How to watch Michigan State at Michigan men's basketball, a ranked edition of the intrastate rivalry
It's Michigan vs. Michigan State, a time-tested feud that generates enough raw hatred to fill a Great Lake and turn 'The Mitten' into a clenched fist. Both sides are ranked in the top 15 and jostling atop the Big Ten standings. It's a Friday night fight that totally sells itself.
This is looking like Michigan's best effort since 2020-21, when it danced as a No. 1 seed and reached the Elite 8. At 81.6 points per game, it's also the program's highest-scoring offense since its Fab Five iteration more than three decades ago. By contrast: Last season, the team was 3-17 in the conference. Here's looking at you, Dusty May.
Advertisement
The Wolverines have won six straight and 12 of their last 14. They get to the foul line, have markedly improved their rebounding and turnover rates and find ways to seize tight games. Last week, Roddy Gayle Jr. led a bench eruption to mount a double-digit comeback against Purdue. And on Sunday, Vladislav Goldin had the steely third-chance bucket to edge out Ohio St.
Danny Wolf has been superb — averaging around 17 points, 11 boards, three assists and two blocks in his last five outings. There were too many giveaways earlier in the season, but the fleet seven-foot passer has put together a really delightful highlight reel this year:
But Michigan St. will be ready to scrap on Friday. The turnaround in East Lansing has also been remarkable. It's still February and the Spartans already have their most Big Ten wins in four full seasons. Tom Izzo's team moves the ball, makes its free throws and leads the conference in blocked shots. Opponents have looked wholly disoriented from behind the arc at just 28 percent shooting.
Six Spartans took at least four shots in Tuesday's win over the Boilermakers. No one took more than eight. Jase Richardson is coming on as a starter. Four-year fixture Jaden Akins is tenacious, if inefficient. And Jaxon Kohler has one of the best rebounding rates in the country. He had six offensive rebounds in Saturday's triumph over Illinois.
The vibes are great for the green and white, but Friday marks the second of four-straight ranked conference matchups. 'It's the gauntlet of schedules, but what an opportunity,' Izzo said Tuesday. He became the winningest coach in Big Ten history earlier this month.
Last 20 head-to-head: Since a Big Ten Tournament win in March 2014, Michigan State has gone 13-7 against its hated rival.
(Photo of Jaxon Kohler: Adam Ruff / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mark Wahlberg Did Not Hesitate to Give His 2025-26 Detroit Lions Prediction
Mark Wahlberg Did Not Hesitate to Give His 2025-26 Detroit Lions Prediction originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Detroit Lions' heart-wrenching playoff loss to Washington earlier this year was hard for many Detroit fans to swallow as they watched the team's Super Bowl hopes go up in smoke. Advertisement The Lions were favored heading into the game despite a rash of injuries on defense that left them exposed against quarterback Jayden Daniels and coach Dan Quinn's team. On Monday, a famous Hollywood actor known for his Lions fandom, Mark Wahlberg, spoke with a Detroit area reporter about the Lions' upcoming chances to repeat as NFC North champions. He also offered a take on who he would play if a movie were made about the lovable Motor City football franchise. Dan Campbell at the Lions' outdoor practice field in Allen Park, MI on May 30, 2025. © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "Mark could you ever have imagined when you signed on to be in a Michael Bay movie, Transformers, that your roots would be planted so truly in our town and the impact would be felt like this?" Detroit reporter Brad Galli asked Wahlberg. Advertisement "No, I didn't, but you know, it's a small world," Wahlberg said. "It's like being in a second home. Wish I had more time to spend here and wish I was making another movie here," he added. "The only thing I do feel bad about is, our Lions didn't do what I predicted last year, got close, had an amazing regular season, but big expectations for this definitely going to win the division," Wahlberg added, saying he wants the Lions to go all the way this year while sharing his first person experience of Lions fans crying over their team's difficult loss to the Commanders. He also said that he would be willing to play Dan Campbell in a movie about the Lions, dismissing reservations about his height. Related: Former Lion Za'Darius Smith Walks Red Carpet of Major Awards Show With Well Known Girlfriend This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Detroit Tigers Make Historic Comerica Park Announcement After Cubs Series
Detroit Tigers Make Historic Comerica Park Announcement After Cubs Series originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Detroit Tigers took two of three games from the Chicago Cubs at Comerica Park this past weekend, with star pitchers Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty leading the way in the Motor City. Advertisement The Tigers' series win helped manager AJ Hinch's team bounce back from its previous series, which they lost to the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers' three-game set with the Cubs included large, boisterous crowds throughout the weekend, a welcome sight for fans of the historic baseball franchise. Following the series, the Tigers' public relations account share a historic news announcement showing just how popular the Tigers' matchup with the Cubs was both locally and throughout the Midwest. Jack Flaherty pitches against the Chicago Cubs on June 8 at Comerica Park. © Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images "Two of MLB's best teams and fanbases came together this weekend, selling out Comerica Park for three straight days," the Tigers' PR account wrote on X. Advertisement "It's the 2nd-highest attendance (121,509) for a three-game series in Detroit since 2015, topped only by last season's playoff-clinching series vs. CWS (Chicago White Sox). #RepDetroit," the account added. "And we won the series by making it even better," a fan wrote. The Tigers possess the best record in the American League at 43-24, one game ahead of the New York Mets for the best record in Major League Baseball. Last season's playoff exit at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians looms large as the Tigers head toward the All-Star Break. Detroit is a team on a mission, with their sights set on a World Series championship. Expect fan support to continue to grow as the Tigers continue their march toward baseball's second season. Advertisement Related: Mark Wahlberg Did Not Hesitate to Give His 2025-26 Detroit Lions Prediction This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Pistons Projected to Draft 'Terrific Rebounder' to Bolster Frontcourt
Pistons Projected to Draft 'Terrific Rebounder' to Bolster Frontcourt originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Detroit Pistons are coming off an impressive season that saw them go from being the worst team in the NBA to being a playoff team. Advertisement Of course, Detroit finished with the worst record in the NBA the prior two seasons before they were able to turn things around this year and make the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. They were then able to battle it out with the New York Knicks in the first round and while they were eliminated in six games, they proved that Detroit basketball is officially back. Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham© Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Now the Pistons enter the offseason looking to build around their core of Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren. Detroit only holds one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel has them selecting Chinese center Hansen Yang with the 37th overall pick. Advertisement 'Yang is a terrific rebounder. He possesses great footwork in the low post, but he will need to work on his defensive awareness and positioning before contributing in a serious manner,' Siegel wrote. 'The Detroit Pistons can take a chance on Yang in this spot since they need to add more frontcourt depth.' Siegel makes a great point about the Pistons needing to upgrade their frontcourt depth this summer and Yang could end up being a perfect fit, especially after showing out at the NBA Draft Combine. This season in China, the 7-2 center averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 55.4 % from the field and 22.6% from three. While Yang is still developing his scoring and defensive abilities, he has a chance to be a potential steal of the draft if he continues to develop his game, especially with him being only 19 years old. Advertisement Yang would bring much-needed size to the Pistons and he would also provide them with another solid defender, which was the staple of Detroit's game this season. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
