Michigan is a load for anyone, and it will be for Duke Saturday. Yet that team has lost one game and been challenged in several others, including an overtime win over Wake Forest back in November.
Michigan
Michigan’s first ‘Shark Tank’ style competition seeks transportation innovations
DETROIT — Michigan’s first “Shark Tank” style competition is now taking applications from startups with innovative transportation solutions.
The winner of the inaugural “PitchMI” competition, which will be held Oct. 24 in Detroit, will receive $100,000 from the state to develop or improve their prototype solution.
“PitchMI will unleash Michigan’s innovative spirit, strengthen our entrepreneurial ecosystem, create good paying jobs, and spur new ideas on the future of mobility,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “I can’t wait to see all the creative ideas and look forward to the competition in October.”
Whitmer likened the competition to Shark Tank, a long-running reality TV show where entrepreneurs present their product or business to venture capitalists for potential investment.
Gov. Whitmer announces ‘Shark Tank’ style statewide competition
Applications for the PitchMI competition are due by 11:59 p.m. Sept. 16. People can submit their applications at this link, which also contains information on eligibility and competition requirements.
Eligible pitches will focus on addressing mobility and transportation challenges in the state, focusing on improving safety, affordability and efficiency in how Michiganders travel from point A to point B.
Some examples, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), include innovations in public transit, personal vehicles, ride-sharing, cycling, walking, ground/maritime/air mobility and emerging technologies.
“This competition offers our entrepreneurs a stage to share their ideas with the world and demonstrate yet again that Michigan is at the cutting edge of innovation,” said Hilary Doe, chief growth officer at the MEDC. “Investing in entrepreneurs and innovators will help our state become a magnet for both businesses and talent, working together to drive population growth.
“Supporting entrepreneurs in starting and scaling their businesses will also create a more prosperous place to live for all Michiganders.”
The competition will see applications whittled down to four finalists that will then present their pitches Oct. 24 at the MI Future Mobility Conference in Detroit.
Judges from “the state, in partnership with leading organizations,” will then select the most innovative startup to invest $100,000 in, according to the Governor’s Office.
Runners-up will not be awarded any funds, and MEDC officials said the names of the judges will be announced later on.
The PitchMI competition was first announced May 30 by Whitmer during her keynote speech at the Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island.
Entrepreneurs and innovators and their benefit to economic development and moving Michigan forward was the key topic of Whitmer’s speech.
The Shark Tank style competition was one of three ways Whitmer announced the state would be looking to help entrepreneurs be successful.
She also announced a new executive order intended to connect startups with high tech equipment and specialized testing facilities already present in the state and the creation of a new role at the MEDC designed to be the state’s chief advocate for entrepreneurs.
East Lansing — There are four things that 27 straight NCAA Tournament berths have taught Michigan State coach Tom Izzo
- Don’t take it for granted
- Play your best basketball at the end of the year
- Defend to win
- Don’t turn the ball over
There are still five games to get through — including Sunday’s Breslin Center tilt with Ohio State — before Izzo notches his 28th NCAA Tournament bid. His 15th-ranked Spartans are all but in at this point. If anything, that makes these next few games crunch time. These are the weeks that Michigan State wants to shift to the next gear needed for elimination basketball, an opportunity presented by this current two-game homestand.
“What helps is to be focused in at this time of year,” Izzo said Friday after practice. “It gets to be a long year, you know. It’s long for you guys. Definitely long for the officials. It’s definitely long for the head coaches. And so staying focused on the task at hand is still almost as important as anything. But rest is one of those parts that helps you.”
Michigan State (21-5, 11-4 Big Ten) shrugged off a skid of three losses in four games with a resounding 82-59 win at Breslin Center on Tuesday. The captains found their groove, including more excellence from Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr. Defense carried a 26-3 run in the first half including an 18-0 run nested inside it. Shots that hadn’t fallen all year went through the hoop for a season-high 14 3s.
The homestand continues Tuesday against an Ohio State (17-9, 9-6) team that is trying to jockey for NCAA Tournament seeding, with current ESPN projections listing a 70% chance Jake Diebler’s squad will make it in. The group is led by physical guard Bruce Thornton — an increasingly rare career Buckeye — with complementary pieces in John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal. The Buckeyes’ 49.0% field goal percentage ranks 28th in Division I, while a 3-point defense allowing just 30.9% ranks 41st. It will be a tough matchup, but not unlike others in similar stature the Spartans have handled this season such as Iowa, UCLA and Indiana.
As much as Michigan State still wants to see a win on the scoreboard after Sunday’s game, what it really wants to see is progress. The kind of postseason form that Izzo usually gets out of his best teams in the home stretch. There are a few areas he wants to see particular improvements, particularly with respect to turnovers.
“I went back and looked at all the teams this week in the top 25,” Izzo said. “There’s some teams now, I think Houston is like six or seven (turnovers). When you’re that ridiculously low, teams that are high — and we’re one of them — taking it down a little bit, we’re one of them. I think that’s gotta be cleaned up or it could be a problem in the Tournament, because every possession matters.”
Individually, there are some players who want to take steps, too. Edging his way out of a month-long slump with a big first-half burst against UCLA, forward Jaxon Kohler is figuring out how to work with the double-team looks that teams have thrown at him all season. The floor-stretching senior says it’s a matter of respect to him to face those kinds of looks. It only serves to open up a teammate when he gets swarmed.
“If they want to double team me, that’s their choice,” Kohler said. “I mean, it’s physical, but that’s my role on this team is to be the physical guy, you know, the dirty work guy. And even though it is taxing at some point, like I said earlier, it’s a mental battle. You have to convince yourself that I’m not fatigued, I’m not taxed. This is what I do every day, and this is how I play the game, and it’s competitive.”
That mental battle can have big implications on games in March.
“If they want to try to be more physical than me or try to push me harder, then I’m gonna push them harder, you know,” Kohler continued. “I’m gonna raise my game. I’m gonna raise my stakes. And at this point of the year, you have to kind of find another gear to push yourself toward to make sure that you can out-tough them.”
Michigan State will need everything it can get out of Kohler when the games come with no guarantees. Just when he has made progress in one area of his game, he has to take more steps. It actually excited him, he says, to know the clear progression of where his game can expand.
“That’s the next step to my game, I feel like, is if the shot isn’t quite there, what do I do from there?” Kohler said. “… I understand too, that I’m not gonna go crazy right now and start doing things that no one’s ever seen. But … if I have a chance to develop a good pump fake, one-two shot, mid-range shot, I’m going to work on that, because I know teams are going to be closed down really heavy.”
For Fears — whose All-Big Ten and player of the year candidacy took some hits when a few temperamental plays caught scorn from the public and Michigan coach Dusty May — there’s another level to claim, too. He’s been lightning most of this season, leading the country with 9.3 assists and averaging 15.1 points per game on top of that. Yet teams have lived with his 3-point shooting all season, which he made UCLA pay for with a career high four 3-pointers.
“We all have a goal. We all have a thing we’re trying to do. And in order for that, you have to be utmost focused,” Fears said. “Put in extra time and do everything ‘why not?’ You know, you’re guaranteed a month and a half of this season left. So why not lay it all out there and try to string together some games and be playing your best basketball as a team?
Where the Spartans go in March, Fears will lead them. That’s an expectation for all parties in East Lansing.
If there is a next gear for this team, part of it may have to do with communication. For most of the season, Izzo has been looking for certain players — especially his shooting guards — to find their voices. That’s an ongoing process, but an important one.
“We’ve still gotta grow in that area,” Izzo said. “We’re growing in a lot of areas. We’ve had a good couple of days. What does that mean? We’ll see.”
Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan State
▶ Tipoff: 1 p.m. Sunday, Breslin Center, East Lansing
▶ Records: Michigan State is 21-5, 11-4 Big Ten. Ohio State is 17-9, 9-6
▶ TV/radio: CBS/760
▶ Outlook: Ohio State needs a win like this to further cement its NCAA Tournament status in what would be Jake Diebler’s first appearance in his third year on the job. Michigan State is jockeying for position behind rival Michigan in the Big Ten standings, also looking to bolster its March Madness resume, currently projected to be a No. 4 seed.
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
The Supreme Court handed the Trump administration a major defeat on Friday, striking down most of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
The high court ruled that the president does not have the authority to impose tariffs under a 1977 emergency powers law he used to levy taxes on nearly all U.S. global trading partners. Mr. Trump said the court’s decision was “deeply disappointing,” and announced he will impose a 10% global tariff.
He also criticized the six Supreme Court justices who struck down his sweeping tariff policy, including two justices he nominated during his first term.
“I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed, for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country,” he said.
Meanwhile, some Michigan businesses, including one that has a lawsuit against the president, approved of the court’s decision.
“It’s a sigh of relief, not only for myself but for the American consumer, for the American businesses,” said Mike Musheinesh, CEO of auto parts company Detroit Axle.
Musheinesh said the Supreme Court’s decision could result in millions of dollars returning to his Michigan-based business, and a win for all consumers who were paying higher prices because of these tariffs.
“[In] 2025, we had an increase in revenue by 35% and a drop in profitability by 80% just to put everything in context because the consumer could not eat the whole increase, so we had to cause we’re in this together,” Musheinesh told CBS News Detroit.
Musheinesh said that Friday’s ruling also opens the door for his company’s separate lawsuit against the Trump administration to move forward.
“So everyone knows our legal system still works, and our constitution still takes the precedent over any sitting president,” he said.
Former Ford engineer Don Ufford, who is now running for Michigan’s 11th congressional district as a Democrat, said it’s wrong that Congress hasn’t stood up to Mr. Trump, especially because the constitution explicitly grants Congress authority to regulate trade and impose tariffs.
“Thank goodness somebody finally stood up against Trump. You know, there was a promise it was going to help, but you know what happened, people are now paying on average $1,000 more than they were last year,” said Ufford.
The Supreme Court did not address whether, or how, companies that collectively paid billions in tariffs can get their money refunded. Mr. Trump said it could take years to litigate any refunds.
They also had tight games against Nebraska (75-72 win), Penn State (74-72 win), and Wisconsin (91-88 loss).
What happened in those games?
Well, in the Wake Forest and to a lesser extent Penn State games, a big part of the problem for Michigan was turnovers.
Against Wake, a team with very little size to counter the Wolverines inside, the Demon Deacons forced 17 turnovers. Michigan also shot just 4-25 from outside. UNC transfer Elliot Cadeau had 5 turnovers in this game, incidentally.
Nebraska forced 19 turnovers, including 8 by Cadeau. And in that game, Michigan shot just 6-26 from the bonusphere (23%).
Penn State forced fewer turnovers, just 12, and allowed Michigan to shoot 8-27 from behind the line (30%). And finally, Wisconsin fit a different pattern: Michigan had just 9 turnovers and hit 8-25 on their threes (32%).
Well, one more to look at: Northwestern dominated Michigan for a good bit of that game. The Wolverines came back, but Northwestern forced 12 turnovers and Michigan shot 8-29 from deep (28%).
Interestingly, Nebraska, Wake Forest, Northwestern and, to a lesser extent Penn State, are probably not capable of competing with Michigan’s imposing front line. Certainly Nebraska is a much smaller team, as is Wake Forest.
Cadeau has done really well since leaving UNC and Michigan would not be where it is without Cadeau.
However, he is still small at 6-1 and while he has several games with 0 turnovers, since playing against Nebraska on January 27th, where he had 8, he had 5 against Northwestern and 4 against Purdue.
Backcourt mate Nimari Burnett has had fewer and in fact has never had more than 2 in one game.
Morez Johnson? He’s been pretty good about turnovers too.
What about the bigs, Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara?
They’ve both had issues. Lendeborg had 4 against Ohio State, 3 in the rematch and 3 against Purdue. Mara had 4 against Northwestern and Ohio State and 3 against Auburn, McNeese State and Nebraska.
What do we gather from all of this?
Well, it’s not that Michigan’s big men are overrated. They’re good. Mara is 7-3 and 255 with a 7-7 wingspan, and he has Euro instincts. He’s an excellent passer, even if he does take risks, and he knows how to draw fouls, which could be a major problem for Duke.
He’s not an immensely talented athlete, but he’s projected as a rotational player in the NBA. He doesn’t have the greatest motor in the game, though that’s getting better. One way to attack him: make him run as much as possible.
As for Lendeborg, he is 6-9 with a 7-4 wingspan and he’s been a late bloomer. In June, when he’ll be drafted, he’ll be 23 and 7 months, which is a big change by modern standards (NBA teams prefer younger players). Like Mara, he’s an excellent passer and he can play all over the court. He’s a good but not great shooter and his shooting goes down a good bit when he’s pressured. He’s like Cameron Boozer in that he’s not necessarily an elite athlete, but basketball is about efficiency and intelligence as much as it is about elite athleticism, a lesson that has been proven over and over by guys like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Draymond Green and most recently, Kon Knueppel. He’s a smart, heady player and guys like that figure things out.
So…what to make of all of this?
Well, obviously if you can turn them over that’s a good thing. Wake Forest has struggled all season without a meaningful inside presence, but their perimeter is terrific and they took Michigan to overtime.
Duke averages 8.2 steals and forces just under 13 turnovers. We’ve seen Dame Sarr, Cameron Boozer and Maliq Brown, among others, get plenty of steals. Get out in transition and size becomes a disadvantage, as Wake Forest demonstrated.
One more thing to keep in mind: Michigan averages 90.6 points per game and gives up 68.8 per game. Duke averages 83 points per game while allowing 63.2. Something’s gotta give.
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