Michigan State University Athletics
On This Date: Michigan State Wins National Championship
4/3/2020 4:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
East Lansing, Mich. – One year after making the Final Four, and 21 years after winning the NCAA Championship, Michigan State's men's basketball team, on this date, April 3, 2000, beat Florida to win the program's second NCAA Championship.
For several of the Spartans, it was the close of a circle that started with several of those players becoming the building blocks for Head Coach Tom Coach Izzo.
They joined a team in 1996 that made the NIT, then in 1997-98 won the Big Ten and made the NCAA Tournament – the first of a current streak of 22-straight. As juniors in 1998-99, the Spartans again won the Big Ten and advanced to the Final Four, falling to Duke in a national semifinal.
The 1999-2000 season was redemption and a mission accomplished, especially for All-American guard and Final Four Most Outstanding Player Mateen Cleaves, who returned for his senior year and spurned a chance to go to the NBA.
"This is what I came back here for," Cleaves said after the 89-76 win over Florida on April 3 in Indianapolis.
Cleaves had helped MSU build an 11-point lead before leaving the game early in the second half after rolling his ankle, but he returned later in the game.
"This is as storybook as it gets for Mateen," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "He gave up a lot of money, a lot of things to be back here.
"He has the heart of a lion. He has done it for four years, not just one. That's why you love him. He's what our program embodies."
Cleaves held MSU build a 43-32 lead after scoring 13 points, including going 3-for-3 from 3-point land. When he left, MSU led 50-44 and his teammates got the lead to 58-50 by the time he returned with 4:29 left in the game.
He hit a long pass to Morris Peterson for a layup to make it 60-50 and then connected with A.J. Granger for a 3-pointer that started a 16-1 run to push the lead to 84-66 and put the game away.
Michigan State had been on a mission since losing to Duke in the Final Four last season. Anything short of a national championship would have been a disappointment.
"We made some promises. We answered the promises," Izzo said.
Peterson finished with 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting and Granger had 19 and was 7-for-11 from the field. Cleaves was 7-for-11 from the field - all the shots coming before he was injured - and had 18 points and four assists.
For several of the Spartans, it was the close of a circle that started with several of those players becoming the building blocks for Head Coach Tom Coach Izzo.
They joined a team in 1996 that made the NIT, then in 1997-98 won the Big Ten and made the NCAA Tournament – the first of a current streak of 22-straight. As juniors in 1998-99, the Spartans again won the Big Ten and advanced to the Final Four, falling to Duke in a national semifinal.
The 1999-2000 season was redemption and a mission accomplished, especially for All-American guard and Final Four Most Outstanding Player Mateen Cleaves, who returned for his senior year and spurned a chance to go to the NBA.
"This is what I came back here for," Cleaves said after the 89-76 win over Florida on April 3 in Indianapolis.
Cleaves had helped MSU build an 11-point lead before leaving the game early in the second half after rolling his ankle, but he returned later in the game.
"This is as storybook as it gets for Mateen," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "He gave up a lot of money, a lot of things to be back here.
"He has the heart of a lion. He has done it for four years, not just one. That's why you love him. He's what our program embodies."
Cleaves held MSU build a 43-32 lead after scoring 13 points, including going 3-for-3 from 3-point land. When he left, MSU led 50-44 and his teammates got the lead to 58-50 by the time he returned with 4:29 left in the game.
He hit a long pass to Morris Peterson for a layup to make it 60-50 and then connected with A.J. Granger for a 3-pointer that started a 16-1 run to push the lead to 84-66 and put the game away.
Michigan State had been on a mission since losing to Duke in the Final Four last season. Anything short of a national championship would have been a disappointment.
"We made some promises. We answered the promises," Izzo said.
Peterson finished with 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting and Granger had 19 and was 7-for-11 from the field. Cleaves was 7-for-11 from the field - all the shots coming before he was injured - and had 18 points and four assists.
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