Sibling Rivalry: A Brief History of Michigan vs. Michigan State Basketball

Sibling Rivalry

A Brief History of Michigan vs. Michigan State Basketball

When it comes to Michigan vs. Michigan State, the first thought that comes to mind is the football field. However, this historic Big Ten rivalry on the hardwood is nothing to ignore. The Spartans and Wolverines have met on the court more than 180 times within 110 years starting back in 1909. During this time, each program has seen its share of NCAA stars who left it all out on the court. Magic Johnson, Glenn Rice, Chris Webber, Mateen Cleaves, Draymond Green and Trey Burke are some of the star performers to name a few. Legendary head coaches such as Steve Fisher and Tom Izzo brought the best out of these players in their head-to-head matchups. Despite this fierce in-state rivalry spanning over more than a decade, hundreds of players and coaches, and millions of fans and alumni, it did not start out as much of a competition. 

For the first 40 years, there was not much of a rivalry as the Wolverines dominated the in-state competition. Michigan State was able to turn the tide in the 1950s when they hired a new Head Coach Pete Newell who led the Spartans to their first national ranking. MSU prevailed in most of their matchups in the 1950s and into the early 60s. However, things would change once again after Michigan recruited the 6’5 Small Forward from Chicago named Cazzie Russell. From Cazzie’s first points to well after he was drafted into the NBA, Michigan held the upper hand against MSU until 1980. Through the 1980s and mid-way through the 90s, the rivalry was in full swing with both teams having significant wins streaks against one another including the Fab Five era. But this would soon change as the long time Michigan State assistant by the name of Tom Izzo became their Head Coach in 1995. 

To make an intense rivalry more intense, Michigan owns the overall matchup record at 100-82. However, the two programs have met a total of 16 times as ranked opponents with Michigan State owning the record at 9-7 to date. The two are almost tied for Big Ten Regular Season Championships with MSU at 15 titles to U of M’s 14. And when it comes to winning it all, Michigan State has brought home two national championships to Michigan’s one.

When college basketball rivalries are mentioned, Duke vs. North Carolina and Kentucky vs. Louisville are always thrown around; and rightfully so. But given the rich basketball history of Michigan vs. Michigan State on the court, this rivalry holds its own in comparison to others across all sports. 

Photo by Julian H. Gonzalez, Detroit Free Press