandan Kearney 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Southeastern H.S. Detroit, Michigan C 25 Derrick Nix 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 270 lb (122 kg) Jr Pershing H.S. Detroit, Michigan C 5 Adreian Payne 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Jefferson H.S. Dayton, Ohio G 13 Austin Thornton (C) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Cedar Springs H.S. Sand Lake, Michigan G 20 Travis Trice 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Wayne H.S. Huber Heights, Ohio G 15 Keenan Wetzel (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Fr St. Mary Catholic Central Monroe, Michigan F 40 Colby Wollenman 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Big Horn H.S. Big Horn, Wyoming G 30 Brandon Wood 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Sr Valparaiso Kokomo, Indiana	Head coach Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan) Assistant coach(es) Dwayne Stephens (Michigan State) Dane Fife (Indiana) Mike Garland (Northern Michigan) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Oct 30, 2011* 2:00 pm		Ferris State	W 85–58		15 – Dawson/Nix	9 – Dawson	8 – Green	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
Nov 4, 2011* 7:00 pm		Hillsdale	W 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 Michigan	W 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–Omaha	W 110–68	6–2	23 – Green	10 – Green	7 – Appling	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
Dec 7, 2011* 7:00 pm		Central Connecticut	W 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 Gonzaga	W 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 Green	W 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	UMKC	W 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	Lehigh	W 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 Indiana	W 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 Nebraska	W 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 Wisconsin	W 63–60 ^OT	14–2 (3–0)	18 – Green	14 – Green	4 – Wood	Kohl Center (17,230) Madison, WI
Jan 10, 2012 7:00 pm, BTN	No. 6	Iowa	W 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 Northwestern	L 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	Purdue	W 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	Minnesota	W 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 Illinois	L 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 State	W 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 State	W 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 Wisconsin	W 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 Purdue	W 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 Minnesota	W 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	Nebraska	W 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 Indiana	L 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 State	L 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)

		Minutes		Scoring		Total FGs			3-point FGs			Free-Throws			Rebounds
Player	GP	Tot	Avg	Pts	Avg	FG	FGA	Pct	3FG	3FA	Pct	FT	FTA	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Avg	A	Stl	Blk	Tov
Appling, Keith	37	1139	30.8	420	11.4	131	307	.427	24	96	.250	134	170	.788	17	89	106	2.9	144	43	15	85
Byrd, Russell	27	149	5.5	41	1.5	12	43	.279	9	33	.273	8	10	.800	8	8	16	0.6	11	5	3	9
Chapman, Dan	15	17	1.1	0	0.0	0	5	.000	0	2	.000	0	0		1	5	6	0.4	1	0	0	0
Dawson, Branden	31	640	20.6	259	8.4	109	189	.577	0	3	.000	41	69	.594	67	72	139	4.5	29	29	26	43
Gauna, Alex	30	142	4.7	55	1.8	22	38	.579	0	0		11	21	.524	11	13	24	0.8	0	1	3	13
Green, Draymond	37	1229	33.2	601	16.2	212	472	.449	52	134	.388	125	173	.723	79	315	394	10.6	141	54	35	112
Ianni, Anthony	21	35	1.7	3	0.1	1	3	.333	0	0		1	2	.500	2	5	7	0.3	2	1	1	2
Kearney, Brandon	34	326	9.6	41	1.2	17	36	.472	5	13	.385	2	7	.286	9	19	28	0.8	19	8	6	11
Nix, Derrick	37	700	18.9	301	8.1	129	231	.558	0	0		43	74	.581	59	80	139	3.8	38	27	13	50
Payne, Adreian	37	661	17.9	259	7.0	98	173	.566	1	2	.500	62	89	.697	57	100	157	4.2	12	25	39	39
Sweeny, Joe	10	11	1.1	2	0.2	0	2	.000	0	1	.000	2	2	1.000	0	1	1	0.1	1	1	0	3
Thornton, Austin	37	808	21.8	193	5.2	54	114	.474	31	65	.477	54	62	.871	33	90	123	3.3	42	23	6	27
Trice, Travis	32	551	17.2	145	4.5	48	126	.381	30	74	.405	19	33	.576	5	52	57	1.8	56	25	2	37
Wetzel, Keenan	11	12	1.1	4	0.4	1	2	.500	1	2	.500	1	2	.500	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	1
Wollenman, Colby	9	10	1.1	2	0.2	1	2	.500	0	0		0	0		0	1	1	0.1	0	0	0	2
Wood, Brandon	37	994	26.9	325	8.8	125	269	.465	47	130	.362	28	45	.622	32	72	104	2.8	70	23	8	37

Legend
GP	Games played	Avg	Average per game
FG	Field-goals made	FGA	Field-goal attempts	Off	Offensive rebounds
Def	Defensive rebounds	A	Assists	TO	Turnovers
Blk	Blocks	Stl	Steals

Source^[15]

Rankings

Main article: 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	21	19	16	10	6	9	10	9	11	7	6	5	8	5	Not released
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	23	20	17	11	7	9	11	10	12	7	6	5	8	4	7

*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

1. "No. 1 UNC drops Michigan St. in Carrier Classic". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
2. "MSU Falls Short Against Duke, 74-69 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
3. "Green Leads Spartans Past No. 23 Bulldogs, 74-67 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
4. "Michigan State 80, Indiana 65 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
5. "No. 10 Spartans Hold on to Beat Wisconsin, 63-60 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
6. "Ohio State vs. Michigan State - Game Recap - March 4, 2012 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
7. . www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
8. . www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
9. . www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
10. . www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
11. "Michigan St. advances on Green's triple-double". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
12. "Green, Michigan St. oust Saint Louis to move on". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
13. "Louisville makes Michigan St. first 1-seed to fall". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
14. "2011-12 Michigan State Spartans Roster and Stats". Retrieved February 1, 2016.
15. "2011-12 Michigan State Spartans Roster and Stats".
16. . ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
17. "Green Selected To Associated Press First Team - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
18. "Draymond Green Named USBWA All-American - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
19. "Green And Izzo Honored With NABC National Awards - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.