Reserve forward Morris Peterson isn't being benched. He's just resting up. And he leads his team in scoring.

Michigan State's Morris Peterson celebrates his slam dunk against Michigan this season. AP Photo

The Michigan State Spartans reached the Final Four because of their talent. But also because of their unselfishness.

And if you want to know something about Michigan State's selfless soul, there's one place to look -- the bench.

At tip-off, that's where you'll find Morris Peterson, the team's leading scorer, the All-Big Ten Conference selection. The bench? Is he being punished?

More with Peterson Michigan State has returned to the Final Four on the 20th anniversary of its 1979 national championship team. What do you know about the '79 Spartans? ``I've seen the championship game on TV. Magic [Johnson] and Greg Kelser were going to work, man! I can't believe how hard they played. They were such a close-knit group. They overcame some bad shooting nights and played with great intensity. They remind me a little of our team. Only we wouldn't wear those short shorts like they did.`` There are four prominent players from Flint, Mich., on the Michigan State team. What was it like when you competed against each other in high school? ``Oh, man, we'd do anything to win. Push 'em down, knock 'em down, grab, hold. We did it all. After the games, we'd probably go to McDonald's together and say, ``Good game.`` We were all friends, but we wanted to win. On the court, it was like there were no rules. We just laugh about it now. But all of us wanted the bragging rights.`` How would you best describe Flint? ``People who don't live in Flint, they think about strikes and closed-down factories. People don't realize that Flint is a nice place to be raised. I had family all around and people who cared about me. Just lots of friends and good people to lean on. Maybe everybody feels that way about the place where they're from. We're showing the positive side of Flint and I think the people there are really excited about out team. It's like they're on the court playing along with us.``

``That's what people think sometimes,'' said Peterson, a 6-foot-6 junior. ``I guess it's not such a natural thing to come off the bench. But it's working for me.''

And it's working for the Spartans (33-4), who face Duke in Saturday night's national semifinal at Tropicana Field. Peterson, among the four key Spartans from Flint, Mich., averages 13.3 points while giving a turbo-boost to the offense a few minutes into the game.

In another era, it worked for John Havlicek. But in today's atmosphere of instant gratification, it's unusual, even a bit heartwarming, to see a college player who embraces the reserve role.

``Having their leading scorer coming off the bench is amazing,'' Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. ``That shows you the kind of unselfishness Michigan State has as a team. Most guys want to be in that starting lineup. You've got to be able to check your ego and accept your role. Michigan State's players do that.''

UK was deeply wounded by Peterson, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes. He added six consecutive free throws in the final 28.9 seconds to clinch the victory. Peterson has six 20-point games this season, including 27 against Iowa and 24 (on 10-for-17 shooting) against Duke. Peterson also is the team's best free-throw shooter (81.7 percent).

``When the game starts, we try to tire the other team down,'' Michigan State guard Charlie Bell said. ``Then he [Peterson] comes in fresh and really wears them down. He's our secret weapon. When he comes in, they aren't prepared for him. I'm surprised more teams don't do something like this.''

It would be difficult. Even Peterson admits he has occasional pangs of remorse during pregame introductions. Starting at forward, 6-6 and a junior, from Flint, Michigan ... Morris Peterson ... That only exists in his dreams.

``Everybody has to find their role,'' Peterson said. ``The main thing for me is this: I want to win. Coach [Tom Izzo] wants to win. Coach knows what he's doing. He's not trying to get inside my head or anything.

``He really believes I'm at my best when I start the game on the bench. And I'm starting to believe that, too. Yeah, you'd like to hear your name get called out. Who wouldn't? But once the game starts, I'm still getting significant minutes. It's not that big of a deal. I even get nice attention out of it. Around campus, I hear people saying, `There goes Morris Peterson, that sixth-man guy.' ''

Peterson enjoys the role now. In the beginning, he had questions. Izzo delicately explained his reasoning, about how it would benefit everyone. Who can argue with the evidence? The Spartans have won 22 consecutive games.

``He can come in and play practically any position, so it gives us so many options,'' said starting forward Jason Klein, who normally heads to the bench when Peterson enters the game. ``He's handled it unbelievably well. He does deserve to play all the time because he scores, he rebounds, he just does everything. But you don't change something that's working, so I'm sure we'll stick with our rotation. It hasn't hurt the attention he has received. If anything, he's more well-known now.''

The All-Big Ten honor was evidence of that. ESPN's Dick Vitale has called Peterson the nation's best sixth man. Hey, if this continues, maybe everybody will be fighting for a spot on the bench.

``Basketball is a game of chemistry,'' Peterson said. ``You want the right combinations at the right times. I'm able to see how the flow of the game is going. I can see what mistakes are being made and not make those same mistakes. I can just get in the game and explode. Sometimes, the starters are a little tired and I can blow by them for a couple of easy baskets.

``Really, I'm not looking at my stats. If you look at our team, we don't have a dominant scorer, somebody who's always begging for the ball to shoot it. It's me one night. It's Mateen [Cleaves] another night. It's Jason or Charlie or Antonio [Smith] or Andre [Hutson]. We just want to win. Then we're all happy.''

Such talk delights Izzo.

``It's a special group of guys and Morris is a great example of that,'' Izzo said. ``Here's a guy who's willing to put aside a starting position in order to help the team. Not everyone has the patience and maturity to make that work without being mad.

``Morris does so many things well for us. To tell you the truth, I do think of him as a starting player. He's done well defensively and he's an obvious threat to score. He's a big reason why we have advanced to the Final Four.''

Peterson might not be a starter.

But he's definitely a finisher.