Ideal Michigan State basketball starting 5 in the Tom Izzo era

Wing: Morris Peterson

Who better to select next than Mateen's right-hand man? Now I'll be honest, the next two selections were probably the hardest for me to make out of this entire list as I can easily list 20 players you could make a great argument for, but Morris Peterson already proved how well he can play with Mateen, so why not pair them together again.

Peterson didn't really score much during his first three seasons in East Lansing, but he really turned it on in his final two years. Especially since Mateen was never someone to score a lot of points on a regular basis, I needed to pick someone who can score a lot, and Peterson did just that at the end of his career.

In the 1998-99 season, he averaged 13.6 points per game. Morris then increased that all the way up to 16.8 points per game in the national championship season. Peterson is also the first Big Ten player to ever make the All-Big Ten first team as a six man in the 1998-99 season. But the thing that really puts him on top for me is how he always showed up in the big games.

During the 2000 championship run, he combined for 39 points in Michigan State's Sweet 16 and Elite Eight wins. He then scored 21 points in the national title game against Florida. Those points were huge, as Mateen missed significant time during that game with an injury.

So even thought many players could go in this spot, I just have to give the nod to the guy who helped bring Tom Izzon his only championship.