Credit: Aaron J. Thornton
By Aaron J. Thornton
We are well into March and that means the end is near for college basketball. With the regular season play already over, the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans both headed to Indianapolis last week for the Big Ten Tournament.
Michigan entered the tournament as a #8 seed and took on the #9 Indiana Hoosiers in a round 2 game on Thursday. In Coach Juwan Howard’s first game back from a five game suspension, the Wolverines started in control, building a 13 point lead 41-28 at halftime. Then they (Michigan) did what plagued them at times throughout the regular season, not playing a full 40 minute game and losing in the second half. The Maize and Blue collapsed, going over 10 minutes in the second half without a field goal and struggling to stop the red hot shooting of Indiana from behind the three point arc after the break. Led by Trayce Jackson-Davis’ 24 points, the Hoosiers would shoot 53% for three pointers in the game (80% in the second half) and comeback from being down 17 points to win 74-69, sending the Wolverines back to Ann Arbor. DeVante’ Jones led all Michigan scorers with 18 points in the game.
Michigan State would square off later the same day against the #10 seed Maryland Terrapins. After beating Maryland by ten in the regular season finale, the Spartans would sweep the Terrapins winning yet again in the second round of the Big Ten tournament 76-72. Michigan State, led by Max Christie’s 16 points in the game, would have nine players score in the game and move on to the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals on Friday, Michigan State would have a more difficult matchup, facing the #2 seed Wisconsin Badgers. But the higher seed and #10 ranking nationally that the Badgers achieved did not phase the Spartans. Michigan State would take an early 14-6 lead in the game and roll to a 69-63 victory advancing to the tournament semifinals behind a double double from Marcus Bingham Jr. with 19 points and 11 rebounds. In that game, the Spartans defense shut down All Big Ten first team player Johnny Davis of Wisconsin holding him to only 11 points and shooting 3 of 19 from the field.
Saturday, March 12 would showcase the final four teams left in the Big Ten Tournament. The #5 seed Iowa Hawkeyes would play the #9 seed Indiana Hoosiers in the first game. Michigan State would take on the #3 seed Purdue Boilermakers in the later game. The two winners would head to the Finals on Sunday with a chance to be crowned Big Tournament Champions.
Despite the Spartans keeping the game close for the first 12 minutes, the Boilermakers would go on a 12-1 run late in the second half and Michigan State would find themselves down by 7 points at half time. In the second half, Michigan State would come within one point with just under six minutes left in the game but would not be able to keep the momentum to take the lead. The Spartans would come up short in their comeback effort and fall 70-75 in the contest.
The Iowa Hawkeyes, who won with a buzzer beater against Indiana in the first semifinals game on that Saturday, would face Purdue in the Championship game and the Hawkeyes would take the Big Ten Tournament Champion title for 2022.
Next up for both Michigan and Michigan State are NCAA Tournament games where both teams hope to regroup and make a run in a tournament that will feature a total of nine Big Teams. Michigan will play Colorado State on Thursday, March 17 in Indianapolis, IN. Michigan State will play Davidson on Friday, March 18 in Greenville, SC.
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