1999–2000 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team

1999–2000 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball
NCAA Tournament National Champions Big Ten Regular Season Co-Champions Big Ten Tournament Champions
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#1
AP	#2
1999–2000 record	32–7 (13–3 Big Ten)
Head coach	Tom Izzo (5th year)
Assistant coach	Stan Heath
Assistant coach	Brian Gregory
Assistant coach	Mike Garland
Home arena	Breslin Center

1999–2000 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
#2 Michigan State †	13	–	3		.813			32	–	7		.821
#25 Purdue	12	–	4		.750			24	–	10		.706
#21 Illinois	11	–	5		.688			22	–	10		.688
#22 Indiana	10	–	6		.625			20	–	9		.690
Wisconsin	8	–	8		.500			22	–	14		.611
Iowa	6	–	10		.375			14	–	16		.467
Michigan	6	–	10		.375			15	–	14		.517
Penn State	5	–	11		.313			19	–	16		.543
Minnesota	4	–	12		.250			12	–	16		.429
Northwestern	0	–	16		.000			5	–	25		.167
#8 Ohio State*	5	–	1		.833			11	–	3		.786
† 2000 Big Ten Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll *Ohio State: 14 reg. season games; 2 NCAA Tourn. games vacated due to sanctions against the program Disputed record: Ohio State-(23-7)(13-3)

The 1999–2000 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1999–2000 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI. They were coached by Tom Izzo, in his fifth year, and were members of the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 32–7, 13–3 to win a share of the Big Ten regular season championship for the third consecutive year. They followed that up by winning the Big Ten Tournament championship for the second consecutive year. As a result, they received a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and won the National Championship over Florida. The win marked the school's second National Championship and Izzo's only championship to date.

Previous Season

The Spartans finished the 1998–99 season with an overall record of 33–5 and in first place in the Big Ten with an 15–1 record. Michigan State received a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, their 2nd consecutive trip to the Tournament, and advanced to the Final Four, their first trip to the Final Four under Tom Izzo.

Season Summary

The Spartans were looking to build on their Final Four appearance the year before with seniors, Mateen Cleaves (12.1 PPG , 1.8 RPG, 6.9 APG) and Morris Peterson (16.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.3 APG), leading the way. However, despite starting the season ranked #3, the Spartans began the season without starting point guard and team captain, Cleaves, who sustained a stress fracture in his right foot during the off-season.^[1] Without Cleaves, the Spartans had some troubles through the non-conference schedule, finishing at 9–4 and ranked #11. The Spartans did defeat #2 North Carolina on the road as part of the inaugural ACC–Big Ten Challenge^[2] and #5 Kansas in the Great Eight.^[3] However, MSU lost games to #20 Texas at the Puerto Rico Shootout,^[4] and lost on the road to #2 Arizona,^[5] Kentucky,^[6] and Wright State.^[7]

Cleaves returned to the Spartans lineup on January 5, 2000^[8] and helped MSU defeat #9 Indiana,^[9] #7 Ohio State,^[10] and in a non-conference matchup, #7 Connecticut.^[11] The wins propelled the Spartans to a 13–3 conference record and 23–7 overall while being ranked #2 in the country. MSU earned a share of the Big Ten Regular season title with Ohio State, their third consecutive championship. The Spartans went on to win the third annual Big Ten Tournament as the #2 seed, defeating #25 Illinois for the championship for the second consecutive year.^[12] Cleaves and Peterson were named to the All–Tournament Team and Peterson was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.^[12]

As a result of their strong finish, the Spartans were awarded the #1 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. From there, the Spartans cruised to their third consecutive Sweet Sixteen with wins over Valparaiso,^[13][14] and Utah.^[15][16] MSU continued their National Championship push by reaching their second consecutive Final Four with wins over Syracuse^[17][18] and Iowa State.^[19][20] MSU won every game by double digits despite playing the best possible seed in each round. In their Final Four matchup, Michigan State faced off against Big Ten foe, Wisconsin, beating them in a close game, 53–41.^[21] In the National Championship game, the Spartans triumphed over the Florida 89–76, despite losing Cleaves to an ankle injury 3:42 into the second half.^[22] Cleaves eventually returned, severely limping and in obvious pain, to lead the Spartans to the championship.^[23] Cleaves was subsequently named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Joining Cleaves on the NCAA All-Tournament Team were Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell, and A.J. Granger. The National Championship was the school's second ever basketball National Companionship and first since 1979.

Roster

1999–2000 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Home town F 25 Anagonye, AloysiusAloysius Anagonye 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) — Fr F 55 Ballinger, AdamAdam Ballinger 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) — Fr G 14 Bell, CharlieCharlie Bell 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) — Jr F 20 Chapell, MikeMike Chapell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) — Jr F 22 Cherry, SteveSteve Cherry 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) — Sr G 12 Cleaves, MateenMateen Cleaves 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) — Sr F 43 Granger, A.J.A.J. Granger 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) — Sr F 34 Hutson, AndreAndre Hutson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) — Jr G Ishbia, MatMat Ishbia 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) — Fr F 42 Peterson, MorrisMorris Peterson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) — Sr F 23 Richardson, JasonJason Richardson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) — Fr G 10 Smith, BrandonBrandon Smith 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) — Fr F 11 Thomas, DavidDavid Thomas 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) — Jr	Head coach Tom Izzo Assistant coach(es) Stan Heath Brian Gregory Mike Garland 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	Site (Attendance) City, State
Exhibition
Nov 5, 1999* 7:30 pm		California All-Stars	W 115–66		Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Nov 5, 1999* 7:30 pm		Mexican All-Stars	W 79–69		Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Regular season
Nov 22, 1999* 7:30 pm	#3	Toledo	W 78–33	1–0	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Nov 25, 1999* 12:00 pm, ESPN2	#3	vs. Providence Puerto Rico Shootout	W 82–58	2–0	Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez  Bayamon, PR
Nov 26, 1999* 2:30 pm	#3	vs. South Carolina Puerto Rico Shootout	W 59–56	3–0	Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez  Bayamon, PR
Nov 27, 1999* 7:00 pm	#3	vs. #20 Texas Puerto Rico Shootout	L 74–81	3–1	Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez  Bayamon, PR
Dec 1, 1999* 9:00 pm, ESPN	#8	at #2 North Carolina ACC-Big Ten Challenge	W 86–76	4–1	Dean Smith Center  Chapel Hill, NC
Dec 3, 1999* 6:00 pm	#8	Howard Coca Cola Spartan Classic	W 75–45	5–1	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Dec 4, 1999* 8:30 pm	#8	Eastern Michigan Coca Cola Spartan Classic	W 74–57	6–1	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Dec 7, 1999* 6:00 pm, ESPN	#4	vs. #5 Kansas Great Eight	W 66–54	7–1	United Center  Chicago, IL
Dec 11, 1999* 12:00 pm, CBS	#4	at #2 Arizona	L 68–79	7–2	McKale Center  Tucson, AZ
Dec 18, 1999* 7:30 pm	#5	Oakland	W 86–51	8–2	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Dec 23, 1999* 7:00 pm, ESPN	#5	at Kentucky	L 58–60	8–3	Rupp Arena  Lexington, KY
Dec 28, 1999* 7:30 pm	#8	Mississippi Valley St.	W 96–63	9–3	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Dec 30, 1999* 7:00 pm	#8	at Wright State	L 49–53	9–4	Nutter Center  Dayton, OH
Jan 5, 2000 7:00 pm, ESPN Plus	#11	Penn State	W 76–63	10–4 (1–0)	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Jan 8, 2000 8:00 pm, ESPN Plus	#11	at Iowa	W 75–53	11–4 (2–0)	Carver-Hawkeye Arena  Iowa City, IA
Jan 11, 2000 7:00 pm, ESPN	#11	#9 Indiana	W 77–71 ^OT	12–4 (3–0)	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Jan 20, 2000 7:00 pm, ESPN	#10	at #13 Ohio State	L 67–78	12–5 (3–1)	Value City Arena (19,100) Columbus, OH
Jan 22, 2000 12:07 pm, ESPN Plus Regional	#10	Northwestern	W 69–45	13–5 (4–1)	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Jan 27, 2000 8:00 pm, ESPN Plus	#9	at Northwestern	W 59–29	14–5 (5–1)	Welsh-Ryan Arena  Evanston, IL
Jan 30, 2000 1:00 pm, CBS	#9	Illinois	W 91–66	15–5 (6–1)	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Feb 1, 2000 7:00 pm, ESPN	#8	at Michigan Rivalry	W 82–62	16–5 (7–1)	Crisler Arena  Ann Arbor, MI
Feb 5, 2000* 1:00 pm, CBS	#8	#7 Connecticut	W 85–66	17–5	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Feb 8, 200 7:00 pm, ESPN	#6	at Purdue	L 67–70	17–6 (7–2)	Mackey Arena (14,123) West Lafayette, IN
Feb 12, 2000 9:00 pm, ESPN	#6	at Wisconsin	W 61–44	18–6 (8–2)	Kohl Center  Madison, WI
Feb 15, 2000 7:00 pm, ESPN	#6	#7 Ohio State	W 83–72	19–6 (9–2)	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Feb 19, 2000 4:30 pm, ESPN Plus Regional	#6	Wisconsin	W 59–54	20–6 (10–2)	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Feb 23 9:00 pm, ESPN Plus	#5	at Penn State	W 79–63	21–6 (11–2)	Bryce Jordan Center  University Park, PA
Feb 26, 2000 2:00 pm, CBS	#5	at #16 Indiana	L 79–81 ^OT	21–7 (11–3)	Assembly Hall  Bloomington, IN
Mar 2, 2000 7:00 pm, ESPN	#7	Minnesota	W 79–43	22–7 (12–3)	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Mar 4, 2000 12:22 pm, ESPN Plus	#7	Michigan Rivalry	W 114–63	23–7 (13–3)	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Big Ten Tournament
Mar 10, 2000 6:40 pm, ESPN Regional	(2) #5	vs. (7) Iowa Quarterfinals	W 75–65	24–7	United Center  Chicago, IL
Mar 11, 2000 4:00 pm, CBS	(2) #5	vs. (6) Wisconsin Semifinals	W 55–46	25–7	United Center  Chicago, IL
Mar 12, 2000 2:30 pm, CBS	(2) #5	vs. (4) #25 Illinois Championship	W 76–61	26–7	United Center  Chicago, IL
NCAA Tournament
Mar 16, 2000* 7:40 pm, CBS	(1 MW) #2	vs. (16 MW) Valparaiso First Round	W 65–38	27–7	Wolstein Center  Cleveland, OH
Mar 18, 2000* 3:30 pm, CBS	(1 MW) #2	vs. (8 MW) Utah Second Round	W 73–61	28–7	Wolstein Center  Cleveland, OH
Mar 23, 2000* 7:38 pm, CBS	(1 MW) #2	vs. (4 MW) #16 Syracuse Regional Semifinal	W 75–58	29–7	The Palace of Auburn Hills  Auburn Hills, MI
Mar 25, 2000* 7:00 pm, CBS	(1 MW) #2	vs. (2 MW) #6 Iowa State Regional Final	W 75–64	30–7	The Palace of Auburn Hills  Auburn Hills, MI
Apr 1, 2000* 5:42 pm, CBS	(1 MW) #2	vs. (8 W) Wisconsin National Semifinal	W 53–41	31–7	RCA Dome (43,116) Indianapolis, IN
Apr 3, 2000* 9:18 pm, CBS	(1 MW) #2	vs. (5 E) #13 Florida National Championship	W 89–76	32–7	RCA Dome (43,116) Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. (#) during NCAA Tournament is seed with Region E=East, MW=Midwest, W=West.

Ranking

Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. (RV) Received votes but unranked. (NR) Not ranked.

Poll	Pre	11/16	11/23	11/30	12/7	12/14	12/21	12/28	1/4	1/11	1/18	1/25	2/1	2/8	2/15	2/22	2/29	3/7	Final
AP	3	2	3	8	4	5	5	8	11	11	10	9	8	6	6	5	7	5	2

Awards and honors

• Mateen Cleaves - NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award^[24][25]
• Mateen Cleaves - Big Ten First Team
• Morris Peterson - Big Ten First Team
• Morris Peterson - Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball
• Morris Peterson - Most Outstanding Player, Big Ten Conference Basketball Tournament

References

1. "Cleaves Out Two Months With Stress Fracture - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
2. "Men's Basketball Upsets UNC, 86-76 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
3. "Spartans Defeat No. 5 Kansas - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
4. "Spartans Fall To No. 20 Texas - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
5. "No. 4 Michigan St. Falls To No. 2 Arizona, 79-68 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
6. "No. 5 Spartans Stunned By Kentucky, 60-58 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
7. "Michigan State Defeated By Wright State - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
8. "Cleaves Sparks Win Over Penn State - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
9. "No. 11 Men's Hoops Outlasts No. 9 Indiana In OT, 77-71 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
10. "Men's Hoops Topples No. 7 Ohio State, 83-72 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
11. "No. 8 Men's Hoops Rolls Past No. 7 UConn, 85-66 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
12. "Peterson, Cleaves Lead Spartans To Second-Straight Big Ten Title - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
13. "2000 Michigan State vs. Valparaiso Round of 64". ncaa-basketball-tournament.pointafter.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
14. "Spartans One Step Closer To Final Four - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
15. "2000 Michigan State vs. Utah Round of 32". ncaa-basketball-tournament.pointafter.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
16. "Men's Hoops Moves Past Utah Into Sweet 16, 73-61 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
17. "Michigan State 75, Syracuse 58". enquirer.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
18. "Michigan State Moves To Elite Eight - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
19. "Michigan State 75, Iowa State 64". enquirer.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
20. "Spartans Return To Final Four - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
21. "Spartans Beat Badgers At Their Own Game, 53-41 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
22. Drape, Joe (2000-04-04). "N.C.A.A. BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: CHAMPIONSHIP GAME; Spartans No. 1 From Start to Finish". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
23. "Spartans Crowned NCAA Champs; Cleaves Named MVP - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
24. "Final Four Most Outstanding Players". cbs.sportsline.com. Retrieved 31 March 2008.
25. "NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Winners | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.