MSU Uses Elite Defense to Stymie UofM, Coach Izzo now 35-14 vs Michigan All-Time

**Chrysler Center- Ann Abor, MI**

The annual showdown of in-state Michigan vs. Michigan State took place Friday night in Ann Arbor, and as the record for Izzo has been (34-14), he and his team used a dominant second half to silence the crowd and take control of the Big Ten regular season title, 75-62.

The game began with Michigan State taking an early lead, thanks to back-to-back 3’s by Jase Richardson and Jeremy Fears Jr.. However, the Wolverines responded with a 15-0 run, turning an eight-point deficit into a seven-point lead. Vladislav Goldin was instrumental during this stretch, scoring consecutive field goals to help Michigan regain control. The Wolverines led 38-34 at halftime and MSU didn’t seem to have the defensive answers– and that is why there are half-time adjustments.

Holloman finds Cooper for the SLAM 🙌 @MSU_Basketball#B1GMBBall on FOX 📺 pic.twitter.com/qyVh6FEjAL

— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 22, 2025

After the break, Michigan State come out strong, scoring the first six points to take the lead and they defense tightened, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on Michigan’s mistakes. Tre Holloman caught fire, hitting three three-pointers in quick succession to extend the Spartans’ lead. Michigan struggled to keep up, with their three-point shooting faltering and turnovers mounting. It was merely academic as every small run Michigan made, MSU had an answer.

MSU won most every edge that wasn’t even, or extremely marginal: +9 rebound margin, +7 points off turnovers, and a 40.9% 3-pt shooting compared to UofM’s 23.8%, but in key areas MSU has been extremely good in (FT shooting/rate, points in the paint, fast break), they did not. In the end, it was their elite defense and better-than-usual 3-point shooting that helped keep Michigan at bay, for their first home loss of the season.

9️⃣-0️⃣ run to close it out 😤

We’re taking another look at No. 14 @MSU_Basketball‘s decisive stretch to hand rival and No. 12 Michigan its first home loss 👇#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/Ct14TjbjFw

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 22, 2025

MSU took the lead at the sub-18-minute mark of the 2nd half and again at the 15:25 mark but would not relinquish the lead after that, holding Michigan to only 24 second half points while putting up 41 on their end. They were led by Jase’s 21 points (4-12 FG, 2-4 3-pt, 5-6 FTs, 3 steals, 6 rebounds), while Tre Holloman hung 18 points off the bench (6-10 FGs, 3-4 3-pt, 3-4 FTs, 4 assists) while Jeremy Fears Jr chipped in 10 points (4-8 FGs, 2-4 3-pt), Jaden Aikns with 11 points and Carson Cooper contributing 6 points and 8 rebounds. The bigs as a whole struggled as Jaxon Kohler, Syzmon Zapala and Cooper all dealt with foul trouble. Zapala left much to be desired registering almost an empty box score in 16 minutes (0 points, 1 turnover, 3 fouls). The guards picked up the slack and scored 60 of the team’s 75 points.

They focused on Danny Wolf which limited him as a scorer and made Michigan rely mostly on Vladislav Goldin (21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 turnovers, 7-11 FTs) while fellow starter Nimari Burnett had 12 points as the only 3 Wolverines in double figures (Wolf finished with 11 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds).

💥 21 PTS
💥 7-12 FG
💥 6 REB
💥 3 STL

Jase Richardson powered No. 14 @MSU_Basketball to a B1G rivalry win over No. 12 Michigan 🙌#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/YiKZr0a8ZD

— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 22, 2025

MSU takes sole possession of first place, with a game in-hand vs. Michigan and now in control of the driver’s seat. Their next game will be at red-hot Maryland Wednesday night in College Park at 6:30pm on BTN.

TEAM STATS:

Spartans: 28-61 FG (45.9%), 9-22, 3-PT (40.9%), 10-15 FT (66.7%)

UofM: 23-50 FG (46.0%), 5-21, 3-PT (23.8%), 11-18 FT (61.1%)

Record/Rankings & More:

22-5 (12-3, 1st-Big Ten) Rankings: #14 AP / #14 Coaches Poll
Updated KenPom- Off: 23rd / Def: 12th. Adjusted Tempo: 173rd. SOS Net Rtg: 40th +10.64

Updated Bart Torvik- ADJOE: 28th/ADJDE: 15th / EFF.FGD%: 46.3 (18th) / ORBD %: 36.8 (13th) & DRBD %: 25.8 (20th)

Other Metrics: KPI (8th), ESPN SoR (8th), ESPN BPI (12th), T-Rank: 15th — #8 in FT % (79.9%), #9 in FTM/game (18.0)/ #33 in FTA/game (22.5)

FULL KenPom Stats: https://kenpom.com/index.php

FULL Bart Torvik Stats: https://barttorvik.com/#

FULL T-Rank Stats: https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2025/net-teamsheets-plus#google_vignette