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.
During the postgame senior day ceremony, Izzo spoke to the crowd and brought football coach Jonathan Smith and former football coach Mark Dantonio to the floor. He also summoned his former players of all eras to celebrate.
And he delivered a succinct message about the late-game incident.
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“I give Michigan a lot of credit. (Coach Dusty May) has done a hell of a job,” Izzo said. “But we have a freaking tradition here. Nobody — NOBODY — is changing our tradition.”
The crowd erupted in celebration, and Izzo brought Holloman to center court to kiss the logo – quite likely the first underclassman to participate in the tradition that began with the first smooch 30 years go by Shawn Respert in 1995. That started after the Fab Five a few years earlier wiped their posteriors on MSU’s midcourt Block S.
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:
MSU’s early blitz of Michigan reminiscent of 2000 epic blowout
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.
MSU makes 3s — a good sign for March Madness
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: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
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