When I was 3-years-old, I attended my first MSU training camp. In my 28 years as a die-hard Spartan, I have witnessed plenty of ups and downs as basketball and football programs have churned through coaches, wins, and losses. Of all of those Spartan moments, the one that stands out the clearest is the moment when Teddy Dupay undercut Mateen Cleaves on a breakaway layup, taking Cleaves' legs out from underneath him and sending him sprawling awkwardly to the floor, seemingly ending Cleaves' collegiate career as well as MSU's chances for a championship.

With Cleaves limping to the locker room, it seemed as if losing the second-team All-American and engine to the Spartan machine would be synonymous with losing the game. However, fellow second-teamer Morris Peterson, Mike Chapell, Andre Hutson, Charlie Bell, and freshman Jason Richardson didn't seem to get the memo that they were supposed to lose that game. The Spartans holding the line, a murmur gave way to a wave of people coming to their feet. The moans of disappointment on those faces painted in orange-and-blue were drowned out by the cheers of the Green & White as Mateen Cleaves hobbled out of the tunnel and back to the bench. As soon as Cleaves stepped back on the court, the RCA Dome knew what the rest of the world would know moments later -- that God had spoken, stating firmly, "Victory for MSU."

Highlights from the 2000 Magical Journey:

Since cutting down the nets in Indianapolis in 2000, Coach Izzo has led the Spartans back to an unprecedented five Final Fours, catapulting Michigan State basketball into the same sentence as blue bloods like Kentucky, Duke, UCLA, and Arizona. And yet despite frequent trips back to the Final Four and even to the Championship game in 2009, the championship has eluded the Spartans since 2000.

But the championship drought will very likely come to an end in 2018. Here are five championship traits shared by both the 2000 championship team and the 2018 Spartan squad:

5: A Freakish Freshman

Before Jason Richardson was enshrining himself in the NBA Slam Dunk contest Hall of Fame, he was doing freaky things at Michigan State. While this year's Jaren Jackson Jr., plays a different position than J-Rich, what makes Jackson Jr.'s game stand out is the athleticism he brings to the Center position for MSU. I would argue that Jackson Jr.'s game is actually more complete than J-Rich's as a Freshman -- the former's 44.3% clip from 3-point range and 95 blocks through 28 games played (3.39 bpg) screams lottery modern stretch big.

Edge: Jaren Jackson Jr.

4: SIZE

Seven of MSU's ten rotation players in the 1999-2000 season were 6'8" or taller. J-Rich was 6'6" and could touch the top of the backboard. MSU's two rotation guards, Cleaves and Charlie Bell, were 6'2" and 6'3", respectively. This year's team features seven rotation players 6'7" or taller. The two shortest of this bunch are All-American watchlist candidate Miles Bridges and PF/C Kenny Goins. While basketball has recently trended toward small ball, MSU stands out as a relatively big team across the board. Shooting Guards Matt McQuaid and Josh Langford come in at 6'4" and 6'5", respectively, while the only diminutive rotation player is backup Tum Tum Nairn.

Edge: 2000 Spartans (pictured: Aloyisus Anagonye)

3: Snipers

The 1999-2000 team was one of the first modern-era NCAA teams to expose opponents by deploying lethal shellings of 3-point barrages. This year's team is shooting a smoking 42.2% (versus an opponent 33.2%), and Cassius Winston is currently leading the Big Ten in 3PTM% at a mind-boggling 53.9% on the season (62-115). Fellow starters Josh Langford (42.2%) and Jackson Jr. (44.3%), in addition to sixth man McQuaid (41.6%) make for a formidable group of snipers. "Weak link" Bridges, who frequently receives double teams in addition to the Patrick Beverley treatment, is only connecting on 36.7% of his 150 attempts, still slightly above the NBA average of 36.1%.

Edge: 2018 Spartans (Cassius "Cash" Winston is money from 3, shooting a blistering 53.9%)

2: A legitimate NBA Big-Three

Peterson + Richardson = no arguments there. Cleaves made an NBA team but did not enjoy the same kind of professional success as the former.

Jackson Jr. + Bridges = no arguments there. Winston should make an NBA roster and we can only hope he is able to find success at the highest level.

Draw: Jackson Jr. + Bridges could very well out-duel Peterson + Richardson, and Winston definitely has a shot to see more success in an NBA where the 3 PT shot is the most important one today

1: A Championship Narrative

When Coach Izzo cut down the nets in 2000, he was only in his fifth season as head coach and yet he had already tasted major success. MSU had brought back key stars in Cleaves and Peterson but also featured upperclassmen AJ Granger, Andre Hutson, and Charlie Bell. MSU entered the season with championship aspirations and made good on them.

Now, with over 20 seasons under his belt, Izzo has pretty much seen it all, including the surprise return of NBA lottery-bound superstar Bridges. Despite the Nassar scandal and fallout around the program, Izzo is steering the ship in admirable fashion. Although this year's team is younger than the 2000 team, the nature of college basketball has also trended towards one-and-dones and finding an upper-classmen dominated top-10 team is now the exception rather than the norm. Still, MSU brought back seven of its eight rotational players and added Redshirt-Senior Gavin Schilling, who had missed last season due to injury, back into the mix.

TBD

Go Green!