Day at a Glance

It'll be up to MSU's Cleaves to make his dream come true

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Posted: Sunday April 02, 2000 01:55 PM

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By John Donovan, CNNSI.com

Worried?   The one thing that probably worries Florida coach Billy Donovan the most is something he can't do anything about: Michigan State's experience.   I'm sure Donovan is looking at the Spartans, looking at all those seniors and wondering how his team will react against all that. It's a big edge for Michigan State. And you can't coach experience.   Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has his worries, too. I think he's probably concerned with the fact that the Spartans need to make sure Florida does not shoot the ball well from the outside.   Michigan State needs to do a good job with its 3-point defense -- which the Spartans do. Tom's probably also concerned, somewhat, with the press. But not as much as people think. His guys have played it before. They know how to handle it. -- Northwestern coach Kevin O'Neill analyzes the Final Four for CNNSI.com

INDIANAPOLIS -- When Mateen Cleaves decided to give it one more try, shortly after Michigan State's crushing loss to Duke in an NCAA tournament semifinal game last season, this is what he had in mind.

One last game. The national title on the line. And the ball in his hands.

Now it's all up to Cleaves -- who turned down a shot at the NBA for this wild notion -- to make sure his gamble pays off.

"It was cool to get there last year," Cleaves said, "but we want more this year."

If the Spartans are to pull off their first national championship since the days of Magic Johnson, Cleaves will have to start playing more like Johnson and less like he has during this tournament.

The 6-foot-2 point guard, the Big Ten's all-time leader in assists, has struggled in the five tournament games this year both shooting the ball and getting it to others. In his last three games, he has made only 29 percent of his shots and doled out only 10 assists.

Against Wisconsin in Saturday's semifinal, a typically ugly Big Ten slugfest, he was only 1-for-7 from the floor and had only one assist. This from a guy who averaged better than seven assists a game (which put him in the NCAA's Top 10 this season) and shot almost 42 percent.

"I wish I could've shot better," Cleaves said after the 53-41 Michigan State win, "but when Morris [Peterson] is hot like that [Peterson scored 20 points, 16 in the second half], you just get him the ball and get out of the way."

Cleaves has never been one of the flashier passers in college ball. But he's strong, smart and knows how to get the ball to the people who need it, when they need it. He can drive to the basket -- he scored 11 points against Wisconsin, thanks to a 9-for-11 night from the free throw line -- and has scored more than 10 points in all five of the tournament games.

He also is the unquestioned leader of the Spartans, often chewing out his teammates before coach Tom Izzo has a chance.

Michigan State will look to Cleaves a lot Monday, when the Florida Gators put their pressing brand of ball into play against the veteran Spartans. That's another area of concern for Michigan State fans: Cleaves has had 12 turnovers in the past three games to just 10 assists.

Still, though he hasn't had a particularly impressive run through March, Cleaves has managed to get his teammates right where he wants them -- on the brink of a national championship.

And for a point guard, what more can you ask?

On to the Final Four Day at a Glance, which asks this question the day before it's all decided: Is it still March Madness now that we're fully into April?

The answer: It's at least half that.

The press It ruined the Tar Heels and propelled Billy Donovan's Gators into the title game. Can it be effective against a savvy Michigan State team? Can the Gators rattle cool hand Cleaves? And, if it doesn't work, is Florida doomed?

What's all the fuss about? In the end, it's two teams that were both picked in the Top 10 in the early season going, so it shouldn't be any big surprise. But, like the wise man once said, the joy's in the journey, not the destination. For both Florida and Michigan State, there's one more step on that road.

Dick Bennett Before we completely dispense with Wisconsin, we should toast the Badgers' basketball boss, who worried last week that he was setting himself up for a big emotional fall in the Final Four. You heard the thud Saturday night after the Spartans took out Bennett's boys and Bennett talked longingly about calling it quits. Will he? It's possible. But we wouldn't be surprised if that was just the pain talking.

Switching gears It is an advantage of Florida's style of play that teams have to adjust to the Gators, more than the other way around. And after Saturday's brawl with Wisconsin, the Spartans have some tweaking to do. Still, it's not like Michigan State wouldn't welcome someone picking up the tempo a bit. The Gators may be playing right into their hands.

Dunk -- Joseph Forte: Before we dispense with Carolina, too, and before you Tar Heels start taking applications for the Let's Get Bill lynch mob, give freshman Forte his due. A bad first half against Florida (0-for-5, 2 points) was erased with a stellar second (5-for-11, to finish with 15) to give UNC a chance. Boy, will he be good as a sophomore or what?

Brick -- Wisconsin vs. Michigan State: A 19-17 first half? You gotta be kidding us.

Dunk -- MSU's rebounding: If Donovan does nothing else with his Gators in preparation for Michigan State, he ought to at least drill them on the fine art of blocking out. Not that it'll do much good against the unbelievably hungry Spartans. But at least Florida will know it's coming.

Brick -- Schedules: Did we mention this thing starts too late? What, with springing forward and these red-eye games, we may just have to call in sick to work on Tuesday. Blame it on the NCAA.

Dunk -- Basketball fans: You get the best game of the bunch to watch Monday night, with an exciting style of Florida basketball against a talented, experienced and all-around good Michigan State team. It won't be all pretty -- these things invariably start a bit raggedy -- and it may not have the flair of some title games past. But it should be well worth the effort you've invested in March.

Early in Saturday's Florida-North Carolina semifinal, we were convinced we were watching the eventual national champions. Early in the second half, we were convinced we saw them in the earlier game. Which brings us to this: Michigan State has more depth and more savvy than Carolina. The Spartans can play ugly with the likes of Wisconsin, and have shown against teams like Connecticut and Illinois that they can pick up the tempo when needed. We like Florida. We like Michigan State a little bit more.

 

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