Michigan vs. Michigan State Isn’t Just a Rivalry Anymore - It’s Getting Personal
If you’ve followed Tom Izzo’s career, you know he’s not one to breeze through postgame handshakes. Win or lose, the Michigan State head coach has long been about respect, even when the scoreboard doesn’t go his way.
That’s what made Friday night’s brief, drive-by handshake with Michigan’s Dusty May so striking. It wasn’t just a reaction to a tough 83-71 home loss on his birthday - it felt like something deeper.
Something personal.
And it turns out, it is.
This isn’t just the latest chapter in the always-heated Michigan-Michigan State rivalry. This is a clash of philosophies, personalities, and programs that are suddenly on a collision course at the top of the Big Ten. And it’s getting nastier by the game.
A Rivalry Reignited - With Extra Fuel
The tension between Izzo and May didn’t start Friday, and it didn’t end there either. Earlier in the week, both coaches took to their respective press conferences - 64 miles apart - to lob verbal grenades following a contentious moment in the game: Michigan State freshman Jeremy Fears Jr. tripping Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg.
May didn’t hold back. He called out “several” dangerous plays by the Spartans and applauded his players for keeping their cool.
Izzo acknowledged the Fears incident but suggested there were questionable plays on Michigan’s side, too. Then he added, “I don’t care what Dusty says,” before offering what could either be a peace offering or a challenge: “If anybody did anything dirty, tell him to call me, and I would be more than happy to address it.”
This isn’t your average postgame back-and-forth. This is two coaches with very different visions for how to build a program - and they’re not afraid to say it.
Old School vs. New Age
On one side, you’ve got Izzo, a Hall of Famer in his 31st season, still grinding it out the traditional way - recruit high school kids, develop them, build continuity. It’s a model that’s worked for decades, and last year’s Big Ten title and Elite Eight run proved it can still deliver results.
On the other, there’s Dusty May, 49 years old and not wasting any time making his mark in Ann Arbor. His first two Michigan rosters have leaned heavily on the transfer portal, and not just for depth - he’s landing impact players, the kind that can change a season.
Friday’s win in East Lansing - Michigan’s first at the Breslin Center since 2018 - was a statement. Not just to Izzo, but to the rest of the country: the Wolverines are here, and they’re built to contend right now.
This is more than a philosophical divide. It’s a battle for Big Ten supremacy in real time. And with both teams sitting in the top 10 and harboring Final Four hopes, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
The Handshake Heard 'Round the State
Back to that handshake. Or lack thereof.
Izzo was asked about the quick exit, and he wasn’t thrilled with the question. “There should be a lot bigger things to get into than to worry about the God … darn handshake,” he said.
“So, sorry. But you guys have got to have something that’s controversial.”
The problem is, this is controversial - and not because the media made it so. Izzo has decades of postgame footage showing him taking time in the handshake line, even after tough losses.
This wasn’t just frustration. It was a signal that something’s brewing between these two programs, and it’s not going away quietly.
A New Era of Coaching Clashes?
College basketball used to be full of these kinds of rivalries - not just between schools, but between coaches. Think Bobby Knight and Gene Keady.
Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun. Rick Pitino and, well, just about everyone.
These days, it’s rarer. Coaches still take jabs, but they usually keep it vague.
That’s why this Izzo-May dynamic stands out. It’s real, it’s raw, and it’s happening at the top of the sport.
Even in a week where Alabama’s Nate Oats and Florida’s Todd Golden traded a few barbs after the Gators blew out the Tide, nothing feels quite as personal - or as potentially long-lasting - as what’s brewing in the state of Michigan.
March 8 Can’t Come Soon Enough
Circle the date. That’s when Michigan and Michigan State meet again, this time in Ann Arbor. Between now and then, expect plenty of slow-motion replays of the Fears trip, lots of fan chatter, and maybe even a few more press conference jabs.
May, for his part, also pushed back against the “mercenaries” label some fans have slapped on his roster - a common knock on teams built through the portal. But when you win like this, people talk.
And when you win at Breslin Center? They talk louder.
Izzo’s not backing down. May isn’t either. And college basketball is better for it.
All that’s left now is for both coaches to follow their own advice - the same thing they tell their players after every emotional win or loss: put down the phone, get back to work, and let the game do the talking.
Because this rivalry? It’s just getting started.