Michigan

Iowa State women’s basketball: 3 things to watch in Cyclones-Michigan March Madness game

Published

12 months ago

March 20, 2025

Iowa State women’s basketball: 3 things to watch in Cyclones-Michigan March Madness game

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – After the Iowa State women’s basketball team survived a close call with Princeton in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday night, Cyclones coach Bill Fennelly told his team he wanted them to celebrate the victory and not worry about Friday’s opponent.

His staff had already been preparing for the game.

The 11-seed Cyclones (23-11) will take on 6-seed Michigan (22-10) in the first round of March Madness on Friday at 10:30 a.m. CT, at Purcell Pavilion. It’s a matchup Fennelly’s staff had already been getting ready for since Selection Sunday since the Wolverines would be waiting for the winner of Wednesday’s game.

Watch Iowa State women’s basketball vs Michigan live on Fubo (free trial)

“That was the one thing, if you were lucky enough to win, you knew who you were going to play,” Fennelly said. “It wasn’t the winner of a certain game. So, we did have some information.”

Every minute of preparation helps this time of year with quick turnarounds. Because Iowa State was in one of the First Four contests, the Cyclones knew exactly what would be awaiting them if they made it to the first round.

So, Fennelly had several of his assistant coaches, Latoja Schaben, Emily Hatfield and Rob Jenkins prepare a scouting report. That way, the Cyclones could hit the ground running right after Wednesday night’s win.

The group of coaches met later Wednesday evening and broke things down. Fennelly stood in front of a whiteboard while his staff yelled out to him things that stood out about Michigan.

That way, his players could rest up and enjoy the victory over Princeton. Fennelly and his staff didn’t even bring Michigan up to the team until they met Thursday morning. By then, the coaching staff had a good grasp of the opponent.

“They’re a really talented team,” said Iowa State guard Emily Ryan. “Lots of scoring weapons all around and defensively, they’re really solid and aggressive as well. So, a really good team.”

Here are three things to watch in Friday’s contest.

Michigan plays five guards

The Wolverines often play with five guards, which Iowa State has yet to encounter this season. That allows Michigan to play fast and efficiently. It ranks 25^th in the nation in scoring, averaging 78.1 points per game. The Wolverines shot 45% from the field and despite relying so much on guard play, do the bulk of their scoring from inside the perimeter.

“It’s (a matter of) can we keep them out of the lane, off the dribble,” Fennelly said. “The other thing that they do that we haven’t seen a lot is, they’ll rebound with all five guys. I mean, they’ll send five. Their guards go hard. That’s a challenge for us.”

Iowa State could have a mismatch opportunity with Audi Crooks

The Cyclones usually have the edge in the post with Crooks. The sophomore center led the Big 12 Conference in scoring and was a big reason for Iowa State’s come-from-behind victory Wednesday night. Her 6-foot-3 frame could pose plenty of problems for Michigan and its smaller lineup.

Iowa State, ironically, had a similar encounter in the first round of last season’s NCAA Tournament against Maryland. Crooks shot 18-of-20 from the floor and finished with 40 points.

“They start five guards, so obviously we have to change a few things, defensively,” said Iowa State guard Arianna Jackson. “I would say that goes both ways. They have to plan regarding Audi. When we get the ball to Audi, that’s a good matchup.”

The tempo will be much faster than Wednesday

Iowa State played a remarkably slow and methodical team in Princeton on Wednesday night. That won’t be the case for Friday’s matchup. The Wolverines will push it and go, go, go. One of the keys for Iowa State will be to keep Michigan from dictating the pace of the game.

That hasn’t been easy for opposing teams who sometimes tend to get sped up trying to keep up with Michigan.

“Just staying and going back to what we know, our type of offense, I think is going to be key, especially how fast Michigan plays,” Jackson said.

Iowa State women’s basketball vs. Michigan prediction

The season has been full of ups and downs for Iowa State, but it has found a groove lately, winning eight of the last 10 games. Both losses came to Baylor. While Michigan will be a tough matchup, the Wolverines don’t do many of the things that typically pose problems for the Cyclones.

Strong 3-point shooting and physical defenses are usually Iowa State’s biggest bugaboo. With a matchup that benefits Iowa State, the Cyclones likely will end up one win away from the Sweet 16.

Iowa State 79, Michigan 71

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.

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Michigan

Wojo: May’s Wolverines complete rivalry sweep and historic Big Ten run, rile Izzo

Published

10 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Wojo: May’s Wolverines complete rivalry sweep and historic Big Ten run, rile Izzo

Ann Arbor – The Wolverines were pushed, pushed hard. As they have all season, they pushed back even harder.

This was Dusty May’s vision of his Michigan program bathed in maize, in a packed, loud Crisler Center. The Wolverines completed one of the most dominant regular seasons in Big Ten history by going 29-2, 19-1 in the conference. And almost as important, 2-0 against their rivals.

May brought Yaxel Lendeborg for this reason and this season, and specifically for this game. Roughed up last year by Michigan State, the Wolverines toughened up and loaded up, and completed a season sweep of Tom Izzo’s squad with a 90-80 victory Sunday.

The outcomes – 83-71 in East Lansing in January – belied the competitiveness of the games. The Spartans battled and led by four midway through the second half Sunday, but UM came in waves, led by Lendeborg’s 27 points and 5-for-6 shooting from 3.

Michigan deserves its plaudits for a historic run, and MSU (25-6) deserves credit for setting the standard and stoking the motivation. This is how rivals can push each other when they’re not busy pounding each other and swearing at each other. In his second season, May has picked up quickly on what the game means, and how it’s won.

The Wolverines will head to the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 1 seed, and assuredly a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. After the confetti fell and the Big Ten championship banner was raised, May took a moment to relish it. Just a moment, though.

“This journey, everything comes at you so fast,” May said. “We just did something incredibly difficult together, so rewarding and gratifying. And our journey is only three-fourths of the way done.”

UM among national title favorites

Michigan will be one of the favorites to reach the Final Four and win the national championship. Especially if Lendeborg elevates as he did on this day, taking over the game just when the Spartans seemed primed to wreck UM’s fun.

That’s what should be extracted from a rivalry that gets needlessly toxic at times. Of course there were more flashpoints, including yet another technical foul on Jeremy Fears Jr., after a leg kick to the groin of UM guard Elliot Cadeau. Izzo defended his star by saying there was no intent, but there have been too many incidents to dismiss. Izzo should be as miffed at Fears as anyone, although he insists it wouldn’t have become an issue if May hadn’t publicly pointed it out after the first meeting.

You can’t just call it rivalry gamesmanship when there’s ample video evidence. UM also has been called for several technicals – notably by Aday Mara – without disagreement.

If the Spartans made the Wolverines tougher and angrier, perhaps UM is returning the favor. While Michigan has risen in remarkable fashion under May, Izzo certainly isn’t retreating, as fired up after the game as he was during it. At the end, the student section serenaded the Spartans with “Little Brother!”, an old taunt that was especially biting this time.

It’s what happens in a rivalry, no different than the jeers the Wolverines have endured at the Breslin Center. Izzo has had so much control, he’s not accustomed to the other side getting edgy too.

“I guess the crowd didn’t watch the game because I’m nobody’s damn little brother, and neither is my team,” Izzo snapped. “I’m at Michigan State, and no matter what those people think, we’ve done it longer and better than most. … They’ve had a hell of a year. We’ve had a hell of a year.”

Izzo hasn’t encountered a UM coach willing to play the rivalry game as smoothly and passive-aggressively as May, so perhaps the tension was unavoidable. After this game, they shook hands for about two seconds, approximately 1.5 seconds longer than the postgame encounter in East Lansing.

“I didn’t know how big this rivalry was,” May said. “Rivalries are awesome for sports. When they swept us (last year), they earned it, they kicked our butt. They made us better. … Trust me, they’re gonna be coming after us next year, and we’re gonna be coming after them.”

It actually could happen sooner if they collide in the Big Ten tourney. Frankly, it might be better if they go their separate ways for now, because both teams have bigger goals than settling rivalry scores. Both can do significant damage in the tournaments.

The Spartans have a battle-tested threesome – Fears, Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper – and a physical, tenacious defense. The Wolverines have an imposing frontline of Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Mara (when he’s not in foul trouble), and a physical, tenacious defense. This was a terrifically combative clash, with the Wolverines not pulling away until the final minutes.

Lendeborg and Fears are the favorites for Big Ten Player of the Year, and the best player on the best team seems the logical choice to me. Lendeborg made the big plays at the big moments, 8-for-12 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. His season numbers aren’t overwhelming – 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds – partly because UM has a deep nine-man rotation. It’s down to eight with the loss of L.J. Cason, which requires more from others.

More from Yaxel? He didn’t need to be asked twice.

“There’s no way in heck I was letting the seniors come out and lose their last game here,” Lendeborg said. “We all had goals and hopes of being the best Michigan team ever assembled, but now that we’re in the middle of pretty much accomplishing that, it’s amazing. Nobody has any selfish motives. It was just my time to be aggressive.”

Lendeborg ‘has a lot more in his tank’

Lendeborg, a pricey 6-9 portal addition who chose UM over the NBA, said he came here with three goals: Win the Big Ten; win Player of the Year; win the national title. For it to happen, he has to be the engine.

“Yaxel has a lot more in his tank,” said Roddy Gayle Jr., who scored 15. “It’s kind of my responsibility to keep pushing him. He’s an incredible player, especially when he’s out of his head and playing ball freely. I truly believe Yaxel is the best player in the country.”

Lendeborg is part of a four-man portal class that turned the Wolverines from a good team into a powerhouse. They haven’t been bashful about their ambitions, ever since they launched an incredible run with three November victories in Las Vegas – by 40 over San Diego State, by 30 over Auburn, by 40 over Gonzaga. They’ve won 24 games by double-digits,10 by 30-plus and seven by 40-plus (Big Ten record).

May doesn’t fire back often, but he does chafe at the notion the Wolverines simply bought a bunch of talent. Some have called the Wolverines “mercenaries” and questioned his program-building methods, an odd complaint in the world of NIL and rampant transfers.

“We’ve heard a lot about this super team we had,” May said. “But we looked at (the analytics) – KenPom had us 11 preseason, AP had us No. 7. Not typical for a super team. Our secret sauce is how great of teammates these guys are. Period.”

He doesn’t waste time worrying about it, but his boss has something to say. AD Warde Manuel stood at the edge of the Crisler Center court as the team celebrated and was asked if he hears the gripes.

“That bothers me,” Manuel said. “There’s a lot of people across the country spending a lot of money not having the success we’re having. You have to look at why. And the why is the pieces of the puzzle that have come together, and the way Dusty leads.”

May led them from 8-24 the year before he arrived to 29-2 and the Big Ten championship. He’s shown he’s willing to take on all challenges, including from a storied rival and an iconic coach. Sure, it can get caustic at times, but wherever the Wolverines and Spartans go from here, they’ll know what helped push them.

bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com

@bobwojnowski

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Michigan

Michigan trooper hospitalized after car hits patrol vehicle on Detroit’s west side

Published

22 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Michigan trooper hospitalized after car hits patrol vehicle on Detroit’s west side

Nick Lentz

March 8, 2026 / 3:47 PM EDT
/ CBS Detroit

A Michigan State Police trooper is recovering after the patrol vehicle they were in was hit by a car on Detroit’s west side Sunday morning, the state agency said.

Troopers were investigating a fatal collision on Interstate 96 near Outer Drive when a crash involving a semitruck and an SUV happened at a nearby exit ramp, officials said.

The trooper who was hurt was sitting in the patrol car with its emergency lights on during the investigation into the exit ramp crash when the car hit the passenger side of the law enforcement vehicle, according to the state agency. The trooper was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Officials said the driver of the car that hit the patrol vehicle, identified as a female of undisclosed age, refused medical treatment. Troopers determined while interviewing her that she was “impaired by both alcohol and narcotics,” according to the state agency.

The female was arrested and taken to the hospital for a blood draw, according to officials.

“Please slow down, focus on the roadway, move over for emergency vehicles,” Michigan State Police First Lieutenant Mike Shaw said in a written statement.

Charges against the female are pending.

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Michigan

How to watch Michigan vs. Michigan State as the rivalry continues

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

How to watch Michigan vs. Michigan State as the rivalry continues

The Detroit News
| The Detroit News

Michigan and Michigan State conclude their regular seasons with another game in their long and intense men’s basketball rivalry.

Tip-off is Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, and the game will be televised by CBS.

No. 3 Michigan (28-2, 18-1 Big Ten) has already clinched the Big Ten regular-season championship outright, but No. 8 MSU (25-5, 15-4) will look to put a blemish on the Wolverines as both teams head to conference and NCAA Tournament play.

In the first meeting this season, Michigan prevailed 83-71 at the Breslin Center on Jan. 30, snapping a four-game losing streak in the series. It was UM’s first win in East Lansing since January 2018. Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg had 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Jeremy Fears Jr. scored a career-high 31 for the Spartans.

The Michigan vs. Michigan State rivalry began in 1909 and the Wolverines lead the all-time series 98-92.

Michigan State at Michigan

▶ Tipoff: 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Crisler Center, Ann Arbor

▶ TV/radio: CBS/760, 94.7

▶ Records: No. 3 Michigan 28-2, 18-1 Big Ten; No. 8 Michigan State 25-5, 15-4

▶ Outlook: This is the regular-season finale for both teams. Michigan won the first meeting, 83-71, on Jan. 30 in East Lansing and is seeking its first sweep since 2014. The Wolverines will celebrate senior day and their outright Big Ten regular-season title during a postgame ceremony.