The No. 3 Michigan men’s basketball team wasn’t given much time to bask in its stellar Tuesday night win over No. 5 Nebraska. There were too many questions to be asked postgame about Friday’s trip to East Lansing.
That wasn’t a problem for graduate guard Nimari Burnett, who seemed to already have just the one thing on his mind. When asked about his feelings surrounding the matchup with No. 7 Michigan State, he kept his response short.
“It’s everything.”
A perfect answer. Just what you’d expect from a program veteran who not only understands the high stakes of a ranked conference matchup, but has experienced the emotions surrounding one of the most heated rivalries in the sport. It’s too bad that’s something so hard to come by in Ann Arbor these days.
Burnett is one of just four returning Wolverines from last year’s squad, and the only starter. Come tipoff Friday, he’ll be the sole player standing in blue at half-court who remembers the altercation that took place on that Spartan logo last March. The only one who remembers getting his teeth kicked in before the first half was over. The only one who’s experienced just how loud Breslin Center gets when its most-hated opponent is in town.
Standing across from Burnett at half-court will be Michigan’s mirror image. The Spartans’ starting five consists of four athletes who’ve spent at least the last three seasons at Michigan State. These are guys who have always been Spartans, who have been teammates for years together and who all understand this rivalry because they’ve played in it, over and over. All five will no question be backed by a deafening crowd 15,000-strong with nothing but hate in their hearts for ‘The School Down the Road’.
The two teams’ combined No. 10 overall ranking is the lowest in the rivalry’s history that dates back to 1909. They’re both extremely talented rosters with their own brands of dominance, and in between them there’s a lot of shared stakes. The two programs will be playing for a better national ranking and to stay at the summit of the Big Ten Conference, and there’s no doubt both squads will pour their all into achieving both goals. But it’s not far-fetched to say this Spartans group places a lot more stake in the rivalry itself — and that’s an edge either team would kill for Friday.
Maybe it doesn’t matter. This is quite possibly the most skilled Wolverines basketball team of all time, after all. One must not already forget the unbelievable early–season blowouts of multiple ranked opponents through December, let alone the top-five victory over the undefeated Cornhuskers Tuesday. And No. 6 Duke has already proven Michigan State can be taken down at home this year.
But this is also a Michigan team that has been prone to underperforming on the road, against much lesser opponents than this Spartans squad. It trailed unranked Maryland and Texas Christian at halftime, and it let a below-average Penn State squad take them to the final possession. A team that already doesn’t perform in unfriendly environments doesn’t have the best odds to emerge from the Breslin Center victorious.
And as last year’s Wolverines learned in their second iteration of the rivalry, talent can only go so far. Familiar problems with turnovers plagued last year’s Michigan squad against the Spartans early, and it paid a heavy price. The way things are trending for this year’s group, those issues are likely to show up again.
On the Wolverines’ first possession of last year’s contest in East Lansing, then-graduate center Vlad Goldin threw a half-court heave that was intercepted by Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears, before it was deflected off Michigan out of bounds. After just that one play, Fears was already in Wolverines players’ faces, clapping and ushering the already raucous crowd to get louder.
A quick Spartans bucket followed. The crowd grew louder. Michigan’s offense immediately pushed the pace as per usual, and a sloppy offensive foul put the ball back in Michigan State’s hands. Players on the court and on the bench clapped with vigor as Breslin Center reached a fever pitch. The score was just 2-0, but the scales already felt tipped massively in favor of the Spartans.
Sequences such as that example occurred throughout last year’s matchup from start to finish, preventing any sign of a Wolverines comeback from materializing.
Jump back to this year’s Michigan team, which early on looked as if it had ridded itself of the turnover problems typically synonymous with the pace of play coach Dusty May feels comfortable at. But as of late, poor ball control has floated back up to the top of the list of concerns.
Against Nebraska Tuesday, the Wolverines committed a total of 19 turnovers, the worst of which came during crucial offensive possessions in which full-court heaves or rushed passes swung momentum right back into the Cornhuskers’ favor. And against Ohio State, a sloppy opening half outlined the blueprint for a 14-turnover night. That contest against the Buckeyes specifically gave May some flashbacks that are concerning come Friday.
“We looked like we were out of sync, and those turnovers started to spiral,” May said Jan. 23. “We looked more like we did last year.”
This Michigan squad is by no means last year’s team. But that’s kind of the point: Lacking experience in such a potent rivalry game as this leaves a team vulnerable to coming out and making the same mistakes as those preceding it.
There is no doubt the Wolverines have the talent to win Friday, that should be the least of Michigan’s concerns. But there’s a reason the Wolverines haven’t won on the road against Michigan State since 2018. Michigan won’t find a more hostile environment all season. And even with May, Burnett and his fellow returners issuing any advice they have in attempting to survive on Friday, the majority of the Wolverines won’t know what they’re in for until they’re out on the court.
