On This Date: Michigan State Makes Final Fours in Back-to-Back Years

East Lansing, Mich. - In 2000, Michigan State beat Iowa State on March 25 to reach the Final Four in back-to-back years. One year later, in 2001, the Spartans beat Temple to reach it again for the third-straight year.

In beating Iowa State, 75-64, to reach the Final Four en route to the 2000 National Championship, the Spartans trailed by seven points with 5:49 left in the second half and outscored the Cyclones, 23-5 the rest of the way to win the Midwest Regional.

"Coach always says tough players win," Morris Peterson, who scored 18 points, said. "And I thought down the stretch, we showed how tough we were."
A.J. Granger also scored 18 points for the Spartans, who were the only No. 1 seed left in the tournament.

One year later, Michigan State began to establish itself as one of the best programs in the country as a 69-62 win over Temple secured its third-straight Final Four appearance.

"To be in three straight Final Fours says something about consistency," Tom Izzo said after the Spartans won the NCAA South Regional. "Is our program looked at the same way as Kentucky and Duke and North Carolina? Maybe not. But we're trying to get there."

David Thomas scored 19 points, including a key 3-pointer with a minute to go, and Michigan State became just the ninth school to reach three straight Final Fours.

"I never thought we would do it three years in a row," senior Andre Hutson said. "You have to consider us an elite program now."

One year after winning the National Championship, the Spartans reached the Final Four again, despite losing All-American Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson from the title team.

"I'm not going to lie to you," Izzo said. "I didn't think we would get back to the Final Four. But I think these guys wanted their own identity."

The Spartans were serenaded with chants of "One More Year! One More Year!" as they cut down the nets. The biggest cheers were reserved for Izzo, the former graduate assistant from Michigan's Upper Peninsula who has the highest NCAA tournament winning percentage (.889) of any active coach.

"The pressure is not off," he said. "I want to win another championship."

On This Date: Michigan State Makes Final Fours in Back-to-Back Years

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