Michigan basketball faces ‘great divide’ between 1st and 2nd place in Big Ten

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EAST LANSING — All Dusty May could do was watch, his hands on his hips, and drop his head.

His Michigan basketball team had just committed its 11th turnover in Sunday’s opening 19 minutes, and after a drive and kick out for a 3 by Michigan State, trailed its rival by 24 points in the final minute of the first half at Breslin Center.

The Spartans went up by double figures less than seven minutes in, running away from the Wolverines, 79-62, in the regular-season finale and further cementing their outright Big Ten championship.

Michigan head coach Dusty May reacts to a play against Michigan State during the first half at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Sunday, March 9, 2025.

THE GAME: Michigan basketball faceplants in regular-season finale, loses to Michigan State, 79-62

It was a definitive statement, made by the team that had been there before, by the team that outlasted U-M in every way.

“There’s a great, great divide between first and second place,” May said afterward as his Wolverines finished tied for second in the 18-team league a season after finishing last in a 14-team group. “We saw that this year and so we’re going to attack this with some humility and try to figure out how we can make a big jump the next week before we play in Indianapolis.”

The chase

For the first 80% of the Wolverines’ first season with May at the helm, U-M was essentially on even footing — or perhaps slightly better footing — than Tom Izzo and the Spartans.

In parallel, the two Michigan schools scaled the Big Ten ranks, each building multiple-game cushions on the second-deepest conference in America. All while staring down a pair of late-season showdowns.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo celebrates a play against Michigan with guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) during the first half at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Sunday, March 9, 2025.

In November, Michigan started strong. In December, it got hot. By January, U-M was perhaps college basketball’s best story. Even as the calendar flipped to…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/michigan-basketball-faces-great-divide-100736781.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2025-03-10 10:07:00

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