It was the most unlikely Final Four since the NCAA started seeding teams in 1979. But in the end, the result went just about the way everybody thought it would.

The Michigan State Spartans saved their most impressive performance for the biggest event, as they made good on their quest to outdo their own Final Four appearance of last season.

Utah, Syracuse, Iowa State and even Wisconsin had given Tom Izzo's Spartans problems in earlier rounds of the NCAA Tournament. But Florida really didn't throw a real scare into the Spartans, who snuffed the Gators 89-76 in the RCA Dome to win their first national title since 1979.

That team of 21 years ago was led by a guy known as Magic, and the Spartans had plenty of it Monday. They got scoring from Mateen Cleaves -- a guy who had not been scoring much. They got production from their reserves -- a group that hadn't been producing much. And they persevered through adversity -- which has been their specialty.

Most outstanding player

On his own team he was outscored by Morris Peterson (21) and A.J. Granger (19), but this championship was all about Mateen Cleaves.

Despite suffering the ankle sprain in the second half, the senior point guard finished with 18 points, 13 of them coming before halftime when Michigan State established itself as the dominant team. He joins ex-Spartan Magic Johnson on the list of Final Four Most Outstanding Players.

Key moment

When Cleaves suffered a high-ankle sprain with 16:18 to play, he limped to the locker room ... and Florida had its chance. But the Spartans declined to sag. That by itself made the difference.

He was gone for six minutes and not only could Florida not cut the lead, Michigan State actually stretched it thanks to 3-point bombs by Granger and Mike Chappell and a tip-in by Chappell. When Cleaves returned at the 11:51 mark, MSU held a 58-49 lead and would not be truly challenged the rest of the way.

Key sequence

All it took was 58 seconds for the Spartans to turn a nine-point advantage into a 15-point crevasse. Mike Miller sank a pair of free throws to cut the lead to nine with 8:37 to play, but MSU answered with 3-pointers by Peterson and Granger and a pair of free throws by Andre Hutson. Suddenly, Michigan State had a commanding 73-58 advantage and Spartan fans were making their post-game celebration plans.

The benches

Florida's bench did what it has done all year -- outscore their counterparts, 26-16. But Michigan State's reserves did their job in a big way, with Jason Richardson and little-used Adam Ballinger combining for seven points in the first half when Morris Peterson wasn't hitting his shots.

Key stat

Florida's starting guards were a non-factor, as Justin Hamilton and Teddy Dupay were outscored by MSU's starting backcourt of Cleaves and Charlie Bell, 27-0.

Underlying stat

Peterson struggled to find his offensive groove in the first half, going just 1-for-6 from the floor and missing all three of his 3-point attempts.

But check out his second half: He hit 6 of 8 shots and was 3-for-4 from 3-point range.

Putting the ball in the hole

Both teams received unexpected contributions on offense.

A.J. Granger was in the flow for Michigan State, tying his season-high by scoring 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting.

With MSU shutting down the Florida perimeter, the Gators benefited from a career night from center Udonis Haslem (27 points) and got 13 points from forward Brent Wright.

He said it

"He is the best player in Michigan State history. Magic Johnson only played two years." -- CBS analyst Billy Packer on Mateen Cleaves.

Five-minute segments

Coaches often talk in turns of turning the 40-minute battle into eight five-minute games. The team that wins the most segments generally wins the game. And that was true in Michigan State's victory, as the Spartans held a 4-3-1 advantage in the five-minute "sub-championships."

Here's a glance ... click here for a closer look at the games within the game.

Big Ten? Here's 15 big ones

Thanks to Michigan State's victory on Monday, the Big Ten recorded 15 victories in this NCAA Tournament, tying its record for most tourney wins by a conference in a single season.

The Big Ten also won 15 games in 1989, culminated by another national championship -- this one by MSU's rival, Michigan.

Here's a look at the conferences that reached the Sweet 16 and how far each team advanced: