Michigan State University Athletics
Spartan Basketball Readies For Fresno State
3/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2001
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
2001 NCAA TournamentMichigan State (25-4)vs. Fresno State (26-6)March 18, 2001The Pyramid (20,142)Memphis, Tenn.
Media Coverage
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Josh Lewin (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color), Will Tieman (Broadcast Host). Flagship - WJIM (1240 AM/97.5 FM) - 35 affiliates.
TV: CBS - Ian Eagle (Play by Play), Jim Spanarkel (Color), Brett Haber (Sideline)
Michigan State - Fresno State Game Notes
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Note Of The Game
Spartans Look For Fourth-Straight Sweet 16 - With a win against Fresno State, Michigan State would make its fourth-straight trip to the Sweet 16. Only three schools have made the last three Sweet 16s, with Duke and Purdue joining MSU.
And The Rest Of The Starting Five
1. Defense Wins Championships - For Michigan State to have any chance of repeating as NCAA Champion, it will have to play tough defense. That was the case in the first round as the Spartans' defensive performance earned them two spots in the NCAA Tournament First/Second Rounds Record Book.
* Alabama State's 35 points were the second lowest in the history of the First/Second Round. Only Wisconsin's 32-point effort against Southwest Missouri State in the first round of the 1999 East Region was lower.
* ASU's 25% field-goal percentage is tied for third lowest. Tennessee Tech shot 22% in the first round of the 1963 South Region vs. Loyola (Ill.). Prairie View A&M shot 23.3% against Kansas in the first round of the 1998 Midwest Region. Four other teams have shot 25%, including Valparaiso against MSU in the first round of the 2000 Midwest Region.
2. We're Number One - For a third-straight season, Michigan State has earned a No. 1 seed. In 1999 and 2000, MSU was No. 1 in the Midwest. MSU is just the sixth school to earn three-straight No. 1 seeds since the NCAA Tournament began using seeds in 1979. Duke has a current stretch of four-straight No. 1 seeds (1998-2001). Depaul (1980-82), Virginia (1981-83), Oklahoma (1988-90) and Kentucky (1995-97) have three-consecutive No. 1 seeds.
3. MSU In The Second Round - Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, Michigan State is making its ninth appearance in a second-round contest. MSU has a 5-3 record in second-round games, including three-straight wins.
4. Elvis And Sweet Tea - The No. 1 seed in the South Region, Michigan State is making its 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, with an overall record of 30-13. MSU has made four trips to the Final Four (1957, 1979, 1999 and 2000) and captured the National Championship in 1979 and 2000.
Coach Izzo - In his sixth year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 145-52 (.736), 72-28 (.720) in the Big Ten, as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. He is the third-winningest coach in MSU history, trailing only Jud Heathcote (340) and Benjamin VanAlstyne (232) in total wins. Izzo's 120 wins in his first five years tied him for seventh most by a coach in his first five seasons of coaching. In 1999, Izzo was named national coach of the year by Basketball Times, while earning similar honors from Associated Press, Basketball News and the USBWA in '98. With MSU's 77-71 overtime win over Indiana on Jan. 11, 2000, Izzo became just the fourth Spartan coach to reach the 100-win mark.
Much Too Young To Feel This Old - Although just in his sixth year, Tom Izzo is currently tied for the second-longest coaching tenure in the Big Ten, trailing only Purdue's Gene Keady (21st year). Penn State's Jerry Dunn is also in his sixth year.
Izzo Ranks Among Best Active Coaches - Tom Izzo ranks eighth (.736) in winning percentage among active coaches with at least five full seasons of coaching experience. Fresno State's Jerry Tarkanian is first at .803. He is followed by Roy Williams (Kansas, .801), John Kresse (College of Charleston, .801), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse, .743), Rick Majerus (Utah, .742), Lute Olson (Arizona, .739) and Bob Huggins (Cincinnati, .737) (Through games of March 16.)
Izzo Vs. Ranked Opponents - In his five-plus seasons of coaching, Tom Izzo has posted a 37-26 record against foes ranked in the AP Top 25. This includes wins in 25 of MSU's last 30 games against ranked opponents.
Better Than Wooden - Tom Izzo is the active coach with the best NCAA Tournament winning percentage for coaches with at least 10 games. In four tournaments, Izzo has an NCAA record of 13-2 for a winning percentage of .867. He is followed by Duke's Mike Krzyzewski at .785 (51-14). Overall, Izzo trails only Cincinnati's Ed Jucker (.917, 11-1), LaSalle's Ken Loeffler (.900, 9-1) and is tied with San Francisco's Phil Woolpert (.867, 13-2). UCLA's legendary coach John Wooden is behind Izzo at .825 (47-10).
Fresno State Information
How We Got Here - Fresno State earned an NCAA At-Large bid after compiling a 26-6 overall mark, 13-3 in the WAC. Located in Fresno, Calif., the Bulldogs lost to Hawai'i 76-67 in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament.
Michigan State Spartans (25-4) Ppg. Rpg. Apg.F - #34 Andre Hutson (Sr., 6-8, 240) 13.5 7.5 1.8F - #25 Aloysius Anagonye (So., 6-8, 255)4.9 3.1 0.7F - #11 David Thomas (Sr., 6-7, 210) 4.8 4.3 1.9G - #23 Jason Richardson (So., 6-6, 220)15.4 6.0 2.2G - #14 Charlie Bell (Sr., 6-3, 200) 13.6 4.3 5.4
Fresno State Bulldogs (26-6) Ppg. Rpg. Apg.F - #1 Chris Jeffries (6-8, 216, So.) 15.6 4.8 1.9F - #3 Shannon Swillis (6-7, 221, Sr.) 7.0 6.2 1.2C - #33 Melvin Ely (6-10, 256, Jr.) 16.0 7.5 1.4G - #2 Tito Maddox (6-4, 190, Fr.) 13.6 5.8 8.1G - #5 Demetrius Porter (6-0, 182, Sr.) 15.5 2.3 3.0
In The Post Season - Fresno State is making its sixth straight post-season appearance. The Bulldogs made four stops in the NIT (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) and appeared in the NCAA Tournament last year.
In The NCAA Tournament - Fresno State is making its fifth appearance in the Big Dance. The Bulldogs are 2-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament action and made their last appearance in 2000, falling to eventual Final Four participant Wisconsin (66-56) in the first round.
MSU Vs. Fresno State - Fresno State leads the all-time series, 2-0. Both meetings occurred in the post-season NIT as the Bulldogs posted a 72-58 win in the second round on March 21, 1983, in East Lansing. In the last meeting, FSU recorded an 80-70 victory in the second round on March 19, 1996, in Fresno.
Coach Tarkanian - Jerry Tarkanian (Fresno State, '55) is in his sixth season at his alma mater. The winningest active coach in the NCAA, Tarkanian has compiled a 759-186 overall mark (.803) and a 134-64 record at Fresno State. Tarkanian spent 19 seasons at UNLV and led the squad to the 1990 NCAA title.
NCAA Tournament Notes
MSU As A No. 1 Seed - Since the 1979 NCAA Tournament, when the teams were first given seeds, Michigan State has held a No. 1 seed on four occasions (1990, 1999, 2000 and 2001). In 1990, the Spartans escaped a first-round upset with a 75-71 victory over No. 16-seed Murray State. They would go on to lose to Georgia Tech, 81-80, in an overtime game in the Sweet 16. In 1999, the Spartans made their way to the Final Four as a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. Last year, MSU took its No. 1 seed in the Midwest to a National Championship.
Big Ten Is The Power Conference - The Big Ten leads all conferences with seven selections in the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten also has two No. 1 seeds with Michigan State in the South and Illinois in the Midwest. This is the second time in Big Ten history that two schools have earned No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. In 1993, Michigan and Indiana were both No. 1 seeds. In the first round of this year's tourney, the Big Ten posted a 4-3 record.
Banner Seasons - Not only did MSU win its fourth-straight regular-season Big Ten Championship this season, but the MSU hockey team won its seventh CCHA regular-season championship in school history. Head coach Rom Mason's icers will battle in the CCHA Playoffs at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit this weekend before taking part in the NCAA Tournament. The hockey team has a record of 31-4-4 and has been the number-one ranked team in the nation for 15-straight weeks. Earlier this season, MSU became the first school to ever have both its hockey and basketball teams ranked No. 1 at the same point of the regular season. The two programs have a combined record of 56-8-4 (.853). Providence and Boston College are the only other schools in Division I to have men's basketball and hockey programs with 20 or more wins.
2000 National Champions - Everyone remembers that Michigan State won the 2000 NCAA Championship, but here are a few tidbits about the Spartans' magical run through the NCAA Tournament.
* MSU was the first team in tournament history to defeat all six of its opponents by double figures since the tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
* MSU trailed both Utah and Syracuse at the half before rallying for the victory. Prior to the NCAA Tournament, the 2000 Spartans had not won a game in which they trailed at the half.
* 2000 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Mateen Cleaves was joined by teammates Charlie Bell, A.J. Granger and Morris Peterson on the All-Final Four team.
* Andre Hutson outscored and outrebounded 2000 NBA Draft Lottery Selections Etan Thomas and Marcus Fizer in back-to-back games in the Midwest Regional.
* In a tournament featuring many upsets, the Spartans faced the highest possible seed in each game leading up to the Final Four (#16 Valparaiso, #8 Utah, #4 Syracuse and #2 Iowa State).
MSU In Exclusive Company - Michigan State ranks sixth among all schools in NCAA Tournament winning percentage for schools with at least 20 tournament games. MSU's .698 winning percentage (30-13) trails only Duke (.756, 68-22), UCLA (.740, 77-27), UNLV (.714, 30-13), Kentucky (.705, 86-36) and N. Carolina (.704, 81-34).
Two Titles Not Too Shabby - Michigan State is one of just 12 schools to have won two or more NCAA Championships. Cincinnati, Duke, Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State and San Francisco join MSU with two titles. Only North Carolina (3), Indiana (5), Kentucky (7) and UCLA (11) have won more titles than MSU.
Championship Roads Lead Through Tennessee - Michigan State has never played an NCAA Tournament game in Memphis. The Spartans, however, are 4-0 in NCAA Tournament games in the state of Tennessee, including this season. In the second round of the 1979 NCAA Tournament, MSU defeated Lamar, 95-64, in Murfreesboro, Tenn., en route to its first national championship. In 1990, the Spartans defeated Murray State, 75-71, and UC Santa Barbara, 62-58, in the first two rounds of the Southeast Regional in Knoxville, Tenn.
More On MSU Basketball
Spartan Runs Key Victories - Michigan State used a 26-0 second-half run to take control of the Alabama State contest. The Hornets were held without a point for 13:25. This is the third 20+-point run the Spartans have turned in this season. Leading 26-18 at Michigan, MSU went on a 24-0 run over 6:43. Against Purdue, a 22-0 run took the Spartans from down one point at 14-15 to up 21 at 36-15 in 7:10 .
MSU Rebounds vs. Opponent Points - Against Alabama State, the Spartans had more rebounds (48) than the Hornets had points (35). Michigan State accomplished the same feat vs. Seton Hall (60 pts., 57 reb.) and Illinois-Chicago (54 reb., 53 pts.). Last year, Michigan State posted similar efforts on seven occasions, including games against Wisconsin (4/1 - 42 reb., 41 pts.), Valparaiso (3/16 - 39 reb., 38 pts.), Minnesota (3/2 - 45 reb., 43 pts.), Wisconsin (2/12 - 50 reb., 44 pts.), Northwestern (1/27 - 42 reb., 29 pts.), Howard (12/3 - 54 reb., 45 pts.) and Toledo (11/22 - 45 reb., 33 pts.).
Another Record For Bell - With an appearance against Fresno State, Charlie Bell will play in his 137th game, tying Morris Peterson for the career lead in games played at MSU.
An All-Around Athletic Department - The Sporting News recently released its rankings for 115 college athletic departments. Michigan State finished second overall, trailing only Stanford. TSN based its rankings on the won-loss records of the men's basketball and football programs, the graduation rates of football and men's basketball student-athletes, the support each school's football and men's basketball teams get from the administration and how well each school complies with the letter and spirit of NCAA rules. North Carolina, Notre Dame and Purdue rounded out the top five.
Coaches Honor Spartans - Charlie Bell, Andre Hutson, Jason Richardson and Tom Izzo were recently honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Bell was named second-team All-America while Richardson earned third-team honors. Izzo was named NABC District 11 Coach of the Year. This is the third-straight season Izzo has received the honor. Hutson was named second-team All-District 11.
AP All-Americans - Jason Richardson and Charlie Bell were named Associated Press All-Americans this past week. Richardson earned a spot on the second team, while Bell was a third-team All-American. This is the second-straight season that two Spartans were honored as Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson were both second-team honorees in 2000.
Halftime Leads Safe - Michigan State has a record of 23-0 when leading at the half this season. By comparison, the Spartans are just 2-4 when trailing after one half.
The Champs! Round Four - Michigan State is just the fourth team in history to win four-straight regular-season Big Ten Championship, joining Chicago (1907-10), Ohio State (1960-64) and Indiana (1973-76).
A Class Act - The senior class of Charlie Bell, Mike Chappell, Andre Hutson, Brandon Smith and David Thomas has a record of 112-24 in the last three-plus seasons. With the win at Penn State on Feb. 24, they set the Big Ten record for most wins by a senior class, surpassing the mark of 108 wins set by Indiana from 1972-73 to 1975-76 and from 1990-91 to 1993-94. Indiana also posted 105 wins from 1989-90 to 1992-93, 102 from 1973-74 to 1976-77 and 100 from 1974-75 to 1977-78. Last year's Spartan seniors had a four-year mark of 104-32, the fifth-most number of wins by a Big Ten senior class.
A Class Act, Part Two - In addition to the Big Ten record 112 wins, consider the other following accomplishments of the 2001 Spartan senior class: four-straight regular-season Big Ten Championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles, back-to-back Final Four appearances, 2000 NCAA National Championship, four-straight 20-win seasons for the first time in school history, 56-3 home record at the Breslin Center and a fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in school history. On top of all that, all five seniors are on schedule to receive their undergraduate degree this May.
A Nice Trio - Charlie Bell, Andre Hutson and Jason Richardson all earned All-Big Ten Honors this season. Richardson earned first-team honors from both the coaches and media. Bell was a first-team selection by the media and a second-team honoree by the coaches. Hutson was selected to both second teams. MSU was the only school to have two members on either first team and the only one to have three players on the top two squads.
Andre's Best Ball - Since Michigan State lost at Illinois on Feb. 6, Andre Hutson has been playing some of the best basketball of his career. Over the last eight games, including the stretch run to win a fourth-straight regular-season Big Ten Championship, Hutson has averaged 15.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest.
Big Ten Tourney Loss Doesn't Erase Hope - Losing in the Big Ten Tournament does not mean the Spartans can't repeat as NCAA Champions. Over the last 10 years, only four NCAA Champions had also won their conference tournament (Michigan State, 2000, Connecticut, 1999, Kentucky, 1998 and Duke, 1992). Four more lost in the conference tournament (Kentucky, 1996, Arkansas, 1994, North Carolina, 1993 and Duke, 1991) and two did not have a conference tournament in which to participate (Arizona, 1997 and UCLA, 1995). By contrast, winning the regular-season championship seems to be a prerequisite for a national championship as only one team over the last 10 years has won a national title without winning at least a share of its conference (Arizona, 1997).
Championships Are Won On The Road - MSU has received a lot of publicity for its 44-game home winning streak, but the Spartans are almost as impressive on the road. Since the beginning of the 1997-98 season, MSU is 56-21 away from the Breslin Center, 23-9 in the Big Ten.
Spartans In March - Michigan State has won 11 of its last 12 games in March and 19 of its last 21 in the month of March. Prior to losing to Penn Sate in the 2001 Big Ten Tourmament, MSU's last defeat in March was a 68-62 defeat to Duke in the 1999 Final Four (March 27, 1999).
MSU In Exclusive Company - Michigan State is one of just three teams in college basketball to have a current streak of four or more regular-season conference championships. Duke has won five-straight ACC Championships and Cincinnati has won six-straight Conference USA Championships.
No Shame In Sharing - For anyone who would discount MSU's four-straight conference championships because the titles were not won outright, consider the following fact. The three other teams to win four-straight Big Ten Championships also shared at least one of the championships. Ohio State (1960-64) shared two of the five (1963 and '64), Chicago (1907-10) shared two of four (1907 and '08) and Indiana (1973-76) shared one of four (1974).
The Biggest Show In Town (Any Town) - Michigan State has sold out 50 consecutive home games, including 16 in 2000-01. But the Spartans also are proving to be a big draw on the road. The Seton Hall contest at Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands and the games at Northwestern and Minnesota are the only games MSU has played in front of a less than capacity crowd. MSU has provided Loyola, Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan with their first sell-outs of the year. In addition, the Spartans filled the Palace of Auburn Hills for a neutral-site game against Bowling Green.
A Familiar Face In The Starting Lineup - Charlie Bell has started 132 games in his Michigan State career, the most ever by a Spartan or any player in Big Ten history.
20 Win Seasons - Michigan State has won 20 games for a fourth-consecutive season. The Spartans had never before collected four-straight 20-win seasons. This is the 11th 20-win season in Michigan State history.
Top 10 Streaks - Michigan State has been ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll for 27 consecutive weeks. Only Stanford (37) and Duke (31) have longer active streaks.
Balanced Scoring Keys Victories - Michigan State is most successful when multiple players shoulder the offensive load. The Spartans are 16-0 when four or more players score in double figures. When three Spartans reach 10 points, they are 9-3. When only two players score 10, MSU is 0-1.
Team Effort - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in both scoring offense and rebounding in all games, but does not have an individual in the top five of either category. Jason Richardson is the top scorer, ranking sixth in the conference at 15.4 ppg. Andre Hutson's 7.5 rebounds per game rank sixth in the conference.
Dre's Shooting Touch - Andre Hutson leads the Big Ten in field-goal percentage in conference games, shooting 62.4%. Over the last 15 games, Hutson is shooting 65.9% (83-126). Following Hutson in Big Ten field-goal percentage is Zach Randolph in third at 58.5%.
You'll Miss More Than You Make - Michigan State ranks third in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage defense at 39.6 percent. The Spartans, however, are the only Big Ten school to not allow an opponent to shoot over 50% from the field in a game this season. Bowling Green came the closest, shooting 48.1% (26-54). The last Spartan opponent to shoot better than 50% was Utah in the second round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament when the Utes shot 52.1% (24-46). By contrast, MSU has shot over 50% in 11 games this year.
Conference Leaders - The Big Ten Conference issues team rankings for 19 statistical categories in men's basketball. Michigan State currently ranks first in 10 of those 19 categories (scoring offense, scoring margin, FG percentage, rebounding offense, rebounding defense, rebound margin, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, assists and assist/turnover ratio). The Spartans place in the top three in 13 categories.
There's Always A First Time - For the first time all season, Michigan State was outrebounded by Iowa. The Spartans, however, still lead the nation in rebounding margin at +15.5 rebounds per game through 29 games. During the 1999-2000 season, Michigan State led the nation in rebounding margin at +11.7 rebounds per game. The last school to lead the nation in rebounding by a margin of 15 or more was the 1980 Alcorn State squad at +15.4.
In Fact, It's So Much About Boardwork That We Provide More Stats - * In the Spartans 25 victories, MSU is outrebounding opponents 1077-663, an average of 43.1-26.5 (+16.6).
* In the four losses, the count is 147-111, an average of 36.8-27.8 (+9.0).
* The Spartans have a rebound advantage of 39.9-26.5 (+13.4) in the Big Ten.
* MSU owns a rebounding advantage of 42.8-26.6 (+16.2) at home.
* MSU owns a rebounding advantage of 41.5-26.8 (+14.7) on the road.
* In Tom Izzo's tenure, MSU has outrebounded 168 of 197 opponents, posting a 132-36 record in those games.
Second Chances - Through 29 games, Michigan State owns an impressive 449-275 advantage on the offensive glass. In fact, MSU has almost as many offensive rebounds (449) as its opponents have defensive boards (499). This means that the Spartans get the rebound after 47.4% of their own missed shots. In eight games, MSU has posted more offensive rebounds than its opponent had defensive boards.
Taking Boardwork To New Levels - Michigan State outrebounded Seton Hall by an impressive 60-39 margin, setting a few records in the process. The 60 rebounds were the most in the Tom Izzo era. The previous high was 56 against Oakland on Nov. 19, 2000. The last time MSU grabbed 60 rebounds was Dec. 1, 1992, vs. Morehead State. The 27 offensive rebounds are also the most recorded in school history.
The 800 Club - Currently standing at 802 career boards, Andre Hutson is in seventh place on the MSU career rebounding list. He needs two rebounds to pass Lindsay Hairston (803 rebounds) for sixth place on the MSU career list.
CB Climbing The Assist Ladder - With 359 career assists, Charlie Bell is among the career leaders in Michigan State history. Bell is currently in seventh place on the MSU career assists list. Bell needs 95 more assists to pass Steve Smith (453 assists) for seventh place on the all-time list.
1,000 - 500 Club - With six rebounds against Florida, Charlie Bell (1,417 points, 594 rebounds) became the 17th player in school history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career. Teammate Andre Hutson (1,331 points, 802 rebounds) reached the milestone against North Carolina when he topped the 1,000-point mark.
1,000, 500, 300 - With six assists against Northwestern, Charlie Bell became just the third Spartan to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists for his career. Steve Smith and Ken Redfield are the two other players to reach the mark. For his career, Bell has 1,417 points, 594 rebounds and 359 assists.
High Flying J-Rich - Everyone has heard the stories of Jason Richardson's dunks. He's on Dick Vitale's All-Dipsy-doo Dunk-a-roos Team and leads MSU with 31 dunks, but there is much more to his game. He leads the team with a 15.4 points-per-game scoring average. He is shooting 53.2% from the field, including a team-best 42.5% from three-point range. His defense is also impressive as he held Michigan's LaVell Blanchard to five points, 13 below his season average, in the season finale.
Home Cooking - Michigan State owns the longest home winning streak in Division I basketball at 44 games. Over the 44-game stretch the Spartans have won by an average of 21.7 points. Six of the 44 games have been decided by fewer than 10 points.
Home Winning Streak Among Big Ten's Best - MSU's 44-game home winning streak has a long way to go before it reaches the NCAA record of 129 set by Kentucky (1943-55). It ranks fifth by a school currently in the Big Ten and third by a school competing in the Big Ten at the time of the streak. Minnesota holds the record among Big Ten schools at 53-straight home wins from 1899-1905. Indiana (50, 1991-95), Ohio State (50, 1959-63) and Penn State (45, 1951-55) also own streaks longer than MSU's current streak.
Mr. Double-Double (Almost) - Andre Hutson has posted five double-doubles this season with 11 points, 12 rebounds against Illinois-Chicago, 20 points, 13 rebounds vs. Penn State, 15 points, 10 rebounds vs. Michigan, 11 points, 16 rebounds vs. Penn State and 15 points and 11 rebounds vs. Alabama State. In seven other games, Hutson was just a single point or rebound shy of a double double, including contests against Eastern Washington (11 pts., 9 reb.), North Carolina (14 pts., 9 reb.), Seton Hall (9 pts., 13 reb.), Northwestern (19 pts., 9 reb.), Wisconsin (10 pts., 9 reb.), Michigan (19 pts., 9 reb.) and Penn State (17 pts., 9 reb.). For his career he has 14 double-doubles.
JR Earns Player Of The Week Honors - Jason Richardson was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 19 after recording 21 points and a career- high seven steals against Iowa. Richardson shared the honors with Illinois' Frank Williams. This was the second time Richardson has been honored as he was also rewarded on Jan. 15 for averaging 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game against Northwestern and Wisconsin.
C-Bell Earns Big Ten Honors - Charlie Bell earned Big Ten Co-Player of the Week honors on Dec. 31, 2000. In games against Bowling Green and Wright State, Bell averaged 22.0 points, 8.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds. He shared the honor with Northwestern's Tavaras Hardy. This marked the second time Bell was named player of the week, as he also earned the honor after a triple-double against Oakland in the first game of the season.
Poll Regulars - Michigan State has spent the last 62 weeks ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including 55-straight weeks in the top 15. This includes the Spartans' number-three ranking in the final AP poll.
A Floor Fit For A Champion - The Spartans' current basketball court is the floor used at the 2000 Final Four. As the NCAA Champion, Michigan State purchased the floor for $75,000. It was placed in Breslin with the Final Four paint job on Sept. 23 for a National Championship celebration. It was then shipped to Dollar Bay in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the same place it was built, for a new paint job. It was reinstalled in Breslin in time for the Coca-Cola Classic.
The 70-Point Barrier - Through 29 games, MSU is 20-0 when scoring 70 points or more. When the Spartans fail to reach 70 points, their record falls to 4-4. Last season, MSU posted a 22-2 record when scoring more than 70 points.
Reaching A Milestone - Andre Hutson (1,331 career points) needs 47 points to pass Julius McCoy (1,377) and become MSU's 14th-leading scorer. Teammate Charlie Bell has also reached 1,000 career points, with a current total of 1,410, good for 11th place. With 132 more points, Bell can become MSU's 10th-leading all-time scorer, passing Mateen Cleaves (1,541).
Offensive Explosions - Michigan State has topped the 90-point mark eight times this season, the highest season total for a Tom Izzo-coached squad. The last MSU team to score at least 90 points eight times in a season was the '85-86 unit that topped 90 points in eight games. The last squad to score 90 points or more nine times was the 1964-65 unit.
Streak Busters - With a 72-68 win over the Harlem Globetrotters on Nov. 13, the Spartans snapped the Globetrotters' 1,270-game winning streak. The Trotters had not lost since 1995 and had not dropped a game to a college squad since 1962 when they lost 101-89 to a group of college all-stars.
In Order To Be The Best, You Have To Play The Best - The Spartans boast one of the nation's most difficult schedules. Seven of MSU's opponents are ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25, including four in the top 10. They include North Carolina (5), Illinois (6), Florida (8), Kentucky (10), Indiana (21), Wisconsin (24) and Iowa (25).
Spartans Sign Another Strong Recruiting Class - While Zach Randolph and Marcus Taylor teamed last year to give MSU one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, the Spartans have once again landed a strong group of high school athletes. On Nov. 8, 2000, Tom Izzo announced three players signed their National Letters of Intent to play for Michigan State. In keeping with a tradition of tough players at MSU, all three recruits played football in high school.
Alan Anderson is a 6-5, 218-pound G/F from Minneapolis (De LaSalle HS). He averaged 21.3 points as a junior and is ranked by many to be among the top 25 seniors in the country after being named by The Sporting News as the number one surprise player of the summer.
Chris Hill is a 6-3, 175-pound combo guard from Indianapolis (Lawrence North HS). He averaged 17 points and four assists as a junior in helping his team to an 18-4 mark. He was selected to the 2000 All-Tournament Team at the AAU adidas Big Time Tournament.
Kelvin Torbert is a 6-4, 200-pound shooting guard from Flint, MI (Northwestern HS). He ranks among the top players in the nation including No. 2 by The Sporting News and Bob Gibbons. He averaged 25.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4 assists as a junior in helping his team to a 20-3 record, while also earning Parade Magazine third-team All-America honors.
