With its eighth-straight win over the Wolverines, the Spartans reaffirmed their dominance in the state’s age-old rivalry.
MSU (12-8 overall, 3-4 Big Ten) has maintained a 23.6-point average margin of victory during the streak.
On Wednesday, Michigan (8-10, 3-5) started strong, scoring the first five points, but MSU responded quickly with an 11-0 run to take control. From there, the Spartans never trailed en route to their 71-44 win.
“We just came out the first five minutes and tried to bury them,” sophomore guard Marcus Taylor said. “I realized if we did that it would be harder on them, and we didn’t want to turn back.”
Taylor finished with 10 points and five assists.
The 27-point margin of victory is the second largest over the eight-game stretch.
Many felt this year’s game would be close, if not a possible U-M victory. Before the recent dominance by the Spartans, the Wolverines maintained a streak of their own - five straight.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo said the swing in power hasn’t come easy. He attributes the success of his program to the players.
“It feels good, but it’s been a strange 13 games,” Izzo said. “In the first five games, I could hardly keep my head above water. And now we play awfully well in some of them.
“When you really get down to it, players do play the game. When one team has better players than the others, it seems to make a difference.”
As of late, the more talented players have been wearing the green and white.
The rivalry itself hasn’t been much of a challenge for the Spartans, as many fans remember the 114-63 blowout of the Wolverines on March 4, 2000, in East Lansing.
The drubbing served as a notice that the Spartans own the state.
But Izzo is hesitant to yield to the idea that MSU owns U-M. He said U-M head coach Tommy Amaker’s ability to recruit will bring the Wolverines back into the national spotlight. It also will bring the rivalry back to life.
“It will be a good rivalry,” Izzo said. “(Amaker) will get his players in there and get it done. I can guarantee you that.”
