Michigan State Faces Bowling Green Wednesday
12/26/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 26, 2000
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) - Atop the national rankings during the regular season for the first time in nearly 22 years, Michigan State gets its first challenge to the top spot Wednesday when it plays Bowling Green in the Sprite Holiday Classic at Auburn Hills, Mich.
The top-ranked Spartans (10-0) supplanted Duke for the No. 1 spot after the Blue Devils lost to then-No. 3 Stanford. Michigan State, the defending NCAA champion, had not been No. 1 during the regular season since Magic Johnson played for the Spartans in 1979, when he eventually led them to their other NCAA tournament title.
"It's exciting for our program to be ranked No. 1 and it's a great holiday gift for our fans," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "It's exciting because it has been nearly 22 years since Michigan State was last ranked No. 1 during the regular season but this ranking means nothing in the big picture. What matters most is where this team is ranked when the final poll is released next April."
Michigan State has won 20 consecutive games overall dating back to last season and has been idle since defeating then-No. 8 Seton Hall 72-57 in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 19. Charlie Bell had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Spartans, who amassed a whopping 62-39 edge in rebounds.
Bell showed no ill-effects of the increased workload with the injury suffered to freshman point guard Marcus Taylor, who is out two to four weeks with a fractured ring finger on his right hand. For the season, Bell is averaging 15.9 points, 6.0 assists and 5.8 rebounds.
While Bowling Green sports a 4-4 record coming into this contest, two of those wins have come against non-Division I teams. The Falcons are coming off a 112-75 rout of Wilmington on Thursday. Josh Almanson had 25 points and 12 rebounds while Brandon Pardo added 12 points and 12 assists for Bowling Green, which shot 58.2 percent.
Falcons coach Dan Dakich hopes his team will learn a lesson by playing the Spartans, whom he considers one of the model programs in college basketball.
"I do believe this. In college basketball right now, Michigan State and Duke are the model programs," Dakich said. "Those are the guys that you want to be like. I think its important to give our kids different experiences. The Palace is a neat environment and they are defending national champions. With any team you have different personalities. Some kids will be jacked and show what they can do and some will be uptight, its just the way kids are."
Bowling Green has not defeated a No. 1 team since knocking off Loyola of Chicago on Feb. 16, 1963.
Michigan State leads the all-time series 7-3 and has won the last two games between the schools.