Spartans State Their Case--Big Ten’s Best

It wasn’t enough for Michigan State to hear everyone say the Spartans were the Big Ten’s best team. Nope, they wanted the titles and the trophies to prove it.

The second-ranked Spartans (29-4) added the conference tournament championship to their regular-season title, making easy work of an overachieving but exhausted Illinois team with a 67-50 victory Sunday at Chicago.

Seeded No. 11 in the tournament after winning only three conference games, Illinois (14-18) upset three top 25 teams in three days to get to the championship game.

“It was motivation for us, playing in the championship here,” said the Spartans’ Mateen Cleaves, who added outstanding player of the tournament to his Big Ten co-MVP award. “Last year, we watched it on TV.”

The victory was the 18th in a row for the Spartans, and gave them a school record for most wins in a season. The 1989-90 squad--the last Michigan State squad to get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament--finished 28-6.

The Spartans got 11 points apiece from Morris Peterson and Andre Hutson, and three others finished with nine points. Cleaves had one of his finest games with nine points and 10 assists. He finished the tournament with 29 assists and only four turnovers in three games.

BIG 12

Kansas owns the Big 12 tournament. The league was formed three years ago, and the Jayhawks have won the tournament all three years.

Lester Earl scored six of his 11 points in an 8-0 run and the Jayhawks (22-9) pulled away from weary Oklahoma State (22-10) for a 53-37 victory in the championship game at Kansas City.

The Jayhawks, who needed a free throw by Ryan Robertson with no time left in overtime to beat Oklahoma State on Feb. 22, have won eight in a row over the Cowboys.

Oklahoma State was playing its fourth game in four days and had nothing left in the second half, going scoreless for eight minutes.

Oklahoma State at one point was 10 for 50 from the field. They finished 15 for 65 (23%).