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
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

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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

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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

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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:    247SportsN/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:    247SportsN/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:    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

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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

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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
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster

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
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

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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

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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

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Draymond Green

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  • 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

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  • 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

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

Keith Appling

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  • All Big Ten Third Team[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "No. 1 UNC drops Michigan St. in Carrier Classic". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. 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. ^ a b "Ohio State vs. Michigan State - Game Recap - March 4, 2012 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 6, 2016.[dead link]
  7. ^ "No. 8 Spartans Knock Out Iowa, 92-75 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  8. ^ "No. 8 Spartans Advance to Championship, Top No. 14 Badgers, 65-52 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  9. ^ "Spartans Claim Big Ten Title Over Buckeyes, 68-64 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h "Green Named Player Of The Year; Izzo Coach Of The Year - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". 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. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  12. ^ "Green, Michigan St. oust Saint Louis to move on". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  13. ^ "Louisville makes Michigan St. first 1-seed to fall". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. 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. ^ "2011–12 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings". 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. ^ a b "Draymond Green Named USBWA All-American - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  19. ^ a b c d "Green And Izzo Honored With NABC National Awards - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.