Spartans to Celebrate 25th Anniversary of National Championship

Michigan State will honor the 2000 men's basketball national championship team when the Spartans host Oregon at the Breslin Center on Saturday.

A tearful Mateen Cleaves celebrates with Tom Izzo after Michigan State defeated Florida to win the NCAA championship in 2000. | Robert Deutsch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Etched in history forever, the 1999-00 Michigan State men's basketball team took home its sixth NCAA Tournament title in program history with an 89-76 win over the Florida Gators on April 3, 2000. 25 years later, that team will be honored at the Breslin Center for its incredible achievement.

The No. 9 Michigan State Spartans (18-4, 9-2) will take on the Oregon Ducks (16-7, 5-7) at home on Saturday afternoon with several Spartan legends in the building from that historic team that finished the season with a 32-7 record, co-Big Ten title and a monumental national title.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 2000 National Championship team this weekend 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/VUl11EIJyj

— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) February 7, 2025

Michigan State was the No. 1 seed out of the Midwest Region, squaring off with the No. 5 seed Gators who had already taken down three of the top four seeds in their region. Both teams were playing their best ball, but the Spartans imposed their will early and often, leading to a 13-point victory.

Current head coach Tom Izzo was in his fifth season with the program, having lost in the Final Four the previous year. He came back with a vengeance with one of the greatest Michigan State teams ever assembled and led his group to one of the most dominant runs in tournament history.

Spartan legend and six-year NBA veteran Mateen Cleaves took home the Most Outstanding Player Award for his 18-point, four-assist performance. Cleaves sprained his ankle early in the second half but would return to lead the program to win their first title since 1979.

11-year NBA veteran Morris Peterson led the Spartans with 21 points while center A.J. Granger chipped in with 19 and Charlie Bell had nine. The firepower of that group was too much for Gators head coach Billy Donovan and his two future NBA champions, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem.

The Spartans beat all six of their opponents by double-digits, making their total margin of victory +92. There was simply no better team in the country, and the Spartans proved why they deserved to cut down the nets.

Most of the players from the championship team will be in attendance for Saturday's game and will surely receive a strong reception from the Spartan faithful. That winning magic could rub off on the current team that is looking to snap a two-game losing streak.

That historic championship season signified not only Izzo's welcome to college basketball but also stamped the Spartans as a national powerhouse for years to come. Nearly three decades later, the Spartans are searching for their next title but will relish in the greatness that once was in 2000.

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