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1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team

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1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball
Pearl Harbor Classic champions
Big Ten regular season champions
Big Ten tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Final Four
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 2
Record33–5 (15–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Captains
Home arenaBreslin Center
Seasons
1998–99 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 Michigan State† 15 – 1   .938 33 – 5   .868
No. 19 Indiana 9 – 7   .563 23 – 11   .676
No. 18 Wisconsin 9 – 7   .563 22 – 10   .688
No. 21 Iowa 9 – 7   .563 20 – 10   .667
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
No. 14 Ohio State** 1 – 1   .500 1 – 1   .500
Minnesota*** 0 – 8   .000 0 – 11   .000
Michigan* 0 – 11   .000 0 – 19   .000
† 1999 Big Ten tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
*Michigan: 12 games vacated due to sanctions against the program
**Ohio State: 34 games including 5 NCAA Tourn. games vacated due to sanctions against the program[1]
*** Minnesota vacated 17 games including 1 NCAA Tourn. game due to sanctions against the program
Disputed records: Michigan: 12–19, 5–11; Ohio State: 27–9, 12–4; Minnesota: 17–11, 8–8


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 and were coached by fourth-year head coach, Tom Izzo. The Spartans finished the season 33–5, 15–1 to win the Big Ten regular season championship by three games. MSU defeated Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Illinois to win the Big Ten tournament and received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region, they defeated Mount Saint Mary's and Ole Miss to advance to their second straight Sweet Sixteen. In the Sweet Sixteen they defeated Oklahoma to advance to the school's first Elite Eight since 1979. In the Elite Eight, they defeated Kentucky to earn a trip to the Final Four for the first time since 1979. There they lost to No. 1-ranked Duke. The 33 wins marked a school record for wins in a season.[2]

Previous season

[edit]

The Spartans finished the 1997–98 season 22–8, 13–3 in Big Ten play to earn a share of the Big Ten regular season championship. They lost in the quarterfinals of the inaugural Big Ten tournament to Minnesota. Michigan State received an at-large bid as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, their first trip to the Tournament under Tom Izzo. They defeated Eastern Michigan and Princeton to advance to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to No. 1-seeded North Carolina.

Season summary

[edit]

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 points and 7.2 assists per game) and Morris Peterson (13.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game).

The Spartans played three top seven teams in their first seven games. MSU lost all three: at No. 7 Temple,[3] versus No. 4 Duke at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois,[4] and at No. 1 Connecticut.[5] However, the Spartans finished the non–conference season without another loss and a record of 11–3 while ranked No. 14 in the country.

After losing their first Big Ten game to No. 24 Wisconsin,[6][7] the Spartans won the remaining 15 games in conference. The wins included wins against No. 19 Minnesota,[8] No. 14 Iowa,[9] at No. 18 Indiana,[10] No. 15 Ohio State,[11] at No. 14 Iowa,[12] at No. 22 Minnesota,[13] No. 17 Purdue,[14][15] No. 14 Wisconsin,[16][17] and at No. 23 Purdue.[18][19] The Spartans won the Big Ten conference regular season by three games with a record of 15–1. MSU finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the country. (Ohio State, who finished in second place with a 12–4 record, was later forced to vacate 29 games including all conference wins.)

The Spartans earned the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament and faced Northwestern in the quarterfinals. MSU struggled in the game and appeared to be headed toward a second-straight early exit from only the second-ever Big Ten tournament, but Matteen Cleaves hit a clutch shot with 37 second remaining to give MSU a two-point win.[20] In the semifinals, MSU faced No. 19 Wisconsin, the only team that had beaten MSU in the regular season. The Spartans held Wisconsin scoreless for nearly 11 minutes in the second half on their way to 56–41 win.[21][22] The win propelled the Spartans to the championship game against Cinderalla Illinois, who had finished last in conference, but had made a run to the championship game. With MSU looking to lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and Illinois looking to simply make the Tournament with a win, the Spartans blew out the Illini 67–50 to win their first Big Ten tournament championship.[23] The win gave the Spartans the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The Spartans were awarded a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. In a First Round victory over Mount St. Mary's, MSU used tough defense to hold off the Mountaineers, 76–53.[24] In the Second Round, the Spartans faced No. 9-seeded Mississippi. Michigan State used a late 13–0 run to hold off the upset and defeat the Rebels, 73–66.[25] Cleaves led the Spartans with 18 points as they advanced to their second straight Sweet Sixteen.[25] In the Sweet Sixteen, No. 13-seeded Oklahoma pushed the Spartans and MSU struggled offensively.[26] However, Andre Hutson's 13 points led the Spartans to hard-fought 54–46 win, their 21st straight win.[27] In the Elite Eight for the first time since winning the championship since 1979, MSU faced No. 3-seeded and No. 8-ranked Kentucky. Michigan State trailed by as many 13 points early in the contest, but they fought back to beat Kentucky 73–66 to advance to the Final Four.[28][29] There, they were re-matched against the overall No. 1 seed, Duke, who had defeated them 73–67 early in the season. With the Spartans riding a 22-game winning streak, Duke was able to beat the Spartans 68–62, ending their season.[30][31]

Roster and statistics

[edit]
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[32]

Schedule and results

[edit]
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 semifinals 		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) Ole Miss
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[33][34].

Rankings

[edit]
See also: 1998-99 NCAA Division I men's basketball 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

[edit]
  • Mateen Cleaves – All-America selection
  • Mateen Cleaves – Big Ten Player of the Year[35]
  • Mateen Cleaves – All-Big Ten First Team[35]
  • Mateen Cleaves – Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball
  • Mateen Cleaves – Most Outstanding Player, Big Ten Conference Basketball Tournament
  • Morris Peterson – All-Big Ten First Team[35]
  • Antonio Smith – All-Big Ten Third Team[35]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Forfeits and Vacated Games". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  2. ^ "OSU gets probation". ESPN.com. March 10, 2006. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  3. ^ "Temple Stuns No. 5 Michigan State, 60-59 – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  4. ^ "No. 4 Duke Holds on to Beat No. 9 MSU, 73-67 – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  5. ^ "Men's Basketball Falls to Top-Ranked UConn – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  6. ^ "Men's Basketball Suffers Upset at the Hands of No. 24 Wisconsin – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  7. ^ "UWBadgers.com – The Official Athletic Site of the Wisconsin Badgers – Men's Basketball". stats.uwbadgers.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  8. ^ "No. 14 Michigan State Downs 19th Ranked Minnesota, 71-55 – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  9. ^ "Spartans Take over Sole Possession of First Place in Big Ten – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  10. ^ "Spartans Down No. 18 Indiana – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  11. ^ "Men's Basketball Downs No. 15 Ohio State – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  12. ^ "Men's Hoops Downs No. 14 Iowa – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  13. ^ "Spartan Cagers Win Thriller Over Minnesota – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  14. ^ "No. 4 Michigan State Downs Purdue, 82-69 – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  15. ^ "Men's Hoops Falls to Fourth-Ranked Michigan State". www.purduesports.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  16. ^ "Spartans Clinch Big Ten Regular Season Crown – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  17. ^ "UWBadgers.com – The Official Athletic Site of the Wisconsin Badgers – Men's Basketball". stats.uwbadgers.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  18. ^ "Men's Hoops Routs No. 23 Purdue – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  19. ^ "Men's Hoops Falls to No. 3 Michigan State". www.purduesports.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  20. ^ "Spartans Escape Big Ten Quarterfinal Scare – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  21. ^ "Spartans Roll Over Wisconsin – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  22. ^ "UWBadgers.com – The Official Athletic Site of the Wisconsin Badgers – Men's Basketball". stats.uwbadgers.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  23. ^ "Michigan State Wins Big Ten tournament – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  24. ^ "Michigan State Passes First Round Test – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  25. ^ a b "Spartans Survive Battle with Ole Miss – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  26. ^ "Spartans Defense Downs Sooners – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  27. ^ "1999 OU Men's Basketball Season - SoonerStats.com - Oklahoma Sooners Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Softball Scores, Records, and Stats". www.soonerstats.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  28. ^ "See You in St. Pete! – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  29. ^ "1999 Michigan State vs. Kentucky Elite Eight". ncaa-basketball-tournament.pointafter.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  30. ^ "Spartans Battle, Fall to Blue Devils – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  31. ^ "1999 Duke vs. Michigan State Final Four". ncaa-basketball-tournament.pointafter.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  32. ^ "1998 Michigan State Spartans". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  33. ^ "1998-99 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results".
  34. ^ "Michigan State Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  35. ^ a b c d "Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
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