The first of two regular-season rivalry matchups between Michigan and Michigan State was all the more heated because of the teams’ battle for the Big Ten title and status as two of the top 10 teams in the nation. Michigan coach Dusty May argued that those tensions went a touch too far in the No. 3 Wolverines’ 83-71 win over the No. 7 Spartans last Friday night, accusing Michigan State of multiple “very dangerous” plays.
Among the incidents in question was a play in which Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. clipped Wolverines star Yaxel Lendeborg with his right foot. May pushed back on the assessment that it was an “apparent” trip and quipped, “it wasn’t an illusion.”
“I think there were several plays that were very dangerous,” May said on Monday. “I am incredibly proud of our guys for the responses they had to some of those situations. Incredibly proud for their self-control, their restraint and their impulse control. I’ll leave it at that. But they’re not isolated incidents.”
Physical play is an expectation in marquee matchups, and even more so when two bitter rivals are involved, but May’s perspective is that the Spartans crossed the line on more than just one occasion.
“The film is there,” May said. “40 minutes of it. It’s not hard to find.”
Michigan State’s Tom Izzo caught wind of May’s accusations. Three days removed from his third loss of the season, the Hall of Famer brushed off his rival coach’s comments, chalked the game’s physicality up to the heat of the battle and turned his attention to Wednesday’s trip to Minnesota.
“I thought there were a couple of plays the other way, too, like jumping into a guy and getting a foul when it was a complete joke,” Izzo said. “This is what it’s supposed to be. And you know what, Michigan’s over. I’m moving on to Minnesota. No insult to you. I don’t care what Dusty says. I don’t care what they say.
“There were some things Jeremy did I addressed. Him and their point guard were going at it pretty good. That’s what happens in games like this. If anybody did anything dirty, tell him to call me, and I would be more than happy to address it. If it was physical play, that’s the way that game’s always going to be.”
May said that he has not reached out to Izzo about the plays he labeled as dangerous.
The Wolverines and Spartans will close their two-leg rivalry series in the regular-season finale on March 8. Michigan will host the second half of the home-and-home.
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