Michigan State players dissect their season-ending 61-51 loss to Texas Tech on Saturday at the Final Four and begin looking ahead to next season.
EAST LANSING — Coming off a Final Four run and Big Ten title, Mateen Cleaves announced he would return to Michigan State for his senior season on May 6, 1999. Eleven months later, he led the Spartans to Tom Izzo’s only NCAA title.
Cassius Winston hopes to repeat the feat, making the same decision 20 years after Cleaves.
The Big Ten player of the year and All-America point guard – coming off a Final Four appearance earlier this month – announced he will bypass the NBA draft process to come back to MSU for his senior season, with his Spartans considered by a number of early prognosticators a front-runner for the 2020 national championship.