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Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball’s 75-62 win at Michigan

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Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball’s 75-62 win at Michigan


1. And with that, MSU has a real shot to win the Big Ten

ANN ARBOR – A week ago, when MSU trailed big early at Illinois, coming off a bad loss to Indiana, it was just about impossible to picture what’s transpired since — three straight wins, at Illinois, over Purdue and, Friday night, at Michigan in the biggest game this series has seen in six years.

Frankly, there were times in the first half Saturday where it was hard to picture it. Certainly not a 75-62 win — a win that gave MSU sole possession of first place in the Big Ten for the time being. At 13-3, the Spartans are a half-game up on Michigan (12-3), with games at Maryland, home against Wisconsin, at Iowa and home against Michigan still to go.

If MSU plays the rest of the way how it did in the second half Saturday — defensively pestering the Wolverines into eight turnovers and 38% shooting, getting its defensive rotations cleaned up to guard the 3-point line effectively and offensively making shots and playing more decisively against a zone that caused them fits for a long time — the Spartans might just finish this thing off.

This game will be remembered for Jase Richardson’s performance (more below), for Tre Holloman’s flurry of 3-pointers in the middle of the second half — he finished with 18 points and made three 3s on successive positions — and for the response when things looked shaky. Holloman and Richardson were a big part of that. MSU doubled up Michigan on the offensive glass and, in the second half especially, used different matchups to bother Michigan’s Danny Wolf, who made just 2 of 7 shots after the break.

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This would be an incredibly meaningful Big Ten title for this MSU team and Tom Izzo’s program, given the mediocrity they’ve struggled to escape the last few seasons. There’s a lot of work still to do, but the finish line is in sight. A championship is definitely plausible. 

2. Jase Richardson becomes the guy

One of the well-known strengths and weaknesses of this MSU team is that you never know exactly where the buckets are going to come from. It’s hard to scout, but also sometimes uneasy to watch.

Consider Friday the night that line of thinking changed. Offensively, this show begins with Jase Richardson. On a night when for a long while MSU had no other consistent shot-maker, in the biggest game of the season, on a rival’s home court, Richardson carried them well into the second half, until Tre Holloman caught fire, and then again after that.

The thing about stars is they have to be enough when nothing else is going. We’ve seen Richardson do that before. But you could see this one coming early. He looked up for it. He looked like a pro on the court. 

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There is a fearlessness to him, coupled with the sense that it’s going to work out when he has the ball. When he shoots, everyone thinks it’s going in.

Same for defenses, which I think had moved on from the anyone-anytime-who-knows way of scouting MSU a while ago. Some of that has to do with Jaden Akins’ shooting struggles. They fear Richardson more. You could see it in how attentive Michigan was with Richardson. Didn’t matter. That’s also part of being the guy.

We’ll see if a freshman can keep doing it down the stretch and beyond. But if it’s going to happen, it’s him. 

That was certainly the case Saturday, when he tallied 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting — hitting big-time shots early and late, on the catch, off the dribble and on the drive — to go with six rebounds and two steals.

MSU would have lost by double digits without him. Instead it somehow won by double digits.

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3. MSU figures out the zone — by hitting shots and playing decisively

Tom Izzo knew Michigan’s zone defense was coming when he dared another MSU opponent to play zone after the Spartans struggled with it in a loss to Indiana.

To beat a zone, you have to be decisive and you have to make shots. The Spartans were 0-for-2 heading into halftime.

In the second half, MSU played with more purpose offensively and looked more attack-minded. Even guys who weren’t hitting shots. 

And they hit shots — 6 of 12 3s, 16 of 30 buckets overall. 

I’d still zone this team if I were facing it and had it in my arsenal. But this was a promising response.

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Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.



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Michigan Football S Jordan Young enters transfer portal

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Michigan Football S Jordan Young enters transfer portal


Announced on Tuesday evening, Michigan true freshman safety Jordan Young has entered the transfer portal.

A former four-star prospect from Monroe, North Carolina, Young flipped his commitment at the last moment from Clemson to Michigan in the 2025 class. He played in nine games this season for the Wolverines and had 15 tackles and three pass breakups, with all three pass breakups coming in the final four games of the season.

We wish Young the very best at his next college football program.



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Tom Izzo angry at former Michigan State star for courtside ejection

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Tom Izzo angry at former Michigan State star for courtside ejection


EAST LANSING – Michigan State was rolling to a win against USC when there was a stoppage in play with six minutes remaining in the second half on Monday night.

It had nothing to do with what was happening on the court at the Breslin Center.

Referee Jeffrey Anderson blew his whistle to eject a fan sitting a few rows off the floor. The individual booted happened to be Paul Davis, who starred at center for the Spartans from 2002-06.

“He kind of got after the official and he was 150 percent wrong,” Izzo said of Davis after the No. 12 Spartans (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten) won 80-51 against the Trojans on Monday, “and for a guy like me to 150 percent agree with the official, it’s almost illegal.”

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Michigan State fans were upset about a foul call on the other end of the floor when Davis stood up and said something Anderson immediately objected to. That led to a hook.

Despite being tossed, Davis attempted to stay in his seat while taking a drink from an alcoholic beverage container. Anderson didn’t let it slide and provided an explanation to Izzo, who was less than thrilled and yelled across the court questioning what his former player was doing.

Davis finally stood up after being told to leave by associate athletic director Seth Kesler but took his time and brushed two hands against his chest. That prompted Izzo to scream, appearing to tell his former center to “get outta here.” Davis was walked up the stairs and watched the rest of the game from a concourse box.

“I love Paul Davis, I really do, he’s one of my favorite guys … but what he said he should never say anywhere in the world and that ticked me off,” Izzo said. “Just because it’s 25, 20 years later, I’m going to have to call him tomorrow and tell him what I thought of it. You know what he’ll say, ‘I screwed up, coach, I’m sorry.’”

Former Los Angeles Clippers center Paul Davis (40).AP

Izzo claimed he was told what Davis said was nothing racial or sexual in nature but it was obviously enough to get the boot.

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“It was just the wrong thing to say,” Izzo said, “and I’ll leave it at that.”

Davis ranks 10th on Michigan State’s career scoring list with 1,718 points, was a second-round NBA pick by the Clippers and spent four years in the league. Izzo praised the work Davis does with current players but the Hall of Fame coach in his 31st season leading the Spartans has never been ejected from a game.

“He made a mistake but he’s been really good with our players too,” Izzo said of Davis. “In the summer he comes up and helps work a guy out or he’s just around. Jud Heathcote used to always tell me sooner or later the game makes fools of us all. Once in a while, the game makes fools of our fans and definitely it’s made a fool of me more than a couple times.”



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Former Michigan star RB promoted to Eastern Michigan assistant head coach

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Former Michigan star RB promoted to Eastern Michigan assistant head coach


Former Michigan running back and assistant coach Mike Hart is getting a promotion on Chris Creighton’s staff at Eastern Michigan.

The school announced Monday that Hart is being elevated to assistant head coach and will oversee the receivers in 2026. Michigan’s all-time leading rusher spent last season as an offensive analyst for the Eagles.

“Coach Hart is a winner,” Creighton said in a news release. “He has the ‘It’ factor. He selflessly helped us this year as an offensive analyst and made a positive impact. We know that he will be a major addition as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach.”

Hart has 14 years of college coaching experience, including a three-year stint as Michigan’s running backs coach from 2021-23. He served as interim head coach for one game during the Wolverines’ 2023 national championship season when Jim Harbaugh was suspended.

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Under Hart, Michigan’s running backs thrived. Blake Corum rushed for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons and was a third-round pick by the Rams in 2024. The Wolverines won the Big Ten all three years Hart was on staff, but they did not renew his contract after the 2023 campaign.

The 39-year-old began his coaching career at EMU in 2011 and also has had stints at Western Michigan (2014-15), Syracuse (2016) and Indiana (2017-2020).

As a player at Michigan, Hart was a two-time Doak Walker Award finalist and finished fifth in the 2006 Heisman Trophy voting. Last season, EMU finished 4-8 but was No. 2 in the Mid-American Conference in passing yards per game.

“I am excited to be a part of Eastern Michigan football,” Hart said in a release. “Coach Creighton is one of the best leaders of men I have ever been around, and I look forward to learning and being a part of his program. EMU football and the Ypsilanti community have always held a special place in my heart, and I am excited to help the team reach our goals for the 2026 season.”



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