The 2000âÂÂ01 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2000âÂÂ01 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Tom Izzo, in his sixth year as head coach, led the team that played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were members of the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 28âÂÂ5, 13âÂÂ3 to finish in a tie for the Big Ten regular season championship for the fourth consecutive year. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. For the third consecutive year, they received a No. 1 seed and reached the Final Four before falling to Arizona.
The Spartans finished the 1999âÂÂ2000 season as NCAA National champions with an overall record of 32âÂÂ7 and in first place in the Big Ten with a 13âÂÂ3 record. Michigan State received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, their third straight trip to the Tournament, and won the National Championship, the second in school history, by beating Florida in the National Championship game.
The Spartans lost Mateen Cleaves (12.1 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 6.9 APG) and Morris Peterson (16.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.3 APG) to the NBA draft following the season.
Following their National Championship in 2000, Michigan State entered the regular season ranked No. 3 in both polls. The Spartans were led by freshman Zach Randolph (10.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.0 APG), sophomore Jason Richardson (14.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.2 APG), and seniors Charlie Bell (13.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.1 APG), and Andre Hutson (13.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.9 APG). MSU started the season strong, winning their first 12 games, including wins over No. 6 North Carolina, No. 8 Florida, and No. 8 Seton Hall. After beating Seton Hall, the Spartans ascended to the No. 1 ranking which they held for two weeks. MSU finished the non-conference season at 12âÂÂ0.
After a loss in their second Big Ten game, MSU cruised through the Big Ten season with wins over No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 25 Iowa, and at No. 22 Wisconsin. finishing 13âÂÂ3 and sharing the Big Ten Championship with Illinois. The championship marked the fourth consecutive Big Ten championship for the Spartans. The Spartans remained ranked in the top 5 during the entire season, ultimately finishing with a 24âÂÂ3 overall record and ranked No. 2 in the country. MSU suffered a surprise defeat by Penn State in the Big Ten tournament in their attempt to win the tournament for the third consecutive year.
The Spartans were awarded a No. 1 seed, their third consecutive No. 1 seed, in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. Seeking a repeat National Championship, MSU easily dispatched Alabama State and Fresno State to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth consecutive year. A win over Gonzaga and Temple led to the school's third straight trip to the Final Four. However, they were unable to repeat as National Champions, losing to Arizona in the National Semifinal.
Following the season, Randolph and Richardson declared for the NBA draft.
|- !colspan=9 style=| Exhibition
|- !colspan=9 style=| Non-conference regular season
|- !colspan=9 style=|<span style=>Big Ten regular season</span>
|- !colspan=9 style=|<span style=>Big Ten tournament</span>
|- !colspan=9 style=|<span style=>NCAA tournament</span>
<nowiki>*</nowiki>AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings<br />^Coaches did not release a week 2 poll