2000 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game

2000 NCAA Tournament Championship Game
National Championship Game
Florida Gators Michigan State Spartans
(29–7) (31–7)
76 89
Head coach:
Billy Donovan		 Head coach:
Tom Izzo
12 Total
Florida 3244 76
Michigan State 4346 89
Date April 3, 2000
Arena RCA Dome
Location Indianapolis, Indiana
MVP Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State
Favorite Michigan State by 4
Referee(s) James Burr, Gerald Boudreaux, David Hall
Attendance 43,116
United States TV coverage
Network CBS
Announcers Jim Nantz (play-by-play)
Billy Packer (color)
Bonnie Bernstein and Armen Keteyian (sideline)

The 2000 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game was the finals of the 2000 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament and it determined the national champion for the 1999–2000 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The National title game was played on April 3, 2000 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game matched No. 1-seeded Michigan State against No. 5-seeded Florida. The Spartans defeated the Gators, who were appearing in the first championship game, 89–76, earning the Spartans their second National Championship.

Participants

Florida

The Gators were the SEC regular season champions, winning a share of the title with a 12–4 conference record. They earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament where they advanced to the Final Four and then made the school's first ever appearance in the NCAA championship game where they lost to Michigan State.

Round Opponent Score
First Round No. 12 Butler 69–68 OT
Second Round No. 4 Illinois 93–76
Sweet Sixteen No. 1 Duke 87–78
Elite Eight No. 3 Oklahoma State 77–65
Final Four No. 8 North Carolina 71–59
Championship No. Michigan State 76–89

Michigan State

The Spartans finished the regular season 13–3 to win a share of the Big Ten regular season championship for the third consecutive year. They also won the Big Ten Tournament championship for the second consecutive year. As a result of their strong finish in the regular season, the Spartans were awarded the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. From there, the Spartans cruised to their third consecutive Sweet Sixteen with wins over Valparaiso,[1][2] and Utah.[3][4] MSU continued their National Championship push by reaching their second consecutive Final Four with wins over Syracuse[5][6] and Iowa State.[7][8] MSU won every game by double digits despite playing the best possible seed in each round. In their Final Four matchup, Michigan State faced off against Big Ten foe, Wisconsin, beating them in a close game, 53–41.[9]

Round Opponent Score
First Round No. 16 Valparaiso 65–38
Second Round No. 8 Utah 73–61
Sweet Sixteen No. 4 Syracuse 75–58
Elite Eight No. 2 Iowa State 75–64
Final Four No. 8 Wisconsin 53–41
Championship No. 5 Florida 89–76

Game summary

Michigan State senior Mateen Cleaves limped his way to the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) of the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Cleaves sprained his ankle with 16:18 to play in the second half, and this was after Florida had trimmed Michigan State's double digit halftime lead to 50–44. Cleaves returned about four minutes later, and immediately helped lead the Spartans on a 16–6 run to put the game out of reach.[10] The lone top-seed remaining would bring order to a tournament filled with upsets as they salted away the victory for the school's second National Championship (1979). Michigan State coach Tom Izzo earned his first title in his second straight final four appearance. Morris Peterson led the Spartans with 21 points.[11]

As of 2018, Michigan State's 2000 team is the last Big Ten Conference team to win a National Championship.

References

  1. ↑ "2000 Michigan State vs. Valparaiso Round of 64". ncaa-basketball-tournament.pointafter.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  2. ↑ "Spartans One Step Closer To Final Four – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  3. ↑ "2000 Michigan State vs. Utah Round of 32". ncaa-basketball-tournament.pointafter.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  4. ↑ "Men's Hoops Moves Past Utah Into Sweet 16, 73–61 – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  5. ↑ "Michigan State 75, Syracuse 58". enquirer.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  6. ↑ "Michigan State Moves To Elite Eight – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  7. ↑ "Michigan State 75, Iowa State 64". enquirer.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  8. ↑ "Spartans Return To Final Four – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  9. ↑ "Spartans Beat Badgers At Their Own Game, 53–41 – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". www.msuspartans.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  10. ↑ Drape, Joe (2000-04-04). "N.C.A.A. BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: CHAMPIONSHIP GAME; Spartans No. 1 From Start to Finish". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  11. ↑ CNN Sports Illustrated. "2000 NCAA National Championship: (MW1) Michigan State 89, (E5) Florida 76". CNNSI.com. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
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