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. r oI Were Looking for A Few Bright Stars FactSet is the leading provider of online financial, market, and economic information. Our product is used by over 10,000 investment professionals worldwide to research companies, industries, , 4 001, ILL and economies. 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