Michigan State roars past Michigan 79-62, solidifying status as March Madness powerhouse
EAST LANSING — With Breslin Center a cauldron of cacophony, No. 7 Michigan State basketball put an exclamation point on coach Tom Izzo’s 11th Big Ten title with a 79-62 victory Sunday over the 15th-ranked Wolverines.
Tre Holloman had a career-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting for the Spartans, who led by as many as 24 points in the first half and pushed it to 61-36 a little more than six minutes into the second.
But with 37.2 seconds left and MSU trying to get senior Szymon Zapala a chance to kiss the logo per tradition, Holloman got into a pushing match with Michigan’s L.J. Cason and Phat Phat Brooks at midcourt. Holloman was issued a technical foul after first shoving the two Wolverines in the chest as they hovered on the middle of the Spartan helmet logo as Zapala was walking toward it.
Jase Richardson had 18 points and five rebounds, Jaden Akins scored 11 points with three assists and three steals on his senior day as MSU held U-M to 3-for-24 from 3-point range. Carson Cooper (eight) and Jaxon Kohler (seven) combined to help MSU outrebound the Wolverines, 39-30.
The Spartans’ reserves outscored U-M’s, 32-5.
MSU (26-5, 17-3) is the No. 1 seed in this week’s Big Ten tournament and will open play at noon Friday against the winner between No. 8 seed Oregon and No. 9 seed Indiana. Those two tip off at noon Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Spartans, who have won seven straight heading into the postseason, took the first meeting against U-M, 75-62, on Feb. 21 in Ann Arbor. MSU has won five of the past six in the rivalry, including back-to-back season sweeps.
Vlad Goldin had 29 points and six rebounds and Danny Wolf added 18 points and 13 rebounds for U-M (22-9, 14-6), which will be the No. 3 seed in Indy and opens play with the final game Friday night around 9 p.m. The Wolverines, who trailed by as many as 25 points, used a 14-0 run to get within 11 in the middle of the second half.
Here’s what stood out from MSU’s victory Sunday:
On March 5, 2000, the Spartans capped Izzo’s third of four consecutive Big Ten title with authority, a 114-63 domination of the Wolverines that remains steeped in program lore. Richardson’s father, Jason, was part of that group that included Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell and the core that started MSU’s ascent into blueblood status.
From the outset Sunday, the buzz began building even before tipoff. The Spartans’ defense established the tone for tenacity by forcing U-M into four turnovers in the first 3:01. And when Akins drained back-to-back 3-pointers to give MSU an 8-3 lead after the fourth takeaway, Wolverines coach Dusty May called timeout to settle his players.
That didn’t work. The Spartans’ defensive intensity kept U-M rattled and forced 11 first-half turnovers that turned into 18 points. Seven of those were MSU steals, including three from redshirt freshman Jeremy Fears Jr. and two from Akins.
The Wolverines, who entered as a 34.3% 3-point shooting team but struggling lately, went 2-for-10 in the first half.
In the second half, U-M worked its way back by continually pumping the ball inside with its 7-footers Goldin and Wolf, who combined to score the Wolverines’ first 17 points of the second half and all but four of their final 34 points. They cut it to an 11-point MSU lead with the 14-0 run over 4:21.
But Richardson ended that with a 3-pointer, and the Spartans steadily rebuilt it by holding U-M without a field goal for nearly four minutes. MSU pushed the lead to 19 with 40.6 seconds to go on a Zapala put back.
The Spartans’ outside shooting struggles have been a recurring theme all season.
At least for one game — and Izzo’s hope, for the postseason ahead — they found a cure against the Wolverines.
Akins hit his first 3-pointer in transition. After a steal flipped it back MSU’s way quickly, he drilled his second.
Akins later set up Holloman for his first triple, then got a favor returned from the junior guard moments later for his third. After scoring 61 points in the second half of Thursday’s 91-84 comeback at Iowa, the Spartans posted a 50-28 halftime lead against the Wolverines by shooting 47.1% overall and draining 7 of 18 from 3-point range in the first half. Akins and Holloman each scored 11 points with three 3s.
MSU finished 9-for-24 from 3-point range, its third straight game with nine made behind the arc.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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MSU’s early blitz of Michigan reminiscent of 2000 epic blowout
MSU makes 3s — a good sign for March Madness
No. 8 Michigan State, behind big first half, rolls past No. 17 Michigan
East Lansing — A couple of weeks ago, Sunday’s game between Michigan and Michigan State was supposed to be a battle for the Big Ten. Instead, it was a blowout between a team already crowned and a team in a freefall.
In a one-sided affair, No. 8 Michigan State won its seventh straight game by beating Michigan, 79-62, Sunday afternoon at Breslin Center. The Spartans completed a season sweep of their in-state rival, while the Wolverines lost their fourth game in the past six despite a strong second-half push.
BOX SCORE: No. 8 Michigan State 79, No. 17 Michigan 62
Michigan State’s win set a school record for victories in Big Ten play in a season at 17, having already clinched the outright Big Ten title with Thursday’s win over Iowa.
Michigan State (26-5, 17-3 Big Ten) laid the seeds of a blowout early. Jaden Akins hit a pair of 34s early on to erase Michigan’s only lead of the game. Meanwhile, eight teammates chipped in points. By the time Akins hit his third 3 a few minutes later, the Spartans led by double digits as part of a 12-1 run. It never got any closer.
So much of that had to do with Michigan State’s defense, which looked true to form as the class of the Big Ten. Closeouts were quick, positioning was strong and help was on time. Michigan (22-9, 14-6) turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, five before the first media timeout, against such sticky defense.
The shots kept falling for Michigan State, with Akins and guard Tre Holloman hitting three each in the first half. Jase Richardson hit one in the corner with 6:35 left in the first half to give his team an 18-point lead, dragging his hand down his face as he pedaled backward in front of the Michigan bench. Free throws from Frankie Fidler at 3:59 kept it that way, 37-19, after the Wolverines pushed back.
While center Vlad Goldin scored 14 of the first 17 points for Michigan, he finally started getting more help in the final stretch of the first half. Rubin Jones hit a 3, and Danny Wolf hit three free throws.
But the game remained a Michigan State blowout, and Breslin Center stayed on its feet. At 1:48, Richardson dunked a baseline lob to take a 20-point lead, then Akins stole the ball at halfcourt to feed a one-handed Jaxon Kohler jam. Michigan State ended the first half up 50-28.
Scoring cooled to start the second half as neither team made a field goal until a Goldin and-one at 2:0. The play occurred six seconds after Goldin and Jeremy Fears Jr. each earned double technical fouls. A Kohler 3 responded, but Goldin continued to be Michigan’s pulse.
Michigan found a stronger rhythm as a team seven minutes in, as Goldin and Wolf found a 7-0 run by getting to the rim. The duo paired up on the glass, too, a big part of Michigan’s efforts there, living up to the billing of twin 7-footers. Goldin finished the game with 29 points, while Wolf found 18. Michigan State led 61-43 with 11:53 to play.
The Wolf-Goldin show continued with another Goldin layup out of the media timeout, followed by one more from teammate L.J. Cason. Suddenly, a Michigan State team once up 25 on its rival had let its foot off the gas defensively, as the run grew to 14-0. The Spartans still led by 11.
With a corner 3, Richardson snapped a span of 5:35 without a field goal with a corner three. But there was a problem. After getting knocked into the crowd earlier in the second half, an already uncomfortable Richardson showed a limp after running into an official.
Michigan didn’t pull closer, in part due to a leveling presence from Holloman. His 20 points set a career high, and many came when his team needed them most to keep Michigan State up double digits when the Wolverines fought back.
As Wolf continued to score for Michigan, the Spartans’ guards kept pace. Fears hit four free throws down the stretch, while Richardson and Holloman continued to provide scoring. The bigs rebounded better around them.
Michigan State checked in its seniors as the final minute ticked down. As the Spartans subbed them out, Michigan’s Durral Brooks and Cason stood on the Spartan logo right in the middle of the proceedings, causing a scuffle with Holloman. Holloman and Cason left with a tech each. Michigan State’s senior got their ceremony, and the Spartans ran out the clock with a 17-point win.
Michigan State heads into the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis as the first seed, where it will play the winner of Oregon and Indiana in a noon game Friday (BTN). A third straight loss for Michigan drops it to a third-place finish in the conference, where it will play either Wisconsin, Minnesota or Northwestern later in Friday’s slate.
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Michigan State basketball vs. Michigan tipoff: Matchup analysis and a prediction
• What: Michigan State vs. Michigan
• When: Noon Sunday
• Where: Breslin Center
• TV/Radio: CBS/Spartan Sports Network radio, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; SiriusXM Ch. 195 (MSU broadcast), 196 (Michigan broadcast)
• Records/Rankings: MSU is 25-5 overall, 16-3 in the Big Ten and ranked No. 7 in the Coaches poll and No. 8 in The Associated Press poll, and is No. 9 per the college basketball analytics site Kenpom.com and No. 11 in the NCAA’s NET rankings. Michigan is 22-8 overall, 14-5 in the Big Ten and ranked No. 15 in the Coaches poll and 17 in the AP poll. The Wolverines are No. 28 nationally, per Kenpom, and also 28 in the NET rankings.
• Betting line: MSU -6.5
• Coaches: Michigan State — Tom Izzo is 731-300 in his 30th season as a head coach, all with the Spartans. Michigan — Dusty May is 148-77 in his seventh season as a head coach. This is his first season at Michigan after six seasons at Florida Atlantic.
• Series: Michigan leads 104-91 all-time. MSU won the first meeting this season, 75-62, on Feb 21 at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.
Projected lineups
MSU
C (10) Szymon Zapala (7-0) 4.8
F (0) Jaxon Kohler (6-9) 8.1
G (3) Jaden Akins (6-4) 13.0
G (11) Jase Richardson (6-3) 11.3
PG (1) Jeremy Fears Jr. (6-2) 7.0
Michigan
F (50) Vladislav Goldin (7-1) 16.3
F (1) Danny Wolf (7-1) 12.7
G (4) Nimari Burnett (6-5) 10.0
G (11) Roddy Gayle (6-5) 9.9
G (3) Tre Donaldson (6-3) 11.9
• MSU update: The Spartans are the Big Ten’s outright champions after their come-from-behind win at Iowa on Thursday and Michigan’s midweek loss to Maryland, which opened the door to clinch the title. It’s Tom Izzo’s 11th Big Ten championship, tying the mark of Bob Knight and Ward “Piggy” Lambert, and the program’s first since 2020 and first outright since 2018. Today’s game is no longer quite the high-stakes affair it appeared it might be, but it’s still Michigan at home on senior day, with a banner-raising afterward. That’s plenty big.
MSU is also trying to set itself up for the best-possible NCAA tournament seed. Based on projections, that’s likely to be a 2 seed. This will probably be the final home game for MSU seniors Jaden Akins, Szymon Zapala and Frankie Fidler. I say probably because you never know when the NCAA will suddenly allow for five years of eligibility or a player will challenge for another year. Zapala might have a case under current rules. But, as it stands, this is probably it for three players on what’s become a beloved MSU team, including Akins, who’s been a key contributor for four years.
RELATED: Couch: How Michigan State’s basketball team grew into becoming Big Ten champions
• Michigan update: The Wolverines have lost two straight — at home to Illinois and Maryland — to fall out of a Big Ten race they once led, running out of steam a bit just as their schedule stiffened at the end. Michigan’s profile in league play shows the vulnerabilities. In Big Ten play, the Wolverines are 14th in offensive efficiency, worst in turnover percentage and 17th in 3-point shooting at 31.7%. To illustrate how rough the shooting has been for Michigan, MSU, which is known for its outside shooting struggles, is at 32.5% in conference games. Michigan will still be a top-four seed at the Big Ten tournament regardless of Sunday’s outcome, meaning it’ll have a double-bye to Friday’s quarterfinals.
• Matchup analysis: In the first meeting, MSU picked its poison and allowed Vladislav Goldin to play one on one inside but made life tough on fellow 7-footer Danny Wolf, who makes things go for the Wolverines. MSU threw a number of different defenders at him successfully and tried to make him work defensively, too. You’d think the Spartans would try a similar approach. Jase Richardson carried MSU on the road that night until Tre Holloman got hot from beyond the arc in the second half and the Spartans’ depth, defense and 14 offensive rebounds seemed to wear the Wolverines down late. At Breslin Center, MSU will be hoping for a more balanced early performance and to get off to a fast start to test Michigan’s confidence.
• Prediction: The Wolverines have suggested that being out of the Big Ten race will allow them to play loose and for themselves. If that’s more than spin, Michigan could be dangerous, which the Wolverines were for a long time this Big Ten season, including for parts of the first game with MSU. We’ve seen the Spartans struggle in games that are supposed to be celebrations. This is another of them. At home, with the roof waiting to come off the building and a banner waiting to go up, and with seniors set to kiss the floor, you can’t lose this one. And there’s some pressure in that.
• Make it: MSU 78, Michigan 70
MORE: Couch: Inside Jase Richardson’s road from career-threatening surgery to MSU basketball revelation
— Graham Couch
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.
