If you were in Michigan on Sunday, the Super Bowl was the other game, as sports fans around the Mitten State had more of an interest in what is heating up to be quite the series between Michigan and Michigan State on the hardwood. In a rematch of Michigan’s one-point win on January 17 in Ann Arbor, the Spartans handled their in-state rivals for a 64-54 win behind an inspired performance from senior captain Draymond Green.
Here are a few things to take away from this important Big Ten showdown:
- Rebounding — You need look no further than Green’s individual stat line to understand the massive discrepancy in rebounding between these two teams on Sunday. Michigan State pulled down 39 rebounds on the afternoon, while Michigan had just 15. Most impressively, Green had 16 of the Spartans’ boards. Yes, Draymond Green single-handedly outrebounded Michigan on the glass. It was pretty clear that Michigan State, which entered the afternoon leading the conference in rebounding margin (and Green leading the conference in rebounds per game), would probably have an advantage on the glass, but it was unknown how much it would factor into the final result. Also, the offensive rebounding differential (Michigan State 12-3) led to 16 second-chance Michigan State points, while the Wolverines had just three.
- Michigan’s Offense — Overall, the Wolverines had a challenging time scoring on Sunday against Michigan State’s stifling defense. Michigan’s 54 points was its second-fewest this season (49 at Ohio State on January 29) and the Wolverines never quite got into a rhythm. Trey Burke was never able to control Michigan’s offense — let alone the flow of the game as a whole — and Tim Hardaway Jr. was hardly a factor at all. Without the opportunity to score on any second-chance buckets, Michigan just never got into a groove offensively.
- Tim Hardaway Jr.’s Absence — Like we mentioned before, without a decent performance from one of its top players, the Wolverines faced an uphill climb on the road against one of the Big Ten’s best defensive squads. Hardaway was out of sync the entire game and did not score in the first half. He finished with four points and one rebound on 1-for-10 shooting from the field, for just his third single-digit scoring output against a Big Ten opponent this season. Hardaway has come up big for the Wolverines in important wins this seasons (21 vs. Memphis, 19 at Purdue, 17 vs. Wisconsin), but has also faltered in some critical losses (nine at Arkansas, nine at Iowa, five at Virginia). He has as much talent as anyone on John Beilein‘s roster and is an All-Big Ten caliber player, but must maintain some consistency for Michigan to remain potent.
- This Rivalry — This rivalry has seesawed back and forth since the days of the Fab Five when Michigan would consistently run the Spartans out of the gym. Tom Izzo never forgot those games when he was initiated into Big Ten play, and his early teams got back at the Wolverines with quite a few blowouts and a dominating string of wins. Things now have evened out over the last few years, and each team seems poised to hold down its end of the rivalry. After Michigan won three straight, the Spartans held serve Sunday (Michigan State has not lost more than three in a row in the rivalry since 1998) and it should be a pretty even matchup for the next few years. Regardless of who wins on a particular night, having both these teams prominent on the national landscape is great for basketball in Michigan, the Big Ten and nationally.