NCAA Tournament 2000

Cleaves, left, leaps into Peterson's arms.

Senior stalwarts shine for Spartans
Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and A.J. Granger capped their careers at Michigan State in grand fashion, leading the Spartans to an 89-76 victory over Florida in the national title game Monday. The senior trio combined to score 58 points, led by Peterson's team-high 21 points.

• Frozen moment: Cleaves' courageous return
• Postcard from the Final Four: Monday night

Donovan led Florida back to the Final Four.

Billy the Kid directs Gators to Indy
Another chapter was written in Billy Donovan's Final Four book Sunday as the Florida coach led the No. 5 Gators past No. 3 Oklahoma State 77-65 into the Final Four. As a player, Donovan led Providence to the 1987 Final Four and went as a Kentucky assistant coach in 1993.

• Gators pass ultimate gut check
• East Region front page

Ed Cota is going to his third Final Four.

Forte, Heels find
way to Final Four
Led by freshman Joseph Forte's career-high 28 points, No. 8 North Carolina continued its turnaround season by defeating No. 7 Tulsa 59-55 in the South Region final. The Tar Heels earned their third Final Four berth in the last four seasons and NCAA-record 15th overall.

• Guthridge moves out of Smith's shadow
• South Region front page

Mateen Cleaves and MSU are headed to Indy.

Spartans headed back to Final Four
The Final Four will have a familiar face. Finishing with a strong kick, top-seeded Michigan State outlasted No. 2 Iowa State 75-64 in a classic Midwest final to make it to the Final Four for the second year in a row. The Spartans did it with defense, holding Marcus Fizer in check.

• Eustachy's ejection mars great game
• Midwest Region front page

Andy Kowske scored 14 points.

Wisconsin crashes Final Four party
For 40 minutes, Big Ten rivals Wisconsin and Purdue took each other's best shots. In the end, the No. 8 Badgers' patient offense and tough defense paid off as they defeated the No. 6 Boilermakers 64-60 to earn their first Final Four berth since 1941. Patience, indeed.

• Katz: Badgers believe now
• Keady, Purdue fall short of Final Four again
• West Region front page

Michigan State rally
Mateen Cleaves and the rest of the Spartans return home to East Lansing.
Real: 28.8

We are the champions
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo talks with ESPN's Digger Phelps, Chris Fowler, and Dick Vitale.
Real: 28.8

Cleaves overcomes injury
Mateen Cleaves talks about being injured in the second half of the game.
wav: 110 k Real: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Katz: Versatility the new trend
ESPN.com's Andy Katz says Michigan State's ability to adapt to different styles could start a new trend in college basketball.
Daily Word: A friend indeed
Tom Izzo got a big assist from Butler coach Barry Collier on how to beat the Gators' press, says ESPN.com's Andy Katz.
NCAA Tournament sortable stats
ESPN.com breaks down every player in the tournament by 13 major statistical categories.

ANALYSIS

By Andy Katz
Mon., April 3
During the first half, Mateen Cleaves showed he wouldn't end his college career without taking his best shots. He showed no fear in coming off screens and launching 3-pointers. After his second of three long bombs, Cleaves turned to the crowd and signaled that his game needs to be taken seriously. He didn't have to add anything to the moment -- the shot said loud and clear that Cleaves' offensive game was tuned up Monday night.

MORE COVERAGE

As The Ball Bounces: Monday
Mateen Cleaves and Michigan State put a memorable stamp on a previously undefined NCAA Tournament.
Notebook: Seniors carried Spartans
Notes and quotes from the national championship game.
Florida beat at its own game
Florida thought it could run and press against anyone, until the Gators ran into a Michigan State team that was better than them.
Granger was Spartans' ace in the hole
Michigan State's A.J. Granger matched his career high with 19 points on Monday night.

Michigan State fans celebrate championship
Michigan State got off to a fast start, and so did its celebrating fans.
Miller says he'll listen to Donovan about future
It's hard to imagine forward Mike Miller would want to leave Florida after his performance against Michigan State.
Vitale: Cleaves comes through
Mateen Cleaves was everything Michigan State needed and more in the title game, says ESPN's Dick Vitale.
NCAA title game ratings worst ever for CBS
The national rating for the NCAA men's basketball championship game was 14.1, the worst since CBS began airing the event in 1982.

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