When Michigan and MSU play it’s about more than just wins and losses. It’s about pride - personal, state and school pride.
It’s something you can’t understand until you experience it, and asking freshmen to step up to that challenge is asking a lot.
But that’s exactly what MSU head coach Tom Izzo asked of his freshmen.
In their first career game against arch-rival U-M on Tuesday, guard Marcus Taylor and center Zach Randolph remained in the starting lineup.
Izzo said he wasn’t sure how the freshmen would react in the hostile environment of Crisler Arena.
“When you have freshmen there’s a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “It’s difficult to know how they’re going to respond.”
The freshmen responded with a combined 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.
“Zach and Marcus took a big step tonight,” Izzo said after Tuesday’s 91-64 win.
Taylor said the fans in Ann Arbor are definitely harder on MSU players than anywhere else. He said the hecklers took a personal approach to their attacks.
“We came out to warm up and the crowd was on us already,” he said. “We expected that so we didn’t pay much attention. We just came out and played our game.”
Taylor said the crowd actually pumped him up more for the game and added that the U-M rivalry is great and being a part of it was something special.
Randolph was one of five Spartans to finish in double digits, with 13 points.
He dominated the low post, shooting 6-of-7 and grabbing six rebounds.
“It felt great to come out and play against Michigan,” he said. “We just came out and played hard. The intensity - that’s what it’s all about.”
The intensity Randolph spoke of was the thousands of Spartan fans who filled the upper bowl of Crisler Arena.
Randolph said playing on the road is difficult, but added hearing fans in Crisler chanting the “Michigan State Fight Song” loud and clear was inspiring.
Taylor, a graduate of Waverly High, 5027 W. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, and a Lansing native, has been a Spartan fan his whole life. He said he’s heard of MSU fans taking over Crisler and supporting the Spartans, but didn’t realize how important it is.
“We had a lot of people behind us and that got us going,” he said. “It was great for us.”
Taylor said the rivalry lived up to everything he imagined.
“It was great, especially when you come out on the winning end,” he said.
