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All-Conference



January 24, 2015
3pm CT - ESPN
Pinnacle Bank Arena - Lincoln, NE
Michigan State Spartans 13-6, 4-2 (Last: 66-60 W vs Penn State)
vs
Nebraska Cornhuskers 11-7, 3-3 (Last: 52-49 W vs Minnesota)
Big Ten Standings
Wisconsin 5-1, 17-2
Indiana 5-1, 15-4
Maryland 5-2, 17-3
Michigan 5-2, 12-7
Iowa 4-2, 13-6
Michigan State 4-2, 13-6
Ohio State 4-3, 15-5
Nebraska 3-3, 11-7
Purdue 3-3, 11-8
Illinois 3-4, 13-7
Rutgers 2-5, 10-10
Northwestern 1-5, 10-9
Minnesota 1-6, 12-8
Penn State 0-6, 12-7
Head Coaches
Michigan State Tom Izzo (481-193 at Michigan State)
Nebraska Tim Miles (328-258, 45-38 at Nebraska)
Injury Report
Michigan State
No injuries to report
Nebraska
No injuries to report
Scouting Michigan State
Under Tom Izzo, the Spartans have been one of the flagship programs in the Big Ten. The Spartans have made six Final Fours in the last 16 seasons and made 17 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Izzo, who is in his 20th year at MSU, lost three starters, including a pair of first-round draft picks, from a team which reached the Elite Eight.
This season, Michigan State comes into Saturday’s game with a 13-6 record despite having several players miss time with injuries. MSU is sixth in the Big Ten at 73.4 points per game while leading the conference in 3-point percentage (.398). As is often the case, the Spartans are exceptional on the glass, leading the Big Ten in rebounding margin at +7.6 per game, while ranking second in field goal defense (.383).
The Spartans are led by a trio of veterans in Denzel Valentine, Travis Trice and Branden Dawson. Valentine leads MSU with 13.8 points per game while averaging 5.8 rebounds and shooting 43 percent from long range. Trice, who is one of the Big Ten’s most improved players, is at 13.6 points and 5.6 assists per game to rank second in the Big Ten. Dawson is at 11.5 points per game while pacing the Big Ten with 9.6 rebounds an outing. In conference action, he is averaging 12.7 points and 11.3 rebounds a game.