Every team needs a go-to guy. But the best teams have options to spare. ESPN The Magazine profiles Andre Hutson, Chris Duhon, Sergio McClain and Ryan Mendez.

Let Jason Richardson make the 11 o'clock news with his high-flying dunks. Let Zach Randolph get the NBA scouts drooling. Let Charlie Bell grab the headlines for dating Miss Michigan.

All Michigan State center Andre Hutson needs are wins, and he's enjoyed more than anybody in the history of the Big Ten. Hutson has been a part of 114 Spartan victories since he arrived on campus, and his class became the first team in MSU history (including Magic's) to win four consecutive regular season conference titles.

"Andre gets this team in gear," says Richardson, MSU's leading scorer. After the Spartans sleepwalked through the first half to a 29-25 lead over 16th-seeded Alabama State, the normally quiet Hutson (teammates call him "Big Chill") spoke up in the locker room. The Spartans slapped the floor on Alabama State's first possession, and the Hornets ended up with just 10 second-half points.

"He would be our statistical leader in every area that stats aren't kept," says MSU assistant Brian Gregory. Not that the undersized 6'8" center hasn't shined where stats are kept. He averages 13.5 ppg, and leads the team with 7.5 rpg and a startling 62.0% from the field. He's backed up that final stat with a 12-for-14 performance in two tournament games.

But what makes this member of the National Honor Society so important is his timing. In games where either Bell or Richardson hasn't hit double figures, Hutson has averaged 15.1. And on the three occasions when both Bell and Richardson were held under 10 points, Hutson led the team in scoring.

"The wins are the most important thing," Hutson says, "and I will always cherish every one that I've been a part of at Michigan State."

Four more, and Hutson can make a claim that even Magic couldn't: two national championships.

E-mail Dan Hodes at dbhodes@hotmail.com.