14 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 8, 1999
Spartans win, but Kansas
shows State is vulnerable
Jayhawks' 19-2 second half
CHICAGO (AP) - Missing Mateen? You
bet Michigan State is. Not that the fourth-
ranked Spartans can't win without their star
point guard Mateen Cleaves.
They did it for the seventh time last night,
beating fifth-ranked Kansas 66-54 in the
Great Eight behind the play of Charlie Bell
and Morris Peterson.
One sign at the United Center put it this
way: "The Spartans are so hot, they can go
Cleaveless."
But with Cleaves limping on a broken foot
and wearing a big sweater on the Michigan
State bench, the Spartans struggled handling
the ball against second-half pressure as
Kansas used a 19-2 run to cut a 23-point
deficit to six.
Then the rally fell short as State (7-1)
regrouped behind Peterson. Kansas' first loss
this season after six straight wins also
marked the first time this season the
Jayhawks had played a ranked opponent.
Bell, doing most of the ball handling in
Cleaves' absence, scored 21 points. Peterson
shot poorly (3-of-14) but finished with 10
points and 10 rebounds. And A.J. Granger,
had 13 for State.
Kenny Gregory scored 14 points and Luke
Axtell 12 for Kansas (6-1).
State won the Big Ten tournament on the
same floor nine months ago and the Spartans
played like they were right at home during
the entire first half and the first six minutes
run raises eyebrows
of the second.
The Spartans were rolling 51-28 and on the
way to an easy victory when the Jayhawks
finally got loose. They ran off 13 straight
points, a run featuring Drew Gooden's slam
and Nick Bradford's steal and layup.
State went six minutes with no points
before Jason Richardson hit a jumper to end
the drought and give the Spartans a 53-41
lead with 8:18 to go.
But Kansas wasn't through. Gregory went
high for back-to-back dunks after steals as
the Jayhawks turned up the defensive pres-
sure and ran off six more points, cutting the
lead to 53-47 with just under seven minutes
to go.
Then Peterson showed his leadership.
He dropped in two free throws, fed Bell for
a lay-in on the break and then made a one-on-
one move from the key and drove for a basket
to put the Spartans back up by 12.
Bell was too quick for the Jayhawks to
contain in the first half. His 13 points on 6-
for-8 shooting, Michigan State's sticky
defense that limited Kansas to just eight
points in the first 10 minutes and three 3-
pointers by Granger helped the Spartans to a
39-23 halftime lead.
Kansas was making its fifth straight Great
Eight appearance and for the second straight
season, the Jayhawks struggled at the United
Center. Last year they were routed 63-45 by
Kentucky.
Dayne tops Vick
for AP Player of
the Year honors
NEW YORK (AP) - Ron Dayne had his reasons for
staying at Wisconsin instead of running off early to the
NFL.
He wanted to spend another year with his 2-year-old
daughter, Jada, and his girlfriend, Alia Lester. He wanted
to earn a degree in Afro-American studies. And he want-
ed to break -the NCAA major college career rushing
record.
One thousand eight hundred thirty-four yards later -
and much closer to a diploma - Dayne accomplished
everything he set out to do in his senior season.
On Tuesday, he won The Associated Press' College
Player of the Year Award in balloting by AP member news-
papers, TV and radio stations.
Dayne received 43 of the 82 votes in the AP balloting.
He beat Virginia Tech redshirt freshman quarterback
Michael Vick, who had 14 votes. Purdue quarterback
Drew Brees was third with six votes.
"Although my name is on the award, I share it with my
linemen and fullback - they do all the hard work and I
just run," Dayne said. "Winning this player of the year 2
award is nice because it is picked by the people who watch
the game closely."
Recently, Dayne won player of the year awards from the
Walter Camp Foundation and The Sporting News. He is
the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night.
Dayne broke Ricky Williams' one-year-old Division I
rushing record in his final game at Camp Randall
Stadium. The Badgers' 5-foot-10, 254-pound tailback ran
for 216 yards in a 41-3 rout of Iowa last month to boost
his career total to 6,397 yards, breaking Williams' mark of
6,279 yards.
Dayne led No. 4 Wisconsin (9-2) to its first outright Big
Ten title since 1962 and a second straight trip to the Rose
Bowl: He carried 303 times for 1,834 yards - a 6.1-yard
average - and scored 19 touchdowns.
This season he ranked second nationally in rushing at
166.7 yards a game. He was fourth in scoring (1 0.4 points
and ninth in all-purpose yardage (167.6). He also ran for
200 or more yards four times.
The numbers are even more impressive considering he -
sat out the second halves of blowout wins over Murray
State, Ball State and Indiana. In an easy victory over
Michigan State, Dayne ran for 214 yards but carried only
once in the fourth quarter. The Spartans came into the
game with the nation's No. I rushing defense.
"This award is a great tribute for Ron, the ultimate team
player, to realize this individual acclaim as the nation's top
player," Badgers coach Barry Alvarez said. "He has epito-
mized our program with his no-nonsense, blue collar
approach."
After his record-setting game Nov. 13, there was a cer-
emony to acknowledge the Badgers' second straight trip to
the Rose Bowl. There was also a surprise for Dayne.
As fans held up white souvenir towels with his No. 33,
Dayne was asked to look to the upper deck at the'west side
of the stadium. When he did, a gray cover was pulled away
to reveal DAYNE 33 etched into the facade.
"WhenI saw it I was so shocked," Dayne said. "I didn't
know whether to cry or laugh," Dayne said.
Madison Mayor Sue Bauman recognized Nov. 13 as
"Ron Dayne Day."
AP PHOTO
Andre Hutson and Michigan State are getting by without preseason All-American
point guard Mateen Cleaves. But a 19-2 run by Kansas in the second half of last
night's Great Eight matchup showed the Spartans aren't bulletproof.
Trip to East Lansing on docket for M' wrestlers
By Ryan C. Moloney
Daily Sports Writer
You might notice it as soon as you step
through the entrance of Crisler Arena - an
indescribable aura throughout the building.
Subtle at first, you make your way past
the light-hearted banter of the security
guards towards the Michigan wrestling
practice room as it plays like an orchestral
crescendo.
Finally, in a dark and musty corridor you
see a sign reading "Michigan wrestling"
and that crescendo reaches a fever pitch.
The seemingly indescribable feeling of
urgency attacks anyone who dares to come
too close. It could only mean one thing.
Michigan State week.
And for a good team in what is widely
considered to be the best wrestling confer-
ence in the country, a Friday afternoon bat-
ile in East Lansing could, for all intents and
purposes, qualify as the real beginning of
the wrestling season.
"In wrestling there are two seasons, real-
ly," captain Otto Olson said. "Before
Christmas and after. We want to do well in
this one to prepare for the next part of our
season that really counts."
Believe it or not, there isn't a collective
hatred for Michigan State among all
Michigan sports teams.
Granted, the blood boils when the hock-
ey, football and basketball teams tangle,
but in some other sports the rivalry isn't as
traditional.
At Michigan, wrestling isn't one of those
sports.
"This is the biggest wrestling meet in the
state of Michigan," Joe Warren said.
"They'll pack the place up there, it's been a
big rivalry ever since I've been here.
"I can't wait."
With the season still in its infancy, a loss
wouldn't spell the end of the world for the
Wolverines, but it would take more than a
holiday break to raise their spirits.
"It's a pride thing," Olson said. "I don't
want to go home feeling bad because I lost
at Michigan State - especially to a school
I hate so much."
But at this point, training is the number
one objective - an area in which the
Spartans are unwittingly lending a little
help.
"We're getting in some good workouts
this week," coach Joe McFarland said.
"We're going to do some of the things
Michigan State does but we're going to go
in there fresh.
"We'll have to be ready."
McFarland is also using the week to
instill greater attention to mental tough-
ness in each phase of tournament competi-
tion.
The Wolverines dropped a few close
matches in the early rounds of the Cliff
Keen Invitational last weekend, in part
because of a lack of intensity, McFarland
said.
"Otto and Joe were bright spots for us
last weekend," McFarland said. "It's impor-
tant for our younger guys to see their inten-
sity and approach - they treated each
match, from the early to later rounds, the
same."
That's pride you might expect from
seniors, but to them it's the norm for the
entire program.
"We need to stay focused and stay on
these people, that's the Michigan way to
wrestle," Warren said. "Just stay on them
until you break them.
"We understand that and that's how we
try to lead - by example."
After the break, the Wolverines will face
perhaps their stiffest competition of the
season in the Midland invitational. A lot of
hope, as well as confidence, hang in the
balance.
But for now, Michigan State is enough of
a reason to work.
More than enough.
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