Tre Holloman scored a career-high 20 points, Jase Richardson had 18 points and No. 8 Michigan State beat No. 17 Michigan on Sunday, 79-62.
With 37.2 seconds left, the rivals got into a brief scrum. Michigan guard Phat Phat Brooks shoved Holloman after the Michigan State guard pushed Wolverines guard L.J. Cason on Sunday at midcourt of the Breslin Center, where seniors have kissed the Spartans’ logo in their final home game ever since Shawn Respert did it in 1995.
Brooks and Cason were at center court with 37.2 seconds left after teammate Justin Pippen made his first of two free throws. Holloman approached the two Wolverines players, pushed Cason’s chest with his right hand and Brooks responded with a two-handed push.
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Officials, Michigan coach Dusty May and Michigan State assistants then separated the emotionally charged players.
“Are we not allowed to stand at half court while they’re shooting free throws?” May asked sarcastically. “They earned the right to rub our noses in it. We have to play better. We have to get tougher. We move on, and we have to compete for another (Big Ten Tournament) championship this week.”
Michigan State later resumed its kissing tradition and went on to complete the season sweep against Michigan.
During a postgame celebration, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo invited Holloman — a junior — to kiss the school’s logo on the court.
“No shame in your tradition,” Izzo said to the roaring crowd.
“It’s a tradition here that’s so very important,” Izzo told reporters afterward. “That’s what rivalries are all about. If everybody is out there hugging and kissing, it’s probably not a rivalry.”
The Spartans (26-5, 17-3 Big Ten) closed the regular season with seven straight wins, including five against AP Top 25 teams.
Michigan State won the Big Ten’s first basketball title with 18 teams by three games over the Wolverines and No. 13 Maryland.
Izzo, a Hall of Fame coach, has won 11 Big Ten titles, tying the record Purdue’s Ward “Piggy” Lambert set in 1990 and Indiana’s Bob Knight matched in 1993.
The Wolverines (22-9, 14-6) have lost a season-high three consecutive games.
Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin had 29 points and Danny Wolf didn’t help offensively until it was too late, scoring 15 of his 18 points in the second half.
Takeaways
Michigan: May’s debut has been better than expected, but the Wolverines are playing their worst basketball of the season at the wrong time.
Michigan State: Izzo’s 30th team was expected to be average in the Big Ten and has surpassed expectations.
Key moment
Richardson made a 3-pointer with 8:56 left, ending Michigan’s 14-0 run to put Michigan State up by 14.
Key stat
The Spartans turned the game into a rout during the first half, converting Michigan’s 11 turnovers into 18 points to lead 50-28.
Up next
Michigan State will be the top-seeded team at the Big Ten Tournament and Michigan will be among the four teams with two byes that will play Friday in Indianapolis.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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