On the gridiron, Michigan football makes absolutely no bones about it.
The Wolverines prepare 365 days a year for Ohio State, also known as “That Team Down South,” even as they get ready for other opponents on their schedule.
On the hardwood, however, there’s little doubt the Buckeyes drop to rival No. 2 for Michigan basketball, well behind the top foe: Michigan State.
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Tom Izzo is in his 30th season atop the Spartans program, with more than a decade before that as an assistant in East Lansing. May, meanwhile, has been in Ann Arbor for only three-quarters of a year. But he knows the history of the rivalry, having seen it during his days at Indiana and Eastern Michigan.
So, yes, he has been paying attention to what the Spartans have been doing.
“100%,” May said Monday morning when asked if he has kept tabs on the in-state foe. “Keep an eye on everyone in the Big Ten. Obviously we bump into them in recruiting, we hear about them a lot and they’re obviously playing at a high, high level right now, so we’re going to hear about them more.”
Michigan State (14-2, 5-0 Big Ten) has won nine games in a row to remain only other undefeated team in Big Ten play and checked in at No. 14 Monday in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. U-M, winners of five in a row, is No. 19 having topped former Pac-12 schools UCLA and Washington by double digits last week.
As May said Monday, “the computers” really like Michigan, which comes in at No. 8 in Bart Torvik’s rankings, No. 10 in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings and No. 11 in the NCAA’s preferred NET rankings, well above their rank from the coaches. Michigan State, meanwhile, is No. 14 in KenPom and NET and No. 15 per Torvik, all slightly below where they sit its No. 12 ranking from the coaches.
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Either way, both are at the top of the Big Ten, one game ahead of one-loss Purdue and two games clear of everyone else.
“We think it’s better for college basketball when we’re both sitting at the top of the standings,” May said. “As long as we’re up there, we don’t really care where the Spartans are. But I think it adds more interest to the game. It’s good for the state of basketball in Michigan. It’s good for the young players to come to games where there’s such an environment. All those things are healthy.”
While May admitted Michigan is keeping tabs on Michigan State, he also pointed out both of those matchups are more than a month away. U-M will host MSU at Crisler Center on Feb. 21 (8 p.m., Fox) before the Wolverines return the trip up to East Lansing for MSU’s senior day on March 9 (noon, CBS).
Things are shaping up for a Big Ten title to be on the line that day — but only if U-M takes care of business first.
“If we’re thinking about Michigan State right now — we just have so many games that we have to focus on,” May said, cutting himself off mid-sentence. “Minnesota (on Thursday) and then turn the page to Northwestern and then turn the page to I think it’s Purdue after that.
“But all focus is on Minnesota right now.”
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Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
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