The Associated Press

East Lansing, Mich.

Tuesday, January 18, 2000

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State is moving into the heart of the Big Ten season with its guard up. Its problem is that Ohio State can match it guard for guard.

The No. 10 Spartans (3-0 Big Ten, 12-4 overall) travel to Columbus to play the No. 13 Buckeyes (3-1, 11-3) on Thursday.

MSU coach Tom Izzo ranked Michigan State and Ohio State as arguably the two best back courts in the league.

The two teams are coming off strong years – Michigan State was 33-5, Ohio State 27-9 and both reached the semifinals of the 1999 NCAA tournament before losing.

The Buckeyes feature three guards, led by senior Scoonie Penn and junior Michael Redd, both averaging 15.2 points per game. Michigan State counters with junior Charlie Bell, averaging 12.8 points, and two-time All-American Mateen Cleaves, at 7 points per game but coming off a broken bone in his foot.

”I think Mateen is excited to play against Scoonie just like Scoonie is probably excited to play against Mateen, because they know they’re both very good guards in their own right and yet there’s a lot of respect between the two of them,” Izzo said Monday.

Izzo said Cleaves’ recuperation was ”the most encouraging part of the week.” The Spartans have been off since they defeated Indiana on Jan. 11.

”He’s had no problem with his foot as far as soreness … That’s been very encouraging,” Izzo said. ”I think he’s getting his conditioning back.”

Michigan State enters the Ohio State game with 21 straight wins over Big Ten opponents, the longest in school history.

The Buckeyes are coming off two big wins on the road – Wisconsin and Northwestern.

”And anytime you get a road win right now, you’ve got a leg up on people,” Izzo said.