If you’re wondering just how icy things have gotten between Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Michigan’s Dusty May, you didn’t need to hear a word from either coach after Friday night’s game. All you had to do was watch the handshake.
Or, more accurately, the drive-by handshake.
Izzo, in the immediate aftermath of an 83-71 home loss to his biggest rival - on his birthday, no less - offered May a quick right hand and kept it moving. No eye contact.
No small talk. Just a brisk, businesslike gesture and a beeline for the tunnel.
For a coach who’s long been known for his postgame sportsmanship, even with opponents he’s clashed with over the years, this wasn’t just uncharacteristic. It felt personal.
And truthfully, it is.
Michigan-Michigan State has always been one of the more intense rivalries in college basketball, but with May now in his second year at Michigan, the tension between these two head coaches has taken on a whole new edge. What’s brewing isn’t just about wins and losses - it’s about identity, philosophy, and the future of how college basketball is built.
The latest spark came not just from the final score, but from a hard foul during the game - when MSU’s Jeremy Fears Jr. appeared to trip Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg. That play became the centerpiece of a back-and-forth that stretched well beyond the final buzzer.
In separate press conferences 64 miles apart, both coaches took turns airing their grievances. May called it a dirty play and pointed to “several” dangerous moments from the Spartans.
Izzo, while acknowledging he addressed Fears’ actions, was quick to say it wasn’t a one-sided affair.
“I don’t care what Dusty says,” Izzo told reporters. “If anybody did anything dirty, tell him to call me, and I would be more than happy to address it.”
That’s not exactly a call for peace - more like a challenge wrapped in diplomacy.
This isn’t the first time things have spilled over after the final whistle. It’s the second time in three meetings that Izzo and May have been trading words days after the game. And with the next matchup looming on March 8, the tension isn’t going anywhere.
But this goes deeper than one hard foul or a frosty handshake. It’s philosophical.
May, 49, has wasted no time building his program through the transfer portal. His rosters so far have been aggressive and effective - a clear signal that he’s embracing the new era of college basketball, where player movement is constant and talent acquisition can happen overnight.
Izzo, 71 and in his 31st season at the helm in East Lansing, stands at the opposite end of that spectrum. He’s made it clear he’s not a portal-first coach.
He believes in recruiting high school players, developing them over time, and building continuity. His success speaks for itself - a likely 28th straight NCAA Tournament appearance is on deck, and last year’s Big Ten title and Elite Eight run came with a roster built the old-fashioned way.
That team, by the way, swept May’s Wolverines.
But this year, the script flipped. Michigan’s win at the Breslin Center - its first since 2018 - didn’t just sting because of the rivalry. It sent a message: the Wolverines are now firmly in the national title conversation, and the Spartans, while still dangerous, are chasing.
If Izzo’s top-five recruiting class pans out and his core sticks around, he could flip the dynamic again. But May’s shown he can reload fast - and if he lands another wave of top-tier transfers, he might widen the gap.
This is shaping up to be a high-level, high-stakes coaching rivalry. Think Dabo Swinney vs.
Lane Kiffin - but with more mutual respect and fewer Twitter jabs. And it’s exactly the kind of tension college basketball could use more of.
Two elite programs, two elite coaches, two completely different approaches - and a rivalry with real bite.
We don’t get many of these anymore. The days of John Chaney storming into a John Calipari presser yelling “I’ll kill you!”
are long gone. The fiery feuds of Bobby Knight vs.
Gene Keady or Jim Boeheim vs. Jim Calhoun have faded into memory.
These days, most coaches keep their grievances vague and their criticisms anonymous.
Even the sport’s most animated figure right now, UConn’s Danny Hurley, tends to save his venom for refs, fans, and the media - not opposing coaches. Rick Pitino’s out there, practically begging for a sparring partner in the Big East, and Hurley’s too busy counting his rings to bite.
Izzo’s had his moments. His most notable feud came with Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan, who beat him six straight times early in the 2000s - a stretch that inspired “OH FOR BO” T-shirts in Madison.
But even that cooled off eventually. Izzo’s known for mending fences.
He’s the guy who calls up coaches from other sports just to congratulate them after a big win.
His relationship with former Michigan coach John Beilein is a perfect example. Beilein elevated the Wolverines to national relevance, and while the rivalry on the court was fierce, the two coaches developed a genuine friendship off it. That’s not happening here - at least not yet.
Because right now, this thing with May is simmering. And it’s not just about the Fears-Lendeborg incident.
May took things a step further, praising his players for their “self-control” and pushing back against the “mercenaries” label that’s been attached to his transfer-heavy roster. That clearly touched a nerve.
Izzo, meanwhile, bristled when asked about the handshake. “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.”
Here’s the thing: it is controversial. And it’s not just the media stirring the pot.
There’s decades of footage that show Izzo doesn’t usually brush off postgame handshakes - even after tough losses. This one stood out.
And the fans have noticed. Social media is already flooded with slow-motion clips of the Fears foul, and you can bet they’ll be dissecting every angle until the rematch in March.
This is a rivalry with real heat. Two coaches who don’t see the game - or the path to success - the same way.
Two programs with national championship potential. And a storyline that’s just getting started.
College basketball needs this. Now let’s just hope the coaches take their own advice and stay off their phones. The next chapter’s coming soon - and it’s going to be must-watch.