Tom Izzo, Dusty May complain about dirty play in Michigan win vs Michigan State

In fewer than two full seasons, Dusty May has transformed Michigan men’s basketball from a languishing afterthought into a national title favorite, with the No. 2 Wolverines sitting at 20-1 only about 22 months after May inherited an 8-24 team.

In the process of doing that, he’s made at least one notable foe.

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May and longtime Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo got into a back-and-forth on Monday, Feb. 2, with each coach accusing the other’s team of dirty play in Michigan’s 83-71 road win against the No. 10 Spartans three days earlier.

REQUIRED READING: Men’s college basketball rankings after Week 13: Updated Coaches Poll, AP Top 25

While speaking with reporters on Feb. 2, May was asked about a play in which Michigan State standout Jeremy Fears Jr. appeared to trip Wolverines star Yaxel Lendeborg, something May said “wasn’t an illusion.”

“I think there were several plays that are very dangerous and I am incredibly proud of our guys for the responses they had to some of those situations,” May said. “Incredibly proud of their self-control, their restraint and their impulse control. I’ll leave it at that. But they’re not isolated incidents.”

May added that he had not reached out to Izzo or the Michigan State staff about his concerns.

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“The film’s there, 40 minutes of it,” he said. “It’s not hard to find.”

When asked later in the day about May’s comments, Izzo fired back: He took issue with what he saw as some nefarious tactics from the Wolverines, like Michigan’s Will Tschetter throwing his shoulder into Michigan State’s Jordan Scott on a 3-point attempt, something he described as “a complete joke.”

Izzo, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, said at least some of the heightened on-court tensions during the game came from an intense matchup between Fears and Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau. He added that “there were some things Jeremy did,” but that he addressed it.

“Him and their point guard were going at it pretty…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/tom-izzo-dusty-may-complain-214807885.html

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Publish date : 2026-02-02 21:48:00

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