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Michigan basketball: Wolverines can end Michigan State’s impressive NCAA Tournament streak

By Anthony Brown

Michigan Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard celebrates with his team after winning the Big Ten regular season championship by defeating the Michigan State Spartans at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Michigan Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard celebrates with his team after winning the Big Ten regular season championship by defeating the Michigan State Spartans at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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If Michigan State basketball missed the NCAA Tournament, it’ll be the Michigan Wolverines delivering the final nail in their coffin.

Michigan State basketball has made the NCAA Tournament for 22 straight seasons, but that streak is in jeopardy after losing in a rout to rival Michigan on Thursday night.

No. 2 Michigan basketball blew out the Spartans 69-50 to clinch the Big Ten regular-season title and cement their status as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They own the series lead 95-85 and have won the last two meetings after dropping four straight.

Franz Wagner had a game-high 19 points and six rebounds on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from the perimeter. Hunter Dickinson asserted himself in the paint and recorded another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

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Michigan basketball has a chance to make history with a Michigan State sweep

It’s been well documented in football that Michigan State is considered the younger brother in the rivalry. Michigan basketball head coach Juwan Howard is doing the right things to keep up the narrative in only his second season as head coach.

His latest win is a sign of the shift of the balance of power in the state and in the Big Ten where Michigan is the top power. Now, Tom Izzo’s Spartans are in danger of having their March Madness streak come to an end at the hands of their rivals.

Michigan State has another shot for an upset when they take on the Wolverines on Sunday afternoon in what is a must-win to get on the right side of the bubble and keep the third-longest active March Madness streak alive.

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