1997–98 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 120 10 16 3rd 3rd 2nd 2nd Basketball 1997–98 Michigan State Spartans Michigan State Spartans script.svg Big Ten Conference Big Ten 22–8 13–3 Tom Izzo Tom Crean Stan Heath Mike Garland Antonio Smith Mateen Cleaves Breslin Center Big Ten regular season co-championsCoca Cola Spartan Classic champions NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen The 1997–98 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan as members of the Big Ten Conference. They were coached by third-year head coach, Tom Izzo. The Spartans finished the season 22–8, 13–3 in Big Ten play to win a share the regular season regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the inaugural Big Ten tournament, they were upset by Minnesota in the quarterfinals. MSU received a bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 4 seed in the East region, marking the school's first appearance in the Tournament since 1995 and first under Izzo. They defeated Eastern Michigan in the first round which marked their first tournament win since 1994. They then defeated Princeton to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1990. There they lost to No. 1-ranked North Carolina. Previous season The Spartans finished the 1996–97 season 17–12, 9–9 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place. Michigan State received an invitation to the NIT and beat George Washington in the first round. In the second round, they lost to Florida State. The Spartans lost Jon Garavaglia (10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game) and Ray Weathers (13.6 points per game) to graduation following the season. Season summary The Spartans began the season looking for their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1995. They were led by sophomore Mateen Cleaves (16.1 points and 7.2 assists per game) and junior Jason Klein (11.2 points per game). This season marked the first year for all four of MSU's "Flintstones", Cleaves (sophomore), Charlie Bell (freshman), Antonio Smith (junior), and Morris Peterson (sophomore), who would end their careers with a National Championship in 2000. The Spartans played one ranked team in the non-conference portion of the season, No. 7 Temple, and lost 56–54. Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/msu-m-baskbl-r1997124.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-02-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20160216062925/http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/msu-m-baskbl-r1997124.html 2016-02-16 dead MSU also suffered surprising losses to UIC Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/msu-m-baskbl-r19971121.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-02-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20160216001821/http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/msu-m-baskbl-r19971121.html 2016-02-16 dead and Detroit in non-conference. Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/msu-m-baskbl-s19971213.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-02-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20160216015958/http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/msu-m-baskbl-s19971213.html 2016-02-16 dead MSU finished the non-conference schedule at 7–3. The Spartans opened the Big Ten season with a win against No. 4 Purdue. Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/msu-m-baskbl-r19971230.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-02-23 Following a loss at No. 17 Michigan, Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/msu-m-baskbl-r1998110.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-02-23 the Spartans won their next eight conference games before losing at eventual Big Ten co-champion, Illinois. In January, MSU entered the AP and Coaches rankings for the first time since the end of the 1994–95 season. Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/9798spec-rel/msu-m-baskbl-spec-rel38.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-01-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20160203184906/http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/9798spec-rel/msu-m-baskbl-spec-rel38.html 2016-02-03 dead The Spartans finished in a tie for the conference championship, their first since 1990, with a record of 13–3 in conference play. Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030498aab.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-01-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20160203143615/http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030498aab.html 2016-02-03 dead The Spartans earned the No. 1 seed in the inaugural Big Ten tournament, but lost their first game in the quarterfinals to Minnesota. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed in the East Region, their first trip to the Tournament since 1995. MSU advanced to their first Sweet Sixteen since 1990 by beating Eastern Michigan Men's Hoops Avoids NCAA Upset – Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/031398aaa.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-02-23 2016-02-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20160216105727/http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/031398aaa.html dead 1998 Michigan State vs. Eastern Michigan Round of 64 http://ncaa-basketball-tournament.pointafter.com/l/519/1998-Michigan-State-vs-Eastern-Michigan-Round-of-64 ncaa-basketball-tournament.pointafter.com 2016-02-23September 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes and No. 8 Princeton. Men's Basketball Knocks off Princeton to Advance to Sweet 16 – Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/031498aaa.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-02-23 2016-02-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20160216020000/http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/031498aaa.html dead Backdoor Gets Slammed on Princeton https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-15-sp-29290-story.html Los Angeles Times 1998-03-15 2016-02-23 0458-3035 en-US ROBYN NORWOOD 1998 N.C.A.A. TOURNAMENT: SECOND ROUND -- EAST; Tar Heels Wrest Overtime Victory From Charlotte https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/15/sports/1998-ncaa-tournament-second-round-east-tar-heels-wrest-overtime-victory.html The New York Times 1998-03-15 2016-02-23 0362-4331 Jack Curry The Spartans were eliminated from the tournament by No. 1 North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen. Men's Hoops Fall to No. 1 UNC, 73-58 – Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/032098aaa.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-02-23 2016-02-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20160216091815/http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/032098aaa.html dead As of 2025, no MSU team has failed to make the NCAA tournament, a streak which began with the 1997–98 team. Roster and statistics 1997–98 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball teamNoNamePosClassHeightPtsRebAst14Charlie BellGFR6–39.24.41.320Steve Cherry GFR6–60.20.40.012Mateen CleavesGSO6–216.12.57.230Doug DavisGFR6–32.10.80.743A. J. GrangerFSO6–92.61.80.534Andre HutsonFFR6–87.55.20.844Jason KleinG/FJR6–711.23.71.354Ken MillerCFR6–100.70.80.242Morris PetersonFSO6–68.03.50.913Antonio SmithFJR6–87.98.71.111David ThomasFSO6–73.53.80.855Dujuan WileyCSR6–96.33.40.3 Sourcehttps://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/michigan-state/1998.html 1998 Michigan State Spartans College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com 2016-04-21http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2015-16/misc_non_event/201516basketballguide.pdf 2015-2016 Michigan State Spartans Media Guide Michigan State University dead https://web.archive.org/web/20180208150037/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2015-16/misc_non_event/201516basketballguide.pdf February 8, 2018 Schedule and results no no |- !colspan=9 style="Michigan State Spartans"| Exhibition November 11, 1997 7:30 pm yes Russia Aquarius Breslin Center East Lansing, MI 84–65 |- !colspan=9 style=Michigan State Spartans| Non-conference regular season November 17, 1997 7:30 pm yes East Tennessee State Breslin Center East Lansing, MI 82–59 1–0 November 21, 1997 9:00 pm yes yes Illinois–Chicago UIC Pavilion Chicago, IL ESPN Plus 58–70 1–1 November 28, 1997 6:00 pm yes Central Michigan Breslin Center East Lansing, MI Coca Cola Spartan Classic semifinals 89–61 2–1 November 29, 1997 8:00 pm yes Gonzaga Breslin Center East Lansing, MI Coca Cola Spartan Classic championship 70–68 3–1 December 4, 1997 7:30 pm yes Temple 20 Breslin Center East Lansing, MI 54–56 3–2 December 6, 1997 7:30 pm yes yes Cleveland State Wolstein Center Cleveland, OH 85–54 4–2 December 13, 1997 7:00 pm yes Detroit Mercy Breslin Center East Lansing, MI ESPN Plus 65–68 4–3 December 17, 1997 7:30 pm yes Wright State Breslin Center East Lansing, MI 95–52 5–3 December 20, 1997 5:00 pm yes yes South Florida USF Sun Dome Tampa, FL ESPN 68–53 6–3 December 27, 1997 2:00 pm yes Eastern Illinois Breslin Center East Lansing, MI 81–69 7–3 |- !colspan=9 style="Michigan State Spartans"|Big Ten regular season December 30, 1997 5:00 pm yes Purdue 5 Mackey Arena West Lafayette, IN ESPN Plus 74–57 8–3 1–0 January 8, 1998 7:30 pm Wisconsin Breslin Center East Lansing, MI ESPN 63–40 9–3 2–0 January 10, 1998 2:30 pm yes Michigan 17 Crisler Center Ann Arbor, MI Rivalry ESPN Plus Regional 69–79 9–4 2–1 January 14, 1998 8:00 pm yes Minnesota Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN ESPN Plus 74–60 10–4 3–1 January 17, 1998 12:15 pm Illinois Breslin Center East Lansing, MI ESPN Plus Regional 68–64 11–4 4–1 January 21, 1998 8:00 pm yes Iowa 10 Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, IA ESPN Plus 78–57 12–4 5–1 January 24, 1998 12:15 pm Penn State Breslin Center East Lansing, MI ESPN Plus Regional 71–59 13–4 6–1 Jan 28, 1998 8:00 pm 22 Indiana 25 Breslin Center East Lansing, MI ESPN Plus 84–66 14–4 7–1 January 31, 1998 8:00 pm yes 22 Northwestern Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, IL ESPN Plus 72–66 OT 14–4 8–1 February 4, 1998 8:00 pm yes 16 Ohio State St. John Arena Columbus, OH ESPN Plus 84–58 16–4 9–1 February 7, 1998 12:00 pm 16 Iowa 24 Breslin Center East Lansing, MI ESPN Plus Regional 75–64 17–4 10–1 February 12, 1998 8:00 pm yes 13 Illinois Assembly Hall Champaign, IL ESPN Plus 63–84 17–5 10–2 February 14, 1998 8:00 pm 10 Minnesota Breslin Center East Lansing, MI ESPN Plus 71–59 18–5 11–2 February 17, 1998 7:30 pm 14 Michigan 22 Breslin Center East Lansing, MI Rivalry ESPN 80-75 19–5 12–2 February 21, 1998 2:30 pm yes 14 Wisconsin Kohl Center Madison, WI ESPN Plus Regional 56–47 20–5 13–2 March 1, 1998 2:00 pm 10 Purdue 11 Breslin Center East Lansing, MI CBS 96–99 OT 20–6 13–3 |- !colspan=9 style=Michigan State Spartans|Big Ten tournament March 6, 1998 yes 12 1 Minnesota 8 United Center Chicago, IL quarterfinals 73–76 20–7 |- !colspan=9 style="Michigan State Spartans|NCAA tournament March 12, 1998 yes yes 16 4 E Eastern Michigan 13 E Hartford Civic Center Hartford, CT First Round CBS 83–71 21–7 March 14, 1998 yes yes 16 4 E Princeton 8 5 E Hartford Civic Center Hartford, CT Second Round CBS 63–56 22–7 March 19, 1998 yes yes 16 4 E North Carolina 1 1 E Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC Sweet Sixteen CBS 58–73 22–8 AP Poll, (#) denotes seed within region Eastern Time Sourcehttps://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/michigan-state/1998-schedule.html 1997-98 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com sports-reference.com 2016-01-27http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/97index.html Michigan State Official Athletic Site msuspartans.com 2016-01-27 Rankings 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings AP 0 17 22 16 13 14 10 12 16 Source. 1998 Michigan State Spartans https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/michigan-state/1998-schedule.html College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com 2016-01-27 Awards and honors Mateen Cleaves Big Ten Player of the Year All-American Second Team All-Big Ten First Team Tom Izzo AP Basketball Coach of the Year Henry Iba National Coach of the Year Men's Basketball Concludes Season 22-8 – Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040798aaa.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-01-27 Basketball News' National Coach of the Year Men's Basketball Coach nabs Another Award – Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/032498aaa.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-01-27 Big Ten Coach of the Year (Media and Coaches) Michigan State Official Athletic Site http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030498aaa.html www.msuspartans.com 2016-01-27 Antonio Smith All-Big Ten Third Team Jason Klein All-Big Ten Honorable Mention References Category:Michigan State Spartans men's basketball seasons Michigan State Spartans Michigan State Spartans men's b Michigan State Spartans men's b Michigan State