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College Basketball Fans Respond To First-Place Michigan State Seizing Control Of Michigan, Big Ten Conference

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
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College Basketball Fans Respond To First-Place Michigan State Seizing Control Of Michigan, Big Ten Conference

Friday night’s Michigan-Michigan State men’s basketball game drew national interest. It’s been a while. Three Wolverines coaches, as a matter of fact. 

Michigan‘s athletic department reported ticket demand was at its highest this decade. It used to be different. From 2012-19, the two rivals combined to capture six of eight Big Ten titles and qualify for six Final Fours. 

But since then, the programs rarely shared the floor with competitive squads. But this season, they’re both up. They entered Friday’s “Maize Out” matchup at Crisler Center as the Big Ten’s top two squads. 

The No. 14 Spartans (22-5 overall, 13-3 conference) stole the show, dominating the second half and earning a 75-62 victory. They moved a half-game ahead of the No. 12 Wolverines (20-6, 12-3) in the standings. 

X (Twitter) users responded to Michigan State, led by Jase Richardson’s 21 points, muscling past Michigan …

A few hours before tip-off, Michigan announced it signed first-year coach Dusty May to a contract extension. The athletic department did not want to face the possibility of losing May to his alma mater, Indiana … 

The schools’ wheelchair competitors established a new attendance record last Sunday. Michigan won … 

The teams’ student managers opened rivalry Friday with Michigan pulling out a dramatic win … 

After breaking Indiana legend Bobby Knight’s conference all-time win mark at 353, coach Tom Izzo, who took over the Spartans’ bench in 1994, faced his sixth Wolverines coach. Both Izzo and May made the Naismith coach of the year watch list … 

Detroit Lions star and ex-Michigan standout Aidan Hutchinson arrived to show his support … 

Slow-starting Michigan opened the first half hitting just one of four shots from the field and committed two turnovers as Michigan State pulled out to a 7-2 lead. The Wolverines responded, led by Danny Wolf, the Big Ten’s lone player to average double-digits in scoring and rebounds. He scored seven straight points, then showed a little bit of magic against the Spartans, spearheading a 15-0 run. The Spartans, who had trouble solving Michigan’s man-to-man defense, started 5-for-8 from the field, but hit just one of 12 during the Wolverines’ surge … 

 The Spartans entered Friday ranked fourth with an average of 17 fast-break points per game. They struggled in the open floor in Ann Arbor, Mich., ending the first half with just six fast-break points. They had nine turnovers and just two assists. Michigan failed to sustain its first-half momentum, however, hitting two of their opening seven second-half shots. Meanwhile, Tre Holloman, connected on consecutive 3-pointers as the Spartans started taking control … 

 The Spartans’ guard controlled the second-half tempo …. 

 Bench scoring was a bit one-sided. Midway through the second half, MSU held a 29-9 edge. With 7:39 remaining, the Spartans flipped their first-half script, compiling seven assists and just one turnover … 

Final score: Michigan State 75, Michigan 62 … 

Michigan State celebrated after holding Michigan, which was averaging the program’s most points per game since 1993, to just 24 second-half points … 

 Izzo vs Michigan’s coaching carousel… 

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  
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