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Sporting News, The, March 23, 1998 by Steve Harrison

On offense, the Spartans--especially Cleaves--get penetration and knock down shots. The Tigers don't. They miss their first four 3-point shots and finish 4-for-16 for the half.

Still, there are worries. The Princeton press is forcing turnovers. Izzo and his staff tried to prepare for it in practice but simply ran out of time The Tigers make a run and tie at 15.

Izzo counters with a 2-3 zone, but it doesn't really work. Worried about fouls, the Spartans become tentative. The backdoor is still shut, but Princeton finds other ways, especially getting the ball to Goodrich, whose hook is falling.

But in the final seconds of the half, there comes a sign that all is well. With the score tied at 31. Antonio Smith is double-teamed on the wing. He desperately looks for help and then sees Charlie Bell cutting to the goal. He hits him with a perfect bounce pass. Michigan State goes backdoor!

In the locker room. Cleaves is still furious. They are relaxing, he says, and it's his fault. The coaches realize this, too. Everything has worked--getting physical on the cutters, weakside help--but the plan to play the passing lanes needs tweaking.

"We told our guys to be more aggressive," Heath says afterward. "Once they did that, we were fine."

Still, Princeton ties it at 54, before Morris Peterson makes two free throws. Princeton has an opportunity but can't get a good shot. Mastaglio's off-balance 3-point attempt is short. Then, with 35 seconds left, Cleaves hits a 3-pointer over I Henderson. Game over.

The final stats were humbling for the Tigers: Princeton shot 9-for-18 from the free-throw line and 7-for-28 behind the arc. They had exactly one backdoor play, same as Michigan State.

But Princeton shot poorly for a reason--and those tipped passes weren't luck at all. Just a small part of a coaching wonder, the best of this young tournament.

"Our guys wanted to know this." Crean says. "They expected to learn about Princeton. That's what we've been doing all year."

And what they're still doing.

On the charter flight home last Saturday night, they began studying North Carolina.

Never relax.

Steve Harrison is a writer based in Fort Lauderdale.