# 2000–01 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team

The 2000–01 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2000–01 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Tom Izzo, in his sixth year as head coach, led the team that played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were members of the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 28–5, 13–3 to finish in a tie for the Big Ten regular season championship for the fourth consecutive year. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. For the third consecutive year, they received a No. 1 seed and reached the Final Four before falling to Arizona.

## Previous season

The Spartans finished the 1999–2000 season as NCAA National champions with an overall record of 32–7 and in first place in the Big Ten with a 13–3 record. Michigan State received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, their third straight trip to the Tournament, and won the National Championship, the second in school history, by beating Florida in the National Championship game.
The Spartans lost Mateen Cleaves (12.1 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 6.9 APG) and Morris Peterson (16.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.3 APG) to the NBA draft following the season.

## Season summary

Following their National Championship in 2000, Michigan State entered the regular season ranked No. 3 in both polls. The Spartans were led by freshman Zach Randolph (10.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.0 APG), sophomore Jason Richardson (14.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.2 APG), and seniors Charlie Bell (13.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.1 APG), and Andre Hutson (13.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.9 APG). MSU started the season strong, winning their first 12 games, including wins over No. 6 North Carolina, No. 8 Florida, and No. 8 Seton Hall. After beating Seton Hall, the Spartans ascended to the No. 1 ranking which they held for two weeks. MSU finished the non-conference season at 12–0.
After a loss in their second Big Ten game, MSU cruised through the Big Ten season with wins over No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 25 Iowa, and at No. 22 Wisconsin. finishing 13–3 and sharing the Big Ten Championship with Illinois. The championship marked the fourth consecutive Big Ten championship for the Spartans. The Spartans remained ranked in the top 5 during the entire season, ultimately finishing with a 24–3 overall record and ranked No. 2 in the country. MSU suffered a surprise defeat by Penn State in the Big Ten tournament in their attempt to win the tournament for the third consecutive year.
The Spartans were awarded a No. 1 seed, their third consecutive No. 1 seed, in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. Seeking a repeat National Championship, MSU easily dispatched Alabama State and Fresno State to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth consecutive year. A win over Gonzaga and Temple led to the school's third straight trip to the Final Four. However, they were unable to repeat as National Champions, losing to Arizona in the National Semifinal.
Following the season, Randolph and Richardson declared for the NBA draft.

## Roster

2000–01 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team :
| Name | Class | Pos | Height | Summary |
| Aloysius Anagonye | SO | F | 6'8" | 4.7 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 0.7 Ast |
| Jason Andreas | FR | C | 6'10" | 0.5 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.1 Ast |
| Adam Ballinger | SO | F | 6'9" | 1.9 Pts, 1.6 Reb, 0.2 Ast |
| Charlie Bell | SR | G | 6'3" | 13.5 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 5.1 Ast |
| Mike Chappell | SR | F | 6'9" | 4.7 Pts, 1.9 Reb, 0.7 Ast |
| Andre Hutson | ST | F | 6'8" | 13.8 Pts, 7.6 Reb, 1.9 Ast |
| Mat Ishbia | SO | G | 5'10" | 0.3 Pts, 0.4 Reb, 0.1 Ast |
| Zach Randolph | FR | C | 6'9" | 10.8 Pts, 6.7 Reb, 1.0 Ast |
| Jason Richardson | SO | G | 6'6" | 14.7 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 2.2 Ast |
| Brandon Smith | SR | G | 6'11" | 0.4 Pts, 0.6 Reb, 0.8 Ast |
| Marcus Taylor | FR | G | 6'3" | 7.4 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 3.6 Ast |
| David Thomas | SR | F | 6'9" | 5.4 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 1.9 Ast |
| Adam Wolfe | FR | F | 6'9" | 1.7 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 0.1 Ast |
| Source |||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| Nov 7, 2000 | | Northern Michigan | W 93–40 | | Breslin Center East Lansing, MI |
| Nov 13, 2000 , ESPN2 | | Harlem Globetrotters | W 72–68 | | Breslin Center East Lansing, MI |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| Nov 19, 2000* 2:00 pm | No. 3 | Oakland | W 97–61 | 1–0 | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Nov 24, 2000 6:00 pm | No. 4 | Cornell Spartan Coca-Cola Classic | W 89–56 | 2–0 | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Nov 25, 2000* 8:40 pm | No. 4 | Eastern Washington Spartan Coca-Cola Classic championship | W 83–61 | 3–0 | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Nov 29, 2000* 7:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | No. 6 North Carolina ACC-Big Ten Challenge | W 77–64 | 4–0 | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Dec 2, 2000* 7:30 pm | No. 3 | UIC | W 97–53 | 5–0 | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Dec 6, 2000* 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | No. 8 Florida | W 99–83 | 6–0 | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Dec 9, 2000* 1:00 pm, Fox Sports Chicago | No. 2 | at Loyola-Chicago | W 103–71 | 7–0 | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (5,513) Chicago, IL |
| Dec 16, 2000* 1:00 pm, CBS | No. 2 | Kentucky | W 46–45 | 8–0 | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Dec 19, 2000* 10:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | at No. 8 Seton Hall Jimmy V Classic | W 72–57 | 9–0 | Izod Center East Rutherford, NJ |
| Dec 27, 2000* 8:00 pm, ESPN Plus Local | No. 1 | Bowling Green Sprite Holiday Classic | W 85–69 | 10–0 | The Palace of Auburn Hills (22,076) Detroit, MI |
| Dec 30, 2000* 7:30 pm | No. 1 | Wright State | W 88–61 | 11–0 | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Big Ten regular season ||||||
| Jan 3, 2001 , ESPN Plus Local | No. 1 | Penn State | W 98–73 | 12–0 (1–0) | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Jan 7, 2001 4:00 pm, CBS | No. 1 | at Indiana | L 58–59 | 12–1 (1–1) | Assembly Hall (17,128) Bloomington, IN |
| Jan 10, 2001 8:00 pm, ESPN Plus Local | No. 3 | Northwestern | W 84-53 | 13–1 (2–1) | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Jan 13, 2001 , ESPN Plus Regional | No. 3 | No. 17 Wisconsin | W 69–59 $^{OT}$ | 14–1 (3–1) | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Jan 21, 2001 1:00 pm, CBS | No. 3 | Ohio State | W 71–56 | 15–1 (4–1) | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Jan 24, 2001 7:00 pm, ESPN Plus Local | No. 3 | at Northwestern | W 74–58 | 16–1 (5–1) | Welsh-Ryan Arena (6,525) Evanston, IL |
| Jan 27, 2001 3:15 pm, ESPN Plus Regional | No. 3 | at Ohio State | L 55–64 | 16–2 (5–2) | Value City Arena (19,200) Columbus, OH |
| Jan 30, 2001 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 5 | at Michigan Rivalry | W 91–64 | 17–2 (6–2) | Crisler Arena (13,562) Ann Arbor, MI |
| Feb 4, 2001 1:00 pm, CBS | No. 5 | Purdue | W 72–55 | 18–2 (7–2) | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Feb 6, 2001 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 4 | at No. 7 Illinois | L 66–77 | 18–3 (7–3) | Assembly Hall (16,683) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 10, 2001 8:00 pm, ESPN Plus Local | No. 4 | at Minnesota | W 94–83 | 19–3 (9–3) | Williams Arena (14,210) Minneapolis, MN |
| Feb 18, 2001 4:00 pm, CBS | No. 5 | No. 25 Iowa | W 94–70 | 20–3 (10–3) | Breslin Center (14,749) East Lansing, MI |
| Feb 20, 2001 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 5 | Indiana | W 66–57 | 21–3 (10–3) | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Feb 24, 2001 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 5 | at Penn State | W 76–57 | 22–3 (11–3) | Bryce Jordan Center (15,337) State College, PA |
| Feb 27, 2001 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | at No. 22 Wisconsin | W 51–47 | 23–3 (12–3) | Kohl Center (17,142) Madison, WI |
| Mar 3, 2001 4:30 pm, ESPN Plus Regional | No. 2 | Michigan Rivalry | W 78–57 | 24–3 (13–3) | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| Big Ten tournament ||||||
| Mar 9, 2001 7:40 pm, ESPN Plus Regional | (2) No. 2 | vs. (7) Penn State quarterfinals | L 63–65 | 24–4 | United Center Chicago, IL |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 16, 2001* 6:40 pm, CBS | (1 S) No. 2 | vs. (16 S) Alabama State First Round | W 69–35 | 25–4 | Pyramid Arena Memphis, TN |
| Mar 18, 2001* , CBS | (1 S) No. 2 | vs. (9 S) Fresno State Second Round | W 81–65 | 26–4 | Pyramid Arena (10,719) Memphis, TN |
| Mar 23, 2001* 7:38 pm, CBS | (1 S) No. 2 | vs. (12 S) Gonzaga Sweet Sixteen | W 77–62 | 27–4 | Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA |
| Mar 25, 2001* 2:40 pm, CBS | (1 S) No. 2 | vs. (11 S) Temple Elite Eight | W 69–62 | 28–4 | Georgia Dome (25,995) Atlanta, GA |
| Mar 31, 2001* 5:42 pm, CBS | (1 S) No. 2 | vs. (2 MW) No. 5 Arizona Final Four | L 61–80 | 28–5 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (45,406) Minneapolis, MN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll Source. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | Not released |
| Coaches | 5 | 5^ | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a week 2 poll

## Awards and honors

* Jason Richardson – All-Big Ten First Team
* Jason Richardson – AP All-American Second Team
* Charlie Bell – All-Big Ten First Team (Media), Second Team (Coaches)
* Andre Hutson – All-Big Ten Second Team
* Tom Izzo - NABC National Coach of the Year