INDIANAPOLIS - To give you an idea how bleak things looked for Michigan State when Mateen Cleaves left last night's championship game with an ankle injury with 16:18 left, consider this: The Spartans went 9-4 when Cleaves missed the first 13 games this season - also with an ankle injury - and among the losses was a 53-49 setback to Wright State.
Wright State is no Florida, which was looking for a glimmer of hope after trailing most of the contest. And though no team relishes an injury to an opponent, Florida must have seen this as an opportunity - especially with MSU standout Morris Peterson on the bench with foul trouble.
But MSU showed this isn't the team that lost to Wright State. Credit senior forward A.J. Granger, who earned All-Tournament honors with 19 points and a team-high nine rebounds, for holding down the fort while his team's catalysts were out.
He came up with big plays down the stretch as the Spartans proved again what had been the case all night: Take away their ability to press, and the Gators are nothing special.
When the regulars returned, the game was all but over. Michigan's convincing 89-76 triumph delivered its first national championship since 1979.
Cleaves had gone down after being undercut by Florida guard Teddy Dupay on a drive to the hoop. Cleaves's right foot came down on Dupay's right foot and it appeared he had injured the same ankle that kept him out early in the season.
But the Spartans stepped up in his absence. Almost immediately, Mike Chappell drained a trey to give the Spartans a 53-44 lead. Michigan State also stepped up its defensive pressure, holding Florida scoreless on five consecutive possessions.
After Granger hit a trey with 12:11 to go - making it 58-49 - Cleaves came back in to a loud ovation, and Peterson followed.
Granger tipped in a Peterson miss with 9:55 left to give the Spartans a 62-50 advantage.
Granger continued making his presence felt even after the Spartans' stars took control. He followed 6 consecutive points by Peterson with a trey with 7:34 to go for a 71-58 lead. With 4:33 left, he cut to the basket, took a feed from Peterson, and missed a layup but was fouled.
His free throws gave the Spartans an 84-64 advantage with 4:33 left, all but putting the game out of reach.
Player audio
