2014–15 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team


The 2014–15 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by 20th year head coach Tom Izzo, played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan as members of the Big Ten Conference. MSU finished with a record of 27–12, 12–6 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. They defeated Ohio State and Maryland to advance to the Big Ten tournament championship where they lost to Wisconsin. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed in the East region. They defeated Georgia and Virginia to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.They defeated Oklahoma and Louisville to advance to the Final Four for the seventh time under Tom Izzo. There the Spartans lost to eventual National Champion, Duke.

2014–15 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Final Four
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 23
Record27–12 (12–6 Big Ten)
Head coach
Associate head coachDwayne Stephens (12th season)
Assistant coaches
Captains
Home arenaBreslin Center
Seasons
2014–15 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 3 Wisconsin 16 2   .889 36 4   .900
No. 12 Maryland 14 4   .778 28 7   .800
No. 23 Michigan State 12 6   .667 27 12   .692
Iowa 12 6   .667 22 12   .647
Purdue 12 6   .667 21 13   .618
Ohio State 11 7   .611 24 11   .686
Indiana 9 9   .500 20 14   .588
Illinois 9 9   .500 19 14   .576
Michigan 8 10   .444 16 16   .500
Minnesota 6 12   .333 18 15   .545
Northwestern 6 12   .333 15 17   .469
Nebraska 5 13   .278 13 18   .419
Penn State 4 14   .222 18 16   .529
Rutgers 2 16   .111 10 22   .313
2015 Big Ten tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Spartans finished the 2013–14 season with a record of 29–9, 12–6 in Big Ten play to finish in second place. They won the Big Ten tournament by defeating Michigan and received the conference's automatic bid as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, their 17th straight trip to the Tournament. They advanced to the Elite Eight, their eighth trip under Tom Izzo, before losing to eventual National Champion, UConn.

The Spartans lost Adreian Payne (16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game) and Gary Harris (16.7 points per game) to the NBA draft and Keith Appling (11.2 points per game) to graduation (eventually to the NBA) following the season.

Offseason

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2014 recruiting class

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Tom Izzo again went big in recruiting for the 2014 season and again was shunned. Michigan State made offers to Cliff Alexander, Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor, and Tyler Ulis, but all went to other schools.[1] As a result, MSU signed only one top 100 player, Lourawls Nairn, Jr. Analysts have argued that it is Izzo's unwillingness to cheat that has cost him some of these recruits.[1]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Lourawls Nairn, Jr.
#14 PG
Bel Aire, KS Sunrise Christian Academy 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sep 26, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Javon Bess
#24 SF
Gahanna, OH Lincoln High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Oct 21, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Marvin Clark, Jr.
#43 SF
Blue Springs, MO Sunrise Christian Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 219 lb (99 kg) Mar 24, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
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 2014". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  • "ESPN - Michigan State Spartans Basketball Recruiting 2014". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  • "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 9, 2014.

Roster

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2014–15 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 2 Javon Bess 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Lincoln H.S. Gahanna, OH
F 13 Trevor Bohnhoff (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Nouvel H.S. Saginaw, MI
F 0 Marvin Jr. Clark 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Sunrise Christian Academy Blue Springs, MO
F 10 Matt Costello 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Jefferson H.S. Bay City, MI
F 22 Branden Dawson (C) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Lew Wallace H.S. Gary, IN
G 3 Alvin Ellis III 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So De La Salle Chicago, IL
G 5 Bryn Forbes 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Sexton H.S.
Cleveland State
Lansing, MI
F 25 Kenny Goins (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Warren Mott H.S. Troy, MI
G 14 Eron Harris (I) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Lawrence North H.S.
West Virginia
Indianapolis, IN
G 11 Lourawls Jr. Nairn 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Sunrise Christian Academy Bel Aire, KS
F 34 Gavin Schilling 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Findlay Prep Chicago, IL
G 20 Travis Trice (C) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Wayne H.S. Huber Heights, OH
G 15 Keenan Wetzel (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr St. Mary Catholic Central H.S. Monroe, MI
G 41 Colby Wollenman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Jr Big Horn H.S. Big Horn, WY
G 45 Denzel Valentine (C) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Sexton H.S. Lansing, MI
F 30 Matt Van Dyk (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Imlay City Imlay City, MI
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster

Season summary

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Michigan State was led by seniors Travis Trice (15.3 points and 5.1 assists per game) and Branden Dawson (11.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game) and junior Denzel Valentine (14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game). The Spartans started the season ranked No. 18 in the country.

The Spartans had two players transfer to the team. Eron Harris transferred from West Virginia.[2] Under NCAA transfer rules, Harris had to redshirt for the 2014–15 season. Bryn Forbes transferred from Cleveland State. The NCAA granted Forbes a waiver due to family hardship that allowed Forbes to play immediately without having sit out a season.[3]

MSU began the season with a trip to play Navy in Annapolis, Maryland at the Naval Academy. The Spartans survived a scare to win a close game 64–59.[4] The Spartans then traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana to participate in the Champions Classic, but were unable to outlast Duke (whom they would later meet in the Final Four), losing 81–71.[5] MSU won their next four games, including wins over Santa Clara, Rider, and Marquette in the Orlando Classic. In the championship game of the Orlando Classic, the Spartans fell to No. 11 Kansas 61–56.[6] Despite the loss, MSU moved up to No. 19 in the polls. In the ACC–Big Ten Challenge, MSU could not hold off Notre Dame, losing in overtime 79–78.[7] Wins followed against smaller schools including Oakland and Eastern Michigan before MSU was shocked by Texas Southern at home in overtime.[8] Following the loss, the Spartans went unranked the remainder of the season. They finished the non-conference season at 9–4.

In the Big Ten season, the Spartans were swept by Maryland[9] and suffered bad losses to Nebraska,[10] Illinois,[11] and Minnesota in overtime.[12] However, the Spartans rallied late in the season, winning six of their last eight conference games including a win over No. 23 Ohio State[13] and wins at Michigan and at Illinois. MSU finished the season in a three-way tie for third place in conference. The Spartans finished the season with an overall record of 21–10, 12–6 in the Big Ten regular season. The Spartans got hot in the Big Ten tournament beating Ohio State[14] and No. 8 Maryland.[15] They challenged No. 6 Wisconsin for the tournament title, eventually losing the Big Ten tournament Championship in overtime.[16]

The Spartans received an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament as a No. 7 seed in the East Region. The bid was MSU's 18th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. MSU beat Georgia in the First Round[17] and surprised No. 2-seeded and No. 6-ranked Virginia in the Second Round.[18] With the win, the Spartans advanced to their fourth straight Sweet Sixteen and seventh Sweet Sixteen in eight years.[18] In the Sweet Sixteen, they faced No. 3-seeded and No. 13-ranked Oklahoma. MSU defeated Oklahoma by four.[19] Valentine scored 18 points and Trice contributed 24.[19] The win sent MSU to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year and their fourth trip since 2009.[19] Louisville awaited the Spartans in the Elite Eight. The Spartans were pushed to overtime, but again came up with the victory, earning a trip to their seventh Final Four under Tom Izzo.[20] Trice was named the Regional's MVP.[20] In the Final Four, the Spartans fell to the eventual National Champions for the second straight season, losing a rematch of their Champions Classic game to Duke in the National Semifinal.[21]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 3, 2014*
7:00 pm
No. 18 The Master's College W 97–56 
 24  Valentine   12  Valentine   9  Trice  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Nov 7, 2014*
8:00 pm
No. 18 St. Cloud State W 101–46 
 20  Trice   11  Valentine   11  Valentine  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Non-conference regular season
Nov 14, 2014*
9:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 18 at Navy
Veterans Classic
W 64–59  1–0
 25  Trice   8  Dawson   6  Valentine  Alumni Hall (5,699)
Annapolis, MD
Nov 18, 2014*
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 19 vs. No. 4 Duke
Champions Classic
L 71–81  1–1
 18  Dawson   9  Dawson   8  Trice  Bankers Life Fieldhouse (19,306)
Indianapolis, IN
Nov 21, 2014*
7:00 pm, BTN
No. 19 Loyola–Chicago W 87–52  2–1
 15  Clark Jr./Dawson   11  Costello   7  Nairn Jr./Trice/Valentine  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Nov 24, 2014*
7:00 pm, BTN
No. 20 Santa Clara
Orlando Classic Opening Round
W 79–52  3–1
 19  Trice   11  Schilling/Valentine   8  Trice  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Nov 27, 2014*
6:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 20 vs. Rider
Orlando Classic Quarterfinals
W 77–45  4–1
 19  Valentine   9  Costello   4  Trice  HP Field House (3,216)
Lake Buena Vista, FL
Nov 28, 2014*
9:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 20 vs. Marquette
Orlando Classic Semifinals
W 79–68  5–1
 25  Valentine   8  Dawson   7  Trice  HP Field House (3,449)
Lake Buena Vista, FL
Nov 30, 2014*
1:00 pm, ESPN
No. 20 vs. No. 11 Kansas
Orlando Classic Championship
L 56–61  5–2
 14  Trice/Valentine   9  Dawson   2  Trice  HP Field House (4,842)
Lake Buena Vista, FL
Dec 3, 2014*
7:15 pm, ESPN2
No. 19 at Notre Dame
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
L 78–79 OT 5–3
 22  Valentine   18  Dawson   5  Trice  Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149)
South Bend, IN
Dec 6, 2014*
2:15 pm, BTN
No. 19 Arkansas–Pine Bluff W 85–52  6–3
 15  Costello/Trice   7  Dawson   8  Valentine  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 14, 2014*
8:00 pm, ESPNU
Oakland W 87–61  7–3
 19  Valentine   6  Dawson/Schilling   8  Trice  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 17, 2014*
9:00 pm, BTN
No. 25 Eastern Michigan W 66–46  8–3
 14  Forbes   9  Costello   8  Valentine  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 20, 2014*
5:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 25 Texas Southern L 64–71 OT 8–4
 17  Costello   10  Costello   3  Bess/Trice  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 22, 2014*
6:00 pm
The Citadel W 82–56  9–4
 18  Valentine   6  Clark Jr./Valentine   11  Trice  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Big Ten regular season
Dec 30, 2014
5:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 12 Maryland L 66–68 2OT 9–5
(0–1)
 26  Trice   11  Dawson   6  Trice  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Jan 5, 2015
7:00 pm, BTN
Indiana W 70–50  10–5
(1–1)
 15  Valentine   13  Dawson   7  Trice  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Jan 8, 2015
7:00 pm, ESPN
at Iowa W 75–61  11–5
(2–1)
 25  Trice   15  Dawson   6  Valentine  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,054)
Iowa City, IA
Jan 11, 2015
12:00 pm, BTN
Northwestern W 84–77 OT 12–5
(3–1)
 18  Trice   9  Dawson   10  Trice  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Jan 17, 2015
4:00 pm, CBS
at No. 14 Maryland L 59–75  12–6
(3–2)
 14  Dawson   10  Dawson   5  Valentine  Xfinity Center (17,950)
College Park, MD
Jan 21, 2015
7:00 pm, BTN
Penn State W 66–60  13–6
(4–2)
 11  Schilling/Valentine   10  Dawson/Schilling   4  Valentine  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Jan 24, 2015
4:00 pm, ESPN
at Nebraska L 77–79  13–7
(4–3)
 27  Trice   18  Dawson   3  Trice/Valentine  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,757)
Lincoln, NE
Jan 29, 2015
6:00 pm, BTN
at Rutgers W 71–51  14–7
(5–3)
 18  Forbes   11  Dawson   5  Trice  Louis Brown Athletic Center (6,088)
Piscataway, NJ
Feb 1, 2015
1:00 pm, CBS
Michigan
Rivalry
W 76–66 OT 15–7
(6–3)
 25  Valentine   10  Dawson   9  Trice  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 7, 2015
12:00 pm, ESPN
Illinois L 54–59  15–8
(6–4)
 16  Valentine   7  Costello/Valentine   4  Valentine  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 10, 2015
7:00 pm, BTN
at Northwestern W 68–44  16–8
(7–4)
 16  Trice   10  Dawson   8  Valentine  Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,265)
Evanston, IL
Feb 14, 2015
12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 23 Ohio State W 59–56  17–8
(8–4)
 17  Valentine   11  Dawson   5  Trice  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 17, 2015
9:00 pm, ESPN
at Michigan
Rivalry
W 80–67  18–8
(9–4)
 23  Dawson   13  Dawson   7  Trice  Crisler Center (12,502)
Ann Arbor, MI
Feb 22, 2015
7:30 pm, BTN
at Illinois W 60–53  19–8
(10–4)
 20  Valentine   9  Valentine   4  Trice  State Farm Center (16,108)
Champaign, IL
Feb 26, 2015
7:00 pm, BTN
Minnesota L 90–96 OT 19–9
(10–5)
 27  Valentine   8  Dawson   10  Trice  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Mar 1, 2015
4:00 pm, CBS
at No. 5 Wisconsin L 61–68  19–10
(10–6)
 21  Forbes   6  Schilling   6  Valentine  Kohl Center (17,279)
Madison, WI
Mar 4, 2015
8:00 pm, BTN
Purdue W 72–66  20–10
(11–6)
 27  Trice   7  Costello   6  Trice  Breslin Center (14,797, 2015)
East Lansing, MI
Mar 7, 2015
Noon, ESPN
at Indiana W 74–72  21–10
(12–6)
 21  Trice   8  Costello   7  Valentine  Assembly Hall (17,472)
Bloomington, IN
Big Ten tournament
Mar 13, 2015
9:00 pm, BTN
(3) vs. (6) Ohio State
Quarterfinals
W 76–67  22–10
 23  Valentine   8  Dawson/Valentine   7  Dawson/Valentine  United Center (17,230)
Chicago, IL
Mar 14, 2015
4:00 pm, CBS
(3) vs. (2) No. 8 Maryland
Semifinals
W 62–58  23–10
 20  Trice   8  Dawson   7  Valentine  United Center (18,088)
Chicago, IL
Mar 15, 2015
3:30 pm, CBS
(3) vs. (1) No. 6 Wisconsin
Championship
L 69–80 OT 23–11
 16  Dawson/Valentine   8  Valentine   6  Valentine  United Center (17,123)
Chicago, IL
NCAA tournament
Mar 20, 2015*
12:40 pm, truTV
(7 E) No. 23 vs. (10 E) Georgia
Second Round
W 70–63  24–11
 16  Valentine   7  Costello   6  Trice/Valentine  Time Warner Cable Arena (16,551)
Charlotte, NC
Mar 22, 2015*
12:10 pm, CBS
(7 E) No. 23 vs. (2 E) No. 6 Virginia
Third Round
W 60–54  25–11
 23  Trice   9  Dawson   4  Valentine  Time Warner Cable Arena (18,482)
Charlotte, NC
Mar 27, 2015*
10:16 pm, TBS
(7 E) No. 23 vs. (3 E) No. 13 Oklahoma
Sweet Sixteen
W 62–58  26–11
 24  Trice   11  Dawson   2  Dawson/Trice/Valentine  Carrier Dome (24,453)
Syracuse, NY
Mar 29, 2015*
2:20 pm, CBS
(7 E) No. 23 vs. (4 E) No. 17 Louisville
Elite Eight
W 76–70 OT 27–11
 17  Trice   11  Dawson   6  Valentine  Carrier Dome (24,404)
Syracuse, NY
Apr 4, 2015*
6:09 pm, TBS
(7 E) No. 23 vs. (1 S) No. 4 Duke
Final Four
L 61–81  27–12
 22  Valentine   11  Valentine   5  Nairn Jr./Valentine  Lucas Oil Stadium (72,238)
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time Source[22][23].

Player statistics

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Individual player statistics (Final)
Minutes Scoring Total FGs 3-point FGs Free-Throws Rebounds
Player GP GS Tot Avg Pts Avg FG FGA Pct 3FG 3FA Pct FT FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg A Stl Blk Tov
Bess, Javon 12 148 12.3 32 2.7 11 23 .478 1 2 .500 9 21 .429 15 20 35 2.9 12 4 3 9
Bohnhoff, Trevor 13 23 1.8 2 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 4 .500 1 2 3 0.2 0 1 0 0
Clark, Marvin 39 437 11.2 179 4.5 64 127 .504 21 62 .336 27 40 .675 30 56 86 2.2 11 9 12 29
Costello, Matt 39 794 20.4 273 7.0 110 190 .579 0 4 .000 53 79 .671 79 123 202 5.2 29 16 48 31
Dawson, Branden 35 1055 30.1 415 11.9 182 340 .535 0 0 51 104 .490 102 216 318 9.1 59 42 58 67
Ellis, Alvin 32 274 8.6 55 1.7 17 53 .321 6 25 .240 15 33 .455 4 18 22 0.7 18 12 5 18
Forbes, Bryn 39 1022 26.2 332 8.5 110 246 .447 70 164 .427 42 52 .808 8 48 56 1.4 38 23 5 31
Nairn, Lourawls 39 758 19 85 2.2 28 88 .318 3 10 .300 26 48 .542 6 56 62 1.6 94 11 1 36
Schilling, Gavin 39 659 16.9 199 5.1 82 141 .582 0 0 35 73 .476 66 84 150 3.8 15 7 25 33
Trice, Travis 39 1309 33.6 598 15.3 195 497 .397 90 244 .369 118 165 .715 18 105 123 3.2 197 40 6 69
Valentine, Denzel 39 1295 33.2 567 14.5 197 445 .443 102 245 .416 71 86 .826 46 199 245 6.3 167 35 9 92
Wetzel, Keenan 14 31 2.2 3 0.2 1 9 .111 1 7 .143 0 0 1 3 4 0.3 0 0 0 1
Wollenman, Colby 29 220 7.6 36 1.2 17 28 .607 0 0 2 9 .222 14 35 49 1.7 6 3 4 12
Total 35 7050 2793 79.8 1009 2078 .486 321 739 .434 454 623 .729 427 1027 1454 40.5 719 414 177 156
Opponents 39 8025 2482 63.6 833 2104 .396 .224 712 .315 592 820 .722 378 869 1247 409 217 110 416
Legend
  GP  Games played   GS  Games started  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  High  Team high

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP18192019RV25RVRVRVRVRVRV23Not released
Coaches181919182322RVRVRVRVRV25RVRV227

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

Awards and honors

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Post-season awards

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Branden Dawson

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  • All Big Ten Second Team[24]
  • Big Ten All-Defensive Team[24]
  • NABCA All-District Second Team[25]
  • USBWA All-District Team[26]

Travis Trice

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  • All Big Ten Third Team[24]
  • NCAA Tournament East Region Most Outstanding Player[20]

Denzel Valentine

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  • All Big Ten Third Team[24]
  • USBWA All-District Team[26]
  • NCAA Tournament All-East Regional Team

References

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  1. ^ a b "Analyst: Not cheating costs MSU's Izzo recruits". Detroit News. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  2. ^ "West Virginia transfer Eron Harris picks Michigan State". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  3. ^ "Bryn Forbes granted NCAA waiver to play immediately for Michigan State basketball". MLive.com. August 20, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  4. ^ "No. 18 Michigan State edges Navy 64-59". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  5. ^ "Okafor, Duke cruise to win over Michigan St". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  6. ^ "Kansas edges Michigan State for Orlando title". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  7. ^ "Michigan State vs. Notre Dame - Game Recap - December 3, 2014 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  8. ^ "Texas Southern stuns No. 25 Spartans in OT". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  9. ^ "Trimble carries No. 14 Maryland past Michigan State 75-59". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  10. ^ "Terran Petteway scores 32, Nebraska holds off Spartans 79-77". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  11. ^ "Illinois holds on to beat Michigan St. 59-54". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  12. ^ "Minnesota upsets Michigan State 96-90 in OT". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  13. ^ "Ohio State vs. Michigan State - Game Recap - February 14, 2015 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  14. ^ "Michigan State beats Ohio State 76-67 in Big Ten tourney". CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  15. ^ "Second Half Comeback Leads Michigan State Past No. 8 Maryland - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  16. ^ "Wisconsin uses OT shutout to take Big Ten". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  17. ^ "Michigan State holds off Georgia 70-63 in NCAA East Region". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  18. ^ a b "Michigan State Tops Virginia 60-54 For Trip to Sweet 16 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  19. ^ a b c "Spartans down Sooners in East semifinal". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  20. ^ a b c "Michigan St., Izzo back to Final Four". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  21. ^ "Duke's quest for fifth title rolls on with MSU win". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  22. ^ "2014-15 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results".
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