ATLANTA – The No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans and the No. 5 seed Michigan Wolverines are both headed to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta. Both teams are facing formidable competition as the Spartans, led by Tom Izzo, will take on the No. 6 seed Ole Miss Rebels Friday (March 28) at 7:09 p.m. EST, while the Wolverines, led by Dusty May, will take on No. 1 seed Auburn Tigers at 9:39 p.m. EST inside State Farm Arena.
The Rebels are averaging 44.6% from the field and shooting 34.8% from beyond the arc, so they are no cakewalk for the Spartans. On the other hand, Auburn was once the best team in the country, accumulating a 27-2 record in March. They are now 30-5 and have fallen to Tennessee 70-65 in the second round of the SEC Tournament before eliminating Alabama State and Creighton to advance to the Sweet 16.
Speaking of the SEC Tournament, Ole Miss battled Auburn in the first round and fell 62-57. But, if the Spartans and Wolverines can advance to the Elite 8 and play against each other, the matchup would be the first of its kind for the in-state rivals, as both teams have never met in the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan State Spartans
The Spartans are 2-0 against Michigan this season, winning both games by a combined 30 points. The first game took place inside Crisler Arena on Feb. 21 when the then-No. 12 ranked Wolverines (20-5, 12-2 Big Ten) were riding a six-game winning streak while sitting atop the Big Ten Conference. The then-No. 14 ranked Spartans (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten) were riding a two-game winning streak heading into the matchup filled with a raucous crowd in Ann Arbor. Michigan took a 38-34 lead into halftime, but the Spartans overpowered the men in maize in the second half as they finished the half with a 41-24 run to take a 75-62 victory. Future first-round pick Jase Richardson led the Spartans with 21 points, while Tre Holloman dropped 18 points as they took sole possession of first place in the Big Ten Conference and never looked back.
The rematch between the two schools got out of hand early on Sunday, March 9, 2025, as the Spartans jumped out to a 50-28 lead at halftime. The Wolverines showed some signs of life during the second half as they went on a 14-0 run to cut into the massive lead, but ultimately overpowered as the Spartans won the Big Ten Conference championship outright with a 79-62 victory. To rub their nose in it, with 37.2 seconds remaining in the game, MSU forward Frankie Fidler exited the game and kissed the Spartans logo, an annual tradition the Spartans have done on Senior Day since 1995. Michigan freshmen guards L.J. Cason and Phat Phat Brooks stood at center court as Justin Pippen was shooting at the free-throw line. Holloman took offense to the freshmen standing on the Spartans logo during the Senior Day tradition, started by Shawn Respert, walked over and confronted them before shoving Cason, which incited a dust-up between the teams to the amazement of the crowd inside the Breslin Center in East Lansing. The incident made headline news, drawing a golden opportunity to capture the moment by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, who released a “Michigan State Sparty Kissing the Court Bobblehead.”
The Spartans carried the momentum into the Big Ten Tournament as they rode a seven-game winning streak before taking down the Oregon Ducks in the first round to extend their streak to eight consecutive. The eight-game winning streak was all against Quad 1 opponents, including Michigan twice. MSU ultimately fell in the semi-finals to the Wisconsin Badgers, who snapped their eight-game winning streak behind the hot shooting of senior guard John Tonje, who shot 8-15 from the field, 12-14 from the free-throw line for 32 points in the victory.
Michigan Wolverines
Thanks to the Spartans, Michigan finished the regular season losing four out of their last six games and riding a three-game losing streak to end the regular season. With no momentum heading into the Big Ten Tournament, Michigan, after receiving some much-needed rest, took down the Purdue Boilermakers 86-68 to advance to the semi-finals, where the Maryland Terrapins awaited them. Looking like a new team, the Wolverines escaped a nail-biter between the two teams, thanks partly to guard Tre Donaldson’s coast-to-coast layup to take an 81-80 victory. Donaldson scored the team’s final five points to seal the victory.
Waiting for the Wolverines were the Badgers, who eliminated the Spartans the round prior in the Big Ten Tournament championship, where more late-game heroics ensued. In a matchup where both teams struggled to end the first half (23-21 Wisconsin), the Wolverines, in a total team effort, made pivotal plays and got a much-needed stop to pull away in a 59-53 title game victory.
Michigan went from finishing the regular season on a dud to rattling off three consecutive victories to head into the NCAA Tournament with some much-needed momentum. After ending the regular season with a three-game losing streak, the Wolverines flipped a switch and began March Madness on a three-game winning streak to take on UC San Diego, which was the fans’ favorite and pundits alike as the possible 12-5 upset. It was nothing new, as the Wolverines were underdogs for all three of their matchups in the Big Ten Tournament, but they, by the skin of their teeth, squeaked out a 68-65 victory behind Donaldson’s clutch playmaking abilities. With the victory, Michigan extended its winning streak to four consecutive as it moved on to the round of 32 to take on the No. 4-seated Texas A&M Aggies. Texas A&M took a 10-point lead in the second half, but Michigan went on a 25-9 run to outlast the Aggies 91-79 behind the stellar play of guard Roddy Gayle Jr., who dropped 26 points, Cason, who added 11 points, Vladislav Goldin who had the first 23 points and 12 rebounds game in the NCAA Tournament for Michigan since Chris Webber, and Danny Wolf who finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks.
Potential Matchup
Ahead of their first meeting back in February, Michigan, which is currently riding a five-game winning streak, won six consecutive games before falling to MSU at home. If both teams were to advance to the Elite 8 and match up against each other, Michigan could ride a six-game winning streak ahead of their matchup, while the Spartans could be on a three-game winning streak like both teams did last month. But instead of playing for regular-season bragging rights, the Wolverines and the Spartans could be playing one another for a chance to advance to the Final Four and to raise another banner inside their respective arenas next season. Not to mention how the potential duel would impact the state, as family members, co-workers, and neighbors who could not make the trip to Atlanta would proudly wear their school colors in front of their nearest television. Oh, and it could lead to potential scuffles for the losing team as the winners would be trash-talking. Just imagine all of the revenue the state would bring in, from apparel to restaurants and bars, packed on a Sunday afternoon.
Both basketball programs won a version of the Big Ten title, and yes, MSU is up 2-0 this season. But if the in-state rivalry happens, Sunday’s game would cause plenty of hardships for both sides as they’ll be hanging a Final Four banner to go along with their Big Ten banner. The old saying, “It’s hard to beat a team three times in a row,” has plenty of meanings, for instance: If a team beats you twice in the same season and they face off again, that usually means that they are the better team. However, for Michigan, the emergence of some key players coming together at the right time of the season could mean trouble for the Spartans this time around, as this team doesn’t look like the teams from the previous two meetings between the schools.
