Izzo's Work Ethic Pays Off For Spartans
3/27/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 27, 2000
By HARRY ATKINS
AP Sports Writer
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Lessons Michigan State coach Tom Izzo learned growing up in the state's Upper Peninsula are being passed on to the Spartans every day.
"I've been brought up right," Izzo said. "I'm from the U.P. Everybody worked in a mine and went to work with a lunch bucket."
It is that lunch-bucket toughness that has enabled the Spartans to advance to the Final Four for the second straight season. They don't have any superstars, and sometimes they can't shoot straight. Yet they find a way to win.
"My players have a partnership in this team," said Izzo, who has guided Michigan State to three straight Big Ten championships. "It's not a dictatorship."
Is he animated? Does he sometimes yell at his players? Of course. But there is a reason for Izzo's high-energy tough love.
"My job is to see that everybody gives 100 percent, so don't read too much into that," Izzo said. "One thing about this team is that nobody's a phony."
This grit has served the Spartans well so far in the NCAA tournament. After a 68-35 win over Valparaiso to open the Midwest regional, the Spartans - the only No. 1 seed remaining - had to come from behind to win their next three games.
They trailed Utah by two at halftime, but won 73-61 behind a 21-point effort by Mateen Cleaves. In their 75-58 victory over Syracuse in the regional semifinals, the Spartans trailed by 14 early in the second half, yet roared back, finishing the game with a 17-0 run.
A.J. Granger had a career-high 19 points in that game, proving Izzo's theory that every man is capable of stepping up.
Then came the heart-pounding finish against No. 2 seed Iowa State in the regional final Saturday night. Michigan State trailed the Cyclones by seven points with 5:49 remaining, but closed with a 23-5 burst for a 75-64 win.
During that rally, the Spartans made 11 of 12 free throw attempts, including four from Granger following a double-technical foul with 9.9 seconds left.
"We don't plan to come out in the games and get down early, or be losing in the last couple of minutes in a game," said guard Charlie Bell, who needs hours of treatment every day for the tendinitis in his left knee. "We know that there's a lot of time left on the clock.
"We knew there were five minutes left in that game and we were down. But we knew a lot can happen in five minutes."
What happens isn't always pretty. But somehow it seems to work for the Spartans, who will face Big Ten rival Wisconsin in the national semifinals on Saturday in Indianapolis.
For example, the Spartans, who lead the country in rebounding, were outrebounded 38-27 by Iowa State. It was only the second time this season the Spartans have lost the battle of the boards, yet they are 2-0 in those games.
"After we made a few big plays in the second half, we could tell they were starting to wear down," said Andre Hutson, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds against Iowa State. "I think that's been the key to our success all year. We wear them down and in the last five minutes, we suck it up and fight through it.
"I think our defensive pressure is what wears our opponents down."
In winning their ninth straight game, the Spartans improved their record to 30-7, marking the second consecutive season they have reached the 30-win plateau and only the second time in school history.
"I know the relationship my players have with me," Izzo said. "We seem to be doing OK with it. So, it if ain't broke, don't fix it."
This marks Michigan State's fourth trip to the Final Four. Besides last year, they also went in 1957 and 1979 - the year Magic Johnson's team beat Larry Bird's Indiana State team for the national championship.
Last year, in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Spartans lost to Duke in the national semifinals. That was one reason why Cleaves, the heart of this team, elected to return for his senior season. He wants more than anything to win it all.
"We've got a lot of leaders," said Cleaves, who drew his fourth foul with 7:44 left against Iowa State. "We have a refuse-to-lose attitude."
This will be the eighth time only one No. 1 has reached the Final Four, and seven of those have been since 1989 - with four since 1994.
Spartans are tough, and tough-minded
By HARRY ATKINS
AP Sports Writer
EAST LANSING, Mich.- There is no true center. The point guard is maybe a step slower than some. And sometimes it seems this team can't shoot.
Still, nothing seems to bother Michigan State. All the Spartans do is win.
As a result, Michigan State - the only No. 1 seed left in the NCAA tournament - is in the Final Four for the second straight year.
"We've got a lot of leadership," said Mateen Cleaves, the point guard who sat until Jan. 5 because of a broken right foot. "It's something like a refuse to lose attitude. When we get down, we pull together."
That certainly has been the case during the run through the Midwest Regional. The Spartans opened with a 68-35 laugher over Valparaiso, but things then got sticky.
Michigan State trailed Utah and Syracuse at halftime, but had the grit to come back. In their 75-58 victory over Syracuse in the regional semifinals, the Spartans trailed by 14 early in the second half but finished the game with a 17-0 run.
And just when it looked as if Iowa State posed danger, the Spartans dug in again. Michigan State trailed the second-seeded Cyclones by seven points with 5:49 remaining but closed with a 23-5 burst for a 75-64 win.
During that rally, the Spartans made 11 of 12 free throws, including four from A.J. Granger following a double-technical foul with 9.9 seconds left.
"We don't plan to come out in the games and get down early, or be losing in the last couple of minutes in a game," said Charlie Bell, the other guard, who needs hours of treatment every day for the tendinitis in his left knee. "We know that there's a lot of time left on the clock.
"We knew there were five minutes left in that game and we were down. But we knew a lot can happen in five minutes."
What happens isn't always pretty. But somehow it seems to work for the Spartans, who face Big Ten rival Wisconsin in the national semifinals on Saturday in Indianapolis.
For example, the Spartans, who lead the country in rebounding, were outrebounded 38-27 by Iowa State. It was only the second time this season the Spartans were beaten on the boards, yet they won both those games.
"After we made a few big plays in the second half, we could tell they were starting to wear down," said Andre Hutson, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds against Iowa State. "I think that's been the key to our success all year. We wear them down and in the last five minutes, we suck it up and fight through it.
"I think our defensive pressure is what wears our opponents down."
Larry Eustachy, the Iowa State coach whose frustration finally got him ejected in the final minute, agreed with Hutson.
"They have experience and confidence," said Eustachy, the Big 12 coach of the year. "They are a great team. They played a better quality game during the last five minutes and that is the story. They are going to the Final Four."
In winning their ninth straight game,
The Spartans, who have won three straight Big Ten championships have won nine straight games. They are 30-7, marking the second consecutive season they have recorded 30 wins. Those are the only two times the Spartans reached that total.
This is Michigan State's fourth trip to the Final Four. Besides last year, they also went in 1957 and 1979 - the year Magic Johnson's team beat Larry Bird's Indiana State team for the national championship.
Last year, in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Spartans lost to Duke in the semifinals. That was one reason why Cleaves, the heart of this team, returned for his senior season.
"We've been there before," Bell said. "We know the kind of media exposure there's going to be, the hype surrounding it. We're not going to be overwhelmed by it. We just have to go out there and take care of business."
Coach talks about getting back into the Final Four
By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN
Associated Press Writer
LANSING, Mich. - A year ago, they were underdogs, a tough team that fought its way into the Final Four. This year, the Michigan State Spartans are the favorites.
But coach Tom Izzo isn't expecting an easy time in Indianapolis, where the Spartans will face unpredictable Big Ten rival Wisconsin in the semifinals.
"We beat them one time at Wisconsin because they shot terrible. We had a dogfight here that we barely won and the same in the Big Ten tournament," Izzo said. "So I could see this game going down to the wire with either team winning."
Last year in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Spartans lost to Duke in the semifinals.
Izzo said his team is prepared for a physical game that will require more from the Spartans (30-7) in rebounding than they've shown in recent games. The Badgers (22-13) were the only team to outrebound the Spartans all season until Iowa State did it on Saturday in the Midwest Regional final.
"Their style is different offensively. That's difficult. But what makes it worse is their style is different defensively. And it's physical, and you better take care of the ball," Izzo said. "You better get ready for a battle."
He expects the Spartans to call on more of the character that helped them rally to beat Syracuse and Iowa State last week. For that, Izzo is relying on All-American Mateen Cleaves.
"We're playing (Andre) Hutson and (A.J.) Granger a ton of minutes and I think maybe we're wearing down a little bit. And yet we have enough character and heart that, come down to the end, we've got a guy named Cleaves who will just not let them lose," Izzo said.
The Spartans coach said he respects how Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett has gotten the best out of his team, and dismissed any claims that the Badgers play boring basketball.
"They take your strengths away," Izzo said. "Those players are better than people give them credit for."
While the expectations for the Spartans are higher this year than last, Izzo said the pressure isn't that much worse. His team has last year's experience to draw on, and he plans to give them time to participate in the hoopla in Indianapolis before the matchup with Wisconsin.
"I'm going to try to let my players enjoy it, because those are some of the memories that last a lifetime," he said. "We're going to try to get them down there and let them have a little time. Maybe it will take some of the edge off."
Senior Morris Peterson, the team leader in scoring, will probably miss a day of practice this week to attend his grandmother's funeral. Guard Charlie Bell is taking two days off to rest his injured knee.
But come Saturday, the Spartans will be ready to play. Izzo said he's excited to be back in the Final Four, and will be disappointed if the Spartans don't win the national championship. But a loss won't ruin what he considers a remarkable season.
"Nobody could make me thing think this was a failed season, for what these guys have accomplished, for what they've had to do, overcome," Izzo said.
"If there was a prototype team ... that has tried to take the community, themselves, this university and everybody and really kind of hold it all together, this team has done it as good as any team that I've been around. And for that I think I'll be forever grateful."
Florida will play North Carolina in the other semifinal.