At a Glance
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* How they got there: Beat Valparaiso in the first round at Cleveland, 65-38; Utah in the second round at Cleveland, 73-61; Syracuse in the regional semifinal at Auburn Hills, Mich., 75-58; Iowa State in the regional final at Auburn Hills, 75-64.
* Leading tournament scorers: Morris Peterson 16 points a game, Mateen Cleaves 14, Andre Hutson and A.J. Granger 12.8, Charlie Bell 7.5.
* Leading tournament rebounders: Hutson seven a game, Bell five, Jason Richardson 4.8.
* Key to the season: Once Cleaves returned from his foot injury in early January, the Spartans took off. The winning was expected and so was the method--by playing with the composure that comes from Final Four experience, with rebounding and with a tough man-to-man defense that strangles opponents’ half-court games.
* Key fact: Michigan State has sprinted out of the last two games, with a 17-0 run against Syracuse to break a 58-58 tie and with a 17-3 run against Iowa State to overcome a 59-52 deficit.
LOG
78 Toledo 33
82 at Providence-x 58
59 South Carolina-x 56
74 Texas-x 81
86 at North Carolina 76
75 Howard-y 45
74 E. Michigan-y 57
66 Kansas 54
68 at Arizona 79
86 Oakland, Mich. 51
58 at Kentucky 60
96 Mississippi Valley State 63
49 at Wright St. 53
76 Penn St. 63
75 at Iowa 53
77 Indiana, OT 71
67 at Ohio St. 78
69 Northwestern 45
59 at Northwestern 29
91 Illinois 66
82 at Michigan 62
85 Connecticut 66
67 at Purdue 70
61 at Wisconsin 44
83 Ohio St. 72
59 Wisconsin 54
79 at Penn St. 63
79 at Indiana, OT 81
79 Minnesota 43
114 Michigan 63
75 Iowa-z 65
55 Wisconsin-z 46
76 Illinois-z 61
65 Valparaiso-xx 38
73 Utah-xx 61
75 Syracuse-xx 58
75 Iowa St.-xx 64
x-Puerto Rico Shootout; y-Coca-Cola Spartan Classic; z-Big Ten Conference; xx-NCAA
