It’s a rivalry matchup on the hardwood tonight in Ann Arbor, as the Michigan Wolverines will be bringing in their rivals from East Lansing to Crisler Center for a pivotal matchup against the Michigan State Spartans.
This will be the 3rd straight home game for the Wolverines, while the Spartans were able to break a three game losing streak this weekend with a thrilling upset against the Purdue Boilermakers.
And ahead of tonight’s game, the Wolverines have released what uniforms they’ll be donning that will make fans of the throwback look smile:
Tonight!
〽️🏀 | #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/m3eQIllXC8
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) March 1, 2022
The Spartans defeated the Wolverines at Breslin Center on January 29 by an 83-67 final score in what was the first matchup of the year between the two rivals. The Wolverines finished the month of February with a 5-4 mark while also losing head coach Juwan Howard for the remainder of the regular season thanks to his actions against Wisconsin. Meanwhile, the Spartans fell out of the race for a Big Ten title with a record of 3-5 last month.
No stranger himself to rivalries, Michigan assistant coach Phil Martelli knows the importance of matchups against Michigan State.
“Having been so engrained in Philadelphia, I understand what it’s like to play the Temple’s or the Villanova’s”, Martelli said. “But I think what’s extraordinary here is the run of successes that each of these programs have had — when you mention it to a manager or support staff, you know Michigan State, that’s different. I’ve marveled at it and I’ve appreciated it.”
“You’re playing for more than just your team, and I think that’s a neat thing, I really do. Martelli continued. “I do think these rivalries are healthy. We know that some of these rivalries throughout the country, they’re not healthy…anybody out there, they’ve gone in the backyard and they’ve played tackle football against their brother, or their cousin, or the kid across the street who they consider like a brother. And man, nobody wants to lose that one. Because it’s more than a loss. It stays with you.”
Tonight’s game will begin at 8:30 PM EST with television coverage on FS1, with additional coverage on WWJ-AM (950) and WJR-AM (760).
– – Quotes via Maize N Brew Link – –
