Slashing past Michigan forward Chris Hunter, MSU swingman Alan Anderson threw down a two-handed dunk and slowly backtracked down the court with a determined look.

It was one of three dunks and two of his 16 points on Feb. 12 against Michigan, but Anderson forgot its significance.

After playing 114 games in the Spartans uniform, Anderson earned his 1,000th point - one of 34 MSU players to ever reach that mark, including four on this squad.

"They brought it to my attention after the game," Anderson said.

Although he wanted the moment to come on home turf in front of a Breslin Center crowd, against the rival Wolverines was an appropriate substitute.

In a way, the moment was much like the way Anderson has played this year - quietly and effectively. Not to mention consistently.

Anderson is averaging 12.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season, both career highs. But the senior guard has exploded in the past four games, averaging 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, and he's now shooting 87.5 percent at the free-throw line.

"My whole demeanor is just being aggressive, and that speaks for shooting, going to the basket, rebounding - just everything," Anderson said.

On Wednesday, when everything seemed to go right for the Spartans, Anderson was fourth in scoring with 10 points and only three rebounds, but Tom Izzo called him the game's MVP.

Anderson helped shut down Gopher guard Vincent Grier, defended in the post, had three assists off the break and tied a career-high four steals.

"We thought, as a staff, he played an exceptional game," Izzo said. "And yet stat-wise it wasn't one of his marquee games."

The 6-foot-6 Minneapolis native has been a stabilizing force for the No. 11 Spartans this season, effectively being named one of the 'Glue-guys' by ESPN analyst Jay Bilas a few weeks ago. He has sacrificed the spotlight many times during his four-year career, rotating positions to whatever the team needed him to play.

Last season when MSU didn't have a natural point guard, Anderson used his ball-handling skills to play the position.

On defense, he's been asked to guard bigger players, sometimes 7-footers, and smaller players.

"All my matchups, I'm always smaller and stronger, but I'm gonna use my quickness," Anderson said of playing the power forward position.

Izzo has always appreciated Anderson's willingness to do whatever his coach needed him to do.

"He's been so unselfish," Izzo said.

"He's done a lot for the team his whole career, and it's nice to see him getting some of the benefits."

That experience is now helping Anderson excel, as he's having what he calls his best season.

This summer, after Anderson had surgery on his back to remove part of a disc that was causing pain, he was recovering and had time to think about his senior year.

Anderson said now his success is all about desire.

And after grabbing 11 rebounds at Iowa, which secured his first double-double, he realized what that desire could mean.

"That was my first (double-double), at Iowa, and I liked it," Anderson said.

"Just looking at it with two statistical categories in double figures. I've never had that, but I liked (it)."

Junior center Paul Davis has watched Anderson work hard on his game. He has been a benefactor from the matchup problems the Anderson causes.

If Davis had to take on the duty of guarding Anderson, he'd back off a little bit and give up the shot, instead of letting him use his quick first step to drive to the hole.

"A lot of guys have done that, and that's why he's tried to improve his shooting," Davis said.

Anderson did spend a lot of time working on his shooting and ball handling this summer, said MSU assistant coach and former point guard Mark Montgomery.

"He's good from about 15 to 17 feet," Montgomery said. "That shot's going in."

Montgomery said he believes Anderson can make it at the next level, but will have to keep improving his range on his jump shot and keep getting stronger.

Izzo said he felt Anderson was NBA-material in his first press conference of the year and Anderson hasn't disappointed his coach or himself.

Still, Anderson has said all season that the goal is to bring hardware back to East Lansing. He's already been to an Elite Eight, but he wants more memories - ones that include banners, something he can feel proud of when he comes back to Breslin Center in the future.

Anderson said he's watched old players come back and look at pictures of themselves and teammates holding up hardware, a feeling he wants to experience.

"I don't want to come back and have no one remember me," he said.

"I want to come back like, 'that's Alan Anderson, one of the most versatile players ever here,' and have a picture up there with a championship.

"That's why people play - for the memories."

If Anderson continues to be the glue that holds the Spartans together, then he just might get his banner, some memories and a whole lot more.