Move over Flintstones, THIS is Tom Izzo’s best Michigan State team EVER

By
Matt Bassin
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0
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NCAA Basketball: Big Ten Conference Tournament-Michigan State vs Penn State
Mar 9, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo reacts from the bench against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. The Spartans won 78-51. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

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Let me get this immediately out of the way, I LOVE the 2000 National Champion Michigan State Spartans. That team will forever be loved by all of us who root for the green and white.

Mateen Cleaves was the perfect college point guard. Mo Peterson had that smooth stroke from outside, inside, wherever. Jason Richardson was just an athletic freak. A.J. Granger had the inside-outside game down to a science. Charlie Bell was the young spark plug. And guys like Aloysius Anagonye and Andre Hudson brought the muscle and hustle. They were a great team.

But also a lucky team.

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Most don’t remember this, but that 2000 team caught a break when it entered the NCAA Tournament. A young stud named Kenyon Martin, who played for No. 1 Cincinnati, broke his leg right before the big dance. When Martin went down, an opportunity for MSU opened up. All they had to do was win the Big Ten Tournament and steal that final top line.

The Spartans won by double digits in all three of their tournament games to snag the fourth No. 1 seed, finishing with a record of 26-7. (For comparison’s sake, the other No. 1 seeds: Duke was 27-4, Stanford was 28-3, and Arizona was 26-6)

The double-digit wins did not end in the Big Ten Tournament, as the Spartans trounced Valparaiso by 27, rolled Utah by 12, Syracuse by 17, and Iowa State by 11 en route to the Final Four. It set Tom Izzo & Co. up for a fourth meeting with 8-seed Wisconsin, who had knocked out Arizona earlier and rolled their way to a surprise Final Four spot. Michigan State had already defeated Wisconsin twice in the regular season, as well as in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament.

Their Final Four match-up was no different from the rest: low-scoring and defensive-minded, ending in a Spartan victory. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the bracket, both Duke and Stanford were taken out long before the Final Four, leaving Michigan State, the lone 1-seed in the Final Four, facing 5-seed Florida for the title (who defeated 8-seed North Carolina in their national semifinal).

MSU handled the vaunted Florida press and despite losing Cleaves for part of the game, the Spartans rolled to an 89-76 victory.

But enough about the past, because as much as I love that team, THIS year’s Michigan State team would WIPE THE FLOOR with the 2000 squad.

Yes I know it’s early, and yes they looked terrible against Duke (name me an MSU team that hasn’t) but when you look at the pure talent and skill of this year’s Spartan basketball team, there’s not even a question who is better. We’ll start down low.

1999-2000 FRONT COURT: Andre Hudson (6-8, Jr.), Aloysius Anagonye (6-8, Fr.), A.J. Granger (6-9, Sr.), Mike Chappell (6-9, Jr.), Adam Ballinger (6-9, Fr.), Morris Peterson (6-7, Sr.). Of those six players, only Peterson and Hudson averaged double-digit points, and six rebounds or more.

2017-2018 FRONT COURT: Kenny Goins (6-7, Jr.), Miles Bridges (6-7, So.), Xavier Tillman (6-8, Fr.), Nick Ward (6-8, So.), Gavin Schilling (6-9, Sr.), Ben Carter (6-9, Grad Student), Jaren Jackson Jr. (6-11, Fr.). This unit has three players (Bridges, Ward, Jackson) averaging double-figures in points and minimum six boards per contest. And they are only eight games into the season.

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We know all about Mateen Cleaves and Charlie Bell, as they were essentially the entire back court for the 2000 squad (if you can tell me what numbers Mat Ishbia and Brandon Smith wore, I’ll buy you a Buddy’s Pizza).

Meanwhile, the back court duo of Cassius Winston and Joshua Langford are starting to mesh. Winston is becoming what Izzo always thought he was, averaging over 13 points and seven assists per game, and Langford’s a double-digit scorer as well. Throw in Matt McQuaid’s defense, long-range game and Tum Tum’s speed as well as his leadership, and you’ve assembled the most impressive, complete team Tom Izzo has ever had.

And yes, there is still a long season to go, but as of right now, MSU is 7-1, winning their last six games by an average of over 18 points, including blowouts of then-No. 3 Notre Dame and then-No. 9 North Carolina. Think of what this team would do to Anagonye, Granger and Hudson down low. This current squad is STACKED with not just height, but talented height.

And while Mateen and Charlie are more-than-formidable opponents, the court vision of Cassius Winston is better than either, and Joshua Langford’s scoring ability is better than both.

Again, I mean no disrespect to the Flintstones and the rest of the 2000 National Champion Michigan State Spartans, none whatsoever. I love all of you, and will never forget that amazing run. But when you line these two teams up, on paper and on the court, there is no question about it, 2017 beats 2000.

And it’s not even close.

(OH WE’RE NOT DONE! PART 2 COMING SOON…)