The Michigan Wolverines took it to their in-state rivals last night at Crisler Center, defeating the Michigan State Spartans by a 69-50 final score and clinching their first Big Ten title since 2014.
And as if playing the Spartans with a chance to deal a serious blow to their tournament hopes wasn’t motivation enough, they got even more in the form of a video from a former Spartan and one of the NBA’s most outspoken personalities.
Prior to tip-off, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard played a video of Draymond Green bashing Michigan. Of course, Green is one of the top players in Spartans team history, and is a 3-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors.
“He had a nice little video I just wanted the guys to listen to,” Howard said. “I think they really enjoyed watching it and listening to the words he said.”
During his career in East Lansing, Green went 4-3 against the Wolverines.
“He’s a big talker and he was just saying how he wished we would never win a game ever,” Michigan point guard Mike Smith said.
However, you can certainly count Howard among Green’s fans.
“I’m a huge Draymond Green fan. I’ll start with with,” he said.
Howard then recalled a story of when he approached Green as an assistant with the Miami Heat during a pre-game workout.
“I said, ‘This is not no Michigan-Michigan State rivalry stuff. I just want you to know that I’m a big fan of your game. I’ve watched you and I’ve seen you develop. Just know that you always have a fan here.’”
The Wolverines and Spartans will once again get together in East Lansing for the regular season finale on Sunday.
– – Quotes via Andrew Khan of MLive Link – –
