College basketball weekend roundup: State of Michigan off to great start in Big Ten season

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It’s a great time to be a basketball fan in the state of Michigan.

Michigan State and Michigan faced uncertainty entering the season. The Spartans have their streak of 26 consecutive appearances in the men’s tournament, but they’ve only been to the Sweet 16 once since 2019, leaving wonder if Tom Izzo had another deep run left in East Lansing. Meanwhile, Michigan brought in Dusty May to turnaround a program that was coming off its worst season in more than 40 years.

But with a mix of old and new, the two programs are thriving and leading the Big Ten with 5-0 conference records.

May mastered the portal in his first season in Ann Arbor, primarily with him bringing Vladislav Goldin with him from Florida Atlantic. During Michigan’s five league wins that includes a sweep at the California schools, the big man has averaged a conference-best 22.0 points and added 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 67.9% from the field.

Michigan center Vladislav Goldin (50) grabs a rebound against Washington during the second half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025.

For Izzo’s squad, it’s been a mix of veterans led by senior Jaden Akins and freshman Jase Richardson propelling Michigan State to a nine-game win streak. The Spartans have been playing the typical solid defense, but the offense has improved by getting to the foul line and making their shots at the charity stripe, the second best free-throw percentage in the country (81.5%).

It’s become somewhat normal for both fanbases to feel uneasy about the postseason, but there’s now a renewed sense of optimism, and both teams lead the top storylines from the past weekend in hoops.

Top teams survive on the road

Plenty of the nation’s top teams were tested over the weekend with road contests, likely foreshadowing numerous tough bouts heading their way in conference play.

After the thumping it took at Florida, top-ranked Tennessee regrouped and showed resilience by pulling away from Texas for a 74-70 road win. Auburn got a major scare…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/college-basketball-weekend-roundup-state-110722931.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2025-01-13 11:07:00

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