“This is really serious, and coach is going to be on a new level,” Cooper said, directing his message at MSU’s “new guys.” 

The Spartans (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten) travel to Ann Arbor on Friday to face first-place Michigan (20-5, 12-2) in a rivalry matchup with championship implications for the first time in years. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at Crisler Center, airing on FOX.

The first of two meetings between the in-state rivals gives MSU a chance to take first place and set up a high-stakes rematch in East Lansing on the final day of the regular season. A Michigan win would solidify its hold on the conference race with two weeks left.

“We weren’t a rivalry when we weren’t any good,” Izzo said after practice Wednesday. “You always got your in-state rivals. But when both programs are good, it’s always a better rivalry.”

MSU enters Friday humming at the right time, fresh off back-to-back wins over formidable opponents Illinois and Purdue. The Spartans’ defense and depth have been the driving forces, wearing opponents down and forcing turnovers for points the other way. Against Purdue, MSU capitalized on 12 Boilermaker turnovers for 19 points and held one of the league’s most efficient offenses to 66 points. 

Meanwhile, Michigan has quietly climbed to the top of the Big Ten standings, winning its last seven games by four points or fewer. The Wolverines have excelled in close games, relying on seven-footers Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin to create mismatches in an unconventional pick-and-roll offense.

Izzo, with decades of experience in the Big Ten, has built his teams to peak in February and March, and MSU’s defensive pressure has ramped up in recent games. Michigan’s Dusty May has guided the Wolverines to first place in his first season in Ann Arbor, relying on his two-headed beast at power forward and center. 

“(May’s) done a great job with his team,” Izzo said. “They’re well-coached, they play hard and they’re unique. It’s a unique team with the two seven-footers.”

With two meetings in 17 days, Friday sets the tone for the March 9 rematch in East Lansing and could determine the Big Ten champion.

The story feels familiar because it is. 

In 2019, MSU and Michigan played two top-10 matchups in the final three weeks of the regular season. The Spartans took both, capping the sweep with a Big Ten title-clinching win on a memorable senior night at Breslin Center. The rivals met again eight days later in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, and MSU won its third game over Michigan in the span of three weeks. 

This rivalry defined the league that season. Six years later, history is threatening to repeat itself. The stakes aren’t identical, but the weight of both games feels just as heavy. 

At least one of these programs was among the Big Ten’s elite throughout the 2010s, and the other often wasn’t far behind. Four of five matchups between 2012 and 2014 featured a top-five team. In 2018, Michigan swept a star-studded Spartan group en route to a national championship game appearance while MSU was upset in the Round of 32.

Then, for years after Michigan won the Big Ten in 2021, this game stopped meaning what it used to. Not in the sense of dislike for one another. That’s permanent. But as a clash that defined the Big Ten? That went missing. The rivalry was the league’s standard for nearly a decade — conference titles, Final Four runs, top-ten matchups, national relevance. 

It’s always mattered. This year, it means everything.