The Great Lake State rivalry was already intense, but following Friday night's physical battle in East Lansing, tensions should be quite high when Michigan State and Michigan collide in Ann Arbor on March 8. Wolverines head coach Dusty May called out the Spartans for what he perceived to be “dangerous” plays and also accused playmaker extraordinaire Jeremy Fears Jr. of tripping star forward Yaxel Lendeborg.
Tom Izzo responded to the allegations, and did so in the colorful way fans have come to love over the last 30 years.
“I thought there were a couple of plays the other way, too,” he told reporters less than three days after the 83-71 loss, per the Detroit Free Press' Chris Solari. “Michigan's over, I'm moving on to Minnesota… I don't care what Dusty says… If anyone did anything dirty, tell him to call me.”
“I think there were some question mark calls. I think there were some question mark things that went both ways… Remember this: Whether I hug and kiss Dusty or he hugs and kisses me, we got beat by a better team.”
Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball look to regroup
The Spartans are unlikely to forget May's comments, but they have more pressing matters to address right now. Before beginning a difficult three-game stretch versus Illinois, Wisconsin and UCLA, Michigan State will visit the sub.-500 Minnesota Golden Gophers on Wednesday. Izzo must keep the locker room focused on the task at hand, and that is stacking wins in one of the most punishing conferences in the country.
Despite shooting 17 percent from 3-point range and trailing by as many as 18 points at home, this squad was still giving the mighty Wolverines all they could handle late in the second half. The Spartans must figure out how to close games against high-end competition, but they still have a shot at Big Ten glory, and possibly beyond.
Tom Izzo and company will try to release their frustrations inside Williams Arena. Michigan State (19-3, 9-2) will next collide with Michigan (20-1, 10-1) in the regular season finale, so fans should expect a worthy appetizer before postseason play begins.
