1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team

1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball
Big Ten Regular Season Champions Big Ten Tournament Champions
NCAA Tournament, Final Four
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 3
AP	No. 2
1998–99 record	33–5 (15–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Tom Izzo (4th year)
Assistant coach	Tom Crean (4th year)
Assistant coach	Stan Heath (3rd year)
Assistant coach	Mike Garland (3rd year)
Captain	Mateen Cleaves
Captain	Antonio Smith
Captain	Jason Klein
Captain	Thomas Kelley
Home arena	Breslin Center

1998–99 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
#2 Michigan State †	15	–	1		.938			33	–	5		.868
#19 Indiana	9	–	7		.563			23	–	11		.676
#18 Wisconsin	9	–	7		.563			22	–	10		.688
#21 Iowa	9	–	7		.563			20	–	10		.667
Minnesota	8	–	8		.500			17	–	11		.607
#11 Purdue	7	–	9		.438			21	–	13		.618
Northwestern	6	–	10		.375			15	–	14		.517
Penn State	5	–	11		.313			13	–	14		.481
Illinois	3	–	13		.188			14	–	18		.438
#14 Ohio State**	0	–	1		.000			1	–	1		.500
Michigan*	0	–	11		.000			0	–	19		.000
† 1999 Big Ten Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll *Michigan: 12 reg. season games vacated due to sanctions against the program **Ohio State: 29 reg. season games; 5 NCAA Tourn. games vacated due to sanctions against the program Disputed records: Michigan-(12-19)(5-11); Ohio State-(27-9)(12-4)

The 1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. They were coached by fourth year head coach, Tom Izzo. The Spartans won the Big Ten regular season championship by three games with a record of 33–5, 15–1. The 33 wins marked a school record for wins in a season. MSU also won the Big Ten Tournament and received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament where they lost to eventual National Runner-up, Duke in the Final Four.

Previous season

The Spartans finished the 1997–98 season with an overall record of 22–8 and in first place in the Big Ten with a 13–3 record. Michigan State received a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, their first trip to the Tournament under Tom Izzo, and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.

Season summary

The Spartans, fresh off their first trip to the Sweet Sixteen since 1990, started the season ranked No. 5 in the country. Michigan State was led by juniors Mateen Cleaves (11.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 7.2 APG) and Morris Peterson (13.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.9 APG).

The Spartans played three top seven teams in their first seven games. MSU lost all three: at No. 7 Temple,^[1] versus No. 4 Duke on a neutral court,^[2] and at No. 1 Connecticut.^[3] However, the Spartans finished the non–conference season without another loss with a record of 11–3 and ranked No. 14 in the country.

After losing their first Big Ten game to No. 24 Wisconsin,^[4][5] the Spartans won the remaining 15 games in conference. The wins included wins against No. 19 Minnesota,^[6] No. 14 Iowa,^[7] at No. 18 Indiana,^[8] No. 15 Ohio State,^[9] at No. 14 Iowa,^[10] at No. 22 Minnesota,^[11] No. 17 Purdue,^[12][13] No. 14 Wisconsin,^[14][15] and at No. 23 Purdue.^[16][17] The Spartans won the Big Ten conference regular season by six games with a record of 15–1 and 26–4 overall. MSU finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the country. The Spartans earned the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and went on to win the tournament, beating Northwestern,^[18] No. 19 Wisconsin,^[19][20] and Illinois.^[21]

MSU was awarded a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. After wins over Mount St. Mary's^[22] and Mississippi, they advanced to their second straight Sweet Sixteen.^[23] With a win over Oklahoma^[24][25] and Kentucky in the Elite Eight, the Spartans advanced to their first Final Four since 1979.^[26][27] There, they were re-matched against the overall No. 1 seed, Duke. The Spartans 22-game winning streak ended as Duke defeated the Spartans 68–62.^[28][29]

Roster

1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
Name	Class	Pos	Height	Summary
Adam Ballinger	FR	F	6'9"	1.5 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Charlie Bell	SO	G	6"3"	7.8 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Steve Cherry	SO	G	6'6"	0.5 Pts, 0.4 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Mateen Cleaves	JR	G	6'2"	11.7 Pts, 1.6 Reb, 7.2 Ast
Doug Davis	SO	G	6'3"	1.9 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 1.1 Ast
A.J. Granger	SO	F	6'9"	6.6 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Lorenzo Guess	SO	G	6'3"	0.8 Pts, 0.6 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Andre Hutson	SO	F	6'8"	8.9 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Thomas Kelley	SR	G	6'2"	5.1 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 1.3 Ast
Jason Klein	SR	F	6'7"	9.4 Pts, 2.7 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Morris Peterson	JR	F	6'7"	13.6 Pts, 5.7 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Antonio Smith	SR	F	6'8"	6.5 Pts, 8.4 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Brandon Smith	SO	G	5'11"	0.3 Pts, 0.1 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Source[30]

Schedule and results

Date Time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site City, State
Exhibition
Nov 4, 1998*	No. 5	Estonia Select Team	W 83–63		Breslin Center (14,569) East Lansing, MI
Nov 10, 1998*	No. 5	Athletes in Action	W 101–79		Breslin Center (14,667) East Lansing, MI
Non-conference regular season
Nov 13, 1998*	No. 5	Northeast Louisiana	W 89–58	1–0	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Nov 17, 1998*	No. 5	at Oakland	W 96–66	2–0	Athletics Center O'rena (3,405) Auburn Hills, MI
Nov 20, 1998* , ESPN	No. 5	at No. 7 Temple	L 59–60	2–1	Liacouras Center (10,206) Philadelphia, PA
Nov 27, 1998*	No. 7	Central Florida Coca Cola Spartan Classic	W 87–64	3–1	Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Nov 28, 1998*	No. 7	Western Michigan Coca Cola Spartan Classic championship	W 87–64	4–1	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Dec 2, 1998* , ESPN	No. 9	vs. No. 4 Duke Great Eight	L 67–73	4–2	United Center (19,412) Chicago, IL
Dec 5, 1998* , CBS	No. 9	at No. 1 Connecticut	L 68–82	4–3	Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,207) Storrs, CT
Dec 10, 1998*	No. 14	East Tennessee State	W 86–53	5–3	Breslin Center (5,335) East Lansing, MI
Dec 13, 1998*	No. 14	Illinois–Chicago	W 77–33	6–3	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Dec 21, 1998*	No. 14	vs. Pepperdine Pearl Harbor Classic	W 79–67	7–3	George Q. Cannon Activities Center  Laie, HI
Dec 22, 1998*	No. 15	vs. Tulsa Pearl Harbor Classic semifinals	W 68–58	8–3	George Q. Cannon Activities Center  Laie, HI
Dec 23, 1998*	No. 15	vs. Alabama Pearl Harbor Classic championship	W 75–58	9–3	George Q. Cannon Activities Center  Laie, HI
Dec 30, 1998*	No. 13	North Carolina–Asheville	W 64–39	10–3	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Jan 2, 1999* , CBS	No. 14	Louisville	W 59–57	11–3	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Big Ten regular season
Jan 6, 1999 , ESPN Regional	No. 12	at No. 24 Wisconsin	L 51–66	11–4 (0–1)	Kohl Center (15,504) Madison, WI
Jan 9, 1999 , ESPN Regional	No. 12	Michigan Rivalry	W 81–67	12–4 (1–1)	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Jan 13, 1999 , ESPN Regional	No. 14	No. 19 Minnesota	W 71–55	13–4 (2–1)	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Jan 16, 1999 , ESPN Regional	No. 14	at Illinois	W 51–49	14–4 (3–1)	Assembly Hall  Champaign, IL
Jan 21, 1999 , ESPN	No. 11	No. 14 Iowa	W 80–65	15–4 (4–1)	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Jan 24, 1999 , CBS	No. 11	at No. 18 Indiana	W 73–59	16–4 (5–1)	Assembly Hall (17,436) Bloomington, IN
Jan 27, 1999 , ESPN Regional	No. 8	No. 15 Ohio State	W 76–71	17–4 (6–1)	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Jan 30, 1999 , ESPN Regional	No. 8	Northwestern	W 65–48	18–4 (7–1)	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Feb 2, 1999 , ESPN Regional	No. 8	at Penn State	W 70–68	19–4 (8–1)	Bryce Jordan Center (9,736) University Park, PA
Feb 6, 1999 , ESPN Regional	No. 8	at No. 14 Iowa	W 95–81	20–4 (9–1)	Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,500) Iowa City, IA
Feb 11, 1999 , ESPN	No. 5	Illinois	W 61–44	21–4 (10–1)	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Feb 13 7:00 pm, ESPN	No. 4	at No. 22 Minnesota	W 84–82	22–4 (11–1)	Williams Arena (14,887) Minneapolis, MN
Feb 16, 1999 , ESPN	No. 4	No. 17 Purdue	W 82–69	23–4 (12–1)	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Feb 18, 1999 , ESPN	No. 4	at Michigan Rivalry	W 73–58	24–4 (13–1)	Crisler Arena (13,458) Ann Arbor, MI
Feb 21, 1999 , ESPN Regional	No. 3	No. 13 Wisconsin	W 56–51	25–4 (14–1)	Breslin Center (14,659) East Lansing, MI
Feb 27, 1999 , CBS	No. 3	at No. 23 Purdue	W 60–46	26–4 (15–1)	Mackey Arena (14,123) West Lafayette, IN
Big Ten Tournament
Mar 5, 1999	(1) No. 2	vs. (8) Northwestern quarterfinals	W 61–59	27–4	United Center  Chicago, IL
Mar 6, 1999	(1) No. 2	vs. (4) No. 18 Wisconsin Semifinals	W 56–41	28–4	United Center  Chicago, IL
Mar 7, 1999	(1) No. 2	vs. (11) Illinois Championship	W 67–50	29–4	United Center (19,581) Chicago, IL
NCAA Tournament
Mar 12, 1999 , CBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (16 MW) Mount St. Mary's First Round	W 76–53	30–4	Bradley Center  Milwaukee, WI
Mar 14, 1999 , CBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (9 MW) Mississippi Second round	W 74–66	31–4	Bradley Center (18,525) Milwaukee, WI
Mar 19, 1999 , CBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (13 MW) Oklahoma Sweet Sixteen	W 54–46	32–4	Edward Jones Dome  St. Louis, MO
Mar 21, 1999 , CBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (3 MW) No. 8 Kentucky Elite Eight	W 73–66	33–4	Edward Jones Dome (42,519) St. Louis, MO
Mar 27, 1999 , CBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (1 E) No. 1 Duke Final Four	L 62–68	33–5	Tropicana Field (41,340) St. Petersburg, FL
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time Source[31][32].

Rankings

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

Poll	Pre	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Wk 16	Wk 17	Final
AP	5	5	7	9	14	14	15	13	12	14	11	8	8	5	4	3	2	2

Awards and honors

• Mateen Cleaves – All-America selection
• Mateen Cleaves – Big Ten Player of the Year^[33]
• Mateen Cleaves – Big Ten First Team^[33]
• Mateen Cleaves – Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball
• Mateen Cleaves – Most Outstanding Player, Big Ten Conference Basketball Tournament
• Morris Peterson, Big Ten First Team^[33]
• Antonio Smith – All Big Ten Third Team^[33]

References

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2. "No. 4 Duke Holds on to Beat No. 9 MSU, 73-67 – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
3. "Men's Basketball Falls to Top-Ranked UConn – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
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22. "Michigan State Passes First Round Test – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
23. "Spartans Survive Battle with Ole Miss – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
24. "Spartans Defense Downs Sooners – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
25. "1999 OU Men's Basketball Season - SoonerStats.com - Oklahoma Sooners Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Softball Scores, Records, and Stats". www.soonerstats.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
26. "See You in St. Pete! – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
27. "1999 Michigan State vs. Kentucky Elite Eight". ncaa-basketball-tournament.pointafter.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
28. "Spartans Battle, Fall to Blue Devils – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
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30. "1998 Michigan State Spartans". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
31. http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/michigan-state/1999-schedule.html
32. http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/98index.html
33. "Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-02-22.