Michigan
Ranking the final five Michigan Basketball games by importance to regaining the Big Ten lead
The weekend started off rough for Michigan Wolverines fans, as they watched Michigan State beat the Wolverines by double-digits at Crisler Center. It was the Wolverines’ first loss in a month — and their first at home all season — and it was the most costly of the season with the Spartans taking sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.
Now with five games to go, Michigan is a half-game out of the top spot. The Wolverines need a strong performance down the stretch to regain the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and/or share the Big Ten regular season title. Today, we rank each game in order of importance.
No. 5 – Michigan vs Rutgers, 2/27 @ 9 p.m.
The Scarlet Knights have had an underwhelming season after bringing in two five-star freshmen — they are below .500 and have won just four of their last 10. These two teams saw each other earlier in the month, as Rutgers was without star freshman Dylan Harper. Still, the Scarlet Knights hung around, with Michigan only winning by three. There are no excuses to this game with what is at stake and having it be at Crisler Center.
No. 4 – Michigan vs Illinois, 3/2 @ 3:45 p.m.
Illinois has been in a free fall the last few weeks, losing six of its last 10 and recently getting blown out by Wisconsin and Michigan State. Right now, the Illini are at risk of being a bubble team if they can’t turn the corner soon. It’ll be a race to 80 points, as Illinois is 1-5 this season when allowing that many points.
No. 3 – Michigan @ Nebraska, 2/24 @ 8 p.m.
Coming off the loss to Michigan State, the Wolverines need to bounce back, and Lincoln is one of the most difficult places to play in the country. The Huskers are on the bubble, so a win over Michigan may be the difference between them making the tournament or not.
No. 2 – Michigan vs Maryland, 3/5 @ 6:30 p.m.
It feels a little disrespectful to have this game at No. 2, given they have won 10 of their last 12, but we all know what is coming at the top of this list. Maryland’s starting lineup averages more than 10 points per game, including Derik Queen and Julian Reese, who nearly average a double-double apiece. Pair them with two of the best three-point shooters in the country, Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Seton Miguel, and you have a team that still has hopes of a Big Ten crown of their own.
No. 1 – Michigan @ Michigan State, 3/9 @ noon ET
No other game will be as important as this one. Michigan State was able to come into Ann Arbor to earn the top spot this past weekend, but it won just the battle, not the war. While the Spartans have one less game remaining than Michigan, their schedule is tougher. They go to Maryland next, host Wisconsin, and then head to Iowa before finishing the season against Michigan. The Wolverines are still very much in play at earning sole possession of that top spot, and there is just something about this game that makes it feel like it could lead to that scenario.
Michigan
Legal experts question University of Michigan’s role after charges against former HC Sherrone Moore
WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Former Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore appeared in court Friday on charges of stalking, home invasion, and breaking and entering, just days after being fired from his position.
The 39-year-old coach, who has no prior criminal history, was terminated by the university on Wednesday following an investigation that uncovered evidence of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
According to prosecutors, the charges stem from an incident that occurred after the victim, a University of Michigan staff member, ended her relationship with Moore on Monday (Dec. 8).
Following the breakup, Moore allegedly made numerous unwanted calls and texts to the victim.
The situation escalated on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2025, when Moore allegedly forced his way into the victim’s Pittsfield Township apartment.
Prosecutors say he grabbed kitchen utensils and threatened to take his own life, allegedly telling the victim, “My blood is on your hands.”
“The totality of the behavior is highly threatening and highly intimidating. She was terrorized, your honor,” a prosecutor told the court during Friday’s arraignment.
Defense attorney Joseph Simon pushed back on prosecutors’ claims that Moore could be a threat to public safety.
“My client’s 39 years old, with zero prior criminal history, zero prior contact with the criminal justice system in any fashion,” Simon stated.
Attorney Todd Flood, who practices both criminal defense and civil litigation, said the fallout within the university could continue depending on when the organization was first alerted about the relationship and how university athletic officials first responded.
“What did they know, when did they know it, and what did they do about it when they found out? Those are going to be the three major questions,” Flood said.
“The university could possibly have some culpability there, that they didn’t put a stop to this,” noted Flood, adding that the victim may have grounds to pursue action against both the university and Moore.
Flood said the stalking charge against Moore likely stems from a documented pattern of harassment.
“When there is a position where he is harassing, either via text messages, harassing via telephone calls, social media content, or showing up at a place where he doesn’t belong,” Flood said. “Those stalking charges are ones where you can show that pattern of conduct.”
“He’s ultimately going to probably plead this case out, under some sort of either misdemeanor, or something that gives probation,” Flood said.
Moore posted his $25,000 bond Friday.
As part of his bond conditions, he must wear a GPS tether, undergo mental health treatment, and have no contact with the victim.
He is scheduled to appear in court in person on Jan. 22.
–> Jim Harbaugh talks Sherrone Moore’s firing, arrest after former Michigan football understudy posts bond
Copyright 2025 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
Michigan
What we’re hearing in Michigan football coach search: News, rumors
Sherrone Moore fired: Who could replace him at Michigan football?
Michigan beat writer Tony Garcia on who the Wolverines could target after firing Sherrone Moore on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
With the firing of Sherrone Moore on Wednesday, Dec. 10, Michigan football is on the hunt for a new head coach.
It’s extremely late in the hiring cycle, with nearly every Power Four squad with an opening already having made a hire. But the Wolverines’ maize-and-blue brand could be strong enough to restart the coaching carousel, with several established coaches considered potential candidates for the U-M job.
It’ll be athletic director Warde Manuel’s call on the hire (with the usual inputs from donors and regents), despite rumors swirling on social media of his firing.
Here’s the latest on the Michigan football coaching search:
A former Notre Dame QB as Michigan football’s next head coach?
It’s possible.
Michigan football is reportedly interested in talking to Rees, according to Cleveland.com, who starred as a quarterback at Notre Dame. He moved up the coaching ranks fast, getting his big break as offensive coordinator with Notre Dame in 2020, where he served in the role for three years before moving to Alabama to be the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide in Nick Saban’s last year. He has spent the last two years with the Browns, first as a passing game specialist and then as offensive coordinator this year.
Rees also reportedly talked to Penn State before the Nittany Lions landed on Iowa State coach Matt Campbell.
It’s an interesting proposition, as Rees is seen as an up-and-coming young coach, but it can be wonky trying to hire NFL coaches into the college game due to the schedule. But in this circumstance, it just might work. The Browns are out of playoff contention so their season should drag out, and Michigan is in a position to wait longer than normal because early signing day for recruits is over and the transfer portal won’t open until January.
It’s early.
Michigan still has time to make a case.
But according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, there’s “no indication” that Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, one of the hottest names in connection to the Wolverines, has an interest in taking the job in Ann Arbor.
DeBoer, who has Alabama in the 12-team College Football Playoff, was also briefly connected to Penn State earlier this offseason and quickly shot that down.
But never say never in college football in 2025.
If Michigan is looking to swing big for its third head coach in four seasons (or seventh, if you count the interims who served during Moore’s and Jim Harbaugh’s suspensions), the Free Press’ Tony Garcia broke down four big names, including a couple with established ties to Ann Arbor, one who couldn’t quite beat the Wolverines and another who’s the darling of the college football world.
Check out that list of candidates here.
Michigan
Bullough’s back: Ex-linebacker to be Michigan State co-defensive coordinator
A fan-favorite Spartan is coming back as an assistant coach.Max Bullough, a former MSU linebacker who has spent the past two seasons coaching linebackers at Notre Dame, is coming back to East Lansing to be a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Bullough confirmed in a biography change on X (formerly Twitter).
The move is a promotion for Bullough, who was a linebackers coach at Notre Dame the past two seasons. Bullough will serve alongside incumbent MSU defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, who The Detroit News confirmed last week is staying on Pat Fitzgerald’s first staff in East Lansing. Fitzgerald replaced Jonathan Smith, who went 5-19, 4-14 Big Ten in two seasons.Bullough, 33, played for Michigan State from 2010 to 2013, under head coach Mark Dantonio and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. He played immediately as a freshman and appeared in 53 college games, logging 284 tackles, eight sacks and three interceptions.
He missed his final game — the 100th Rose Bowl against Stanford in 2013 — because of an unspecified violation of team rules. He never spoke publicly on the issue, though he was asked at the NFL Combine.Michigan State went 42-12 in Bullough’s four seasons with the Spartans, and 25-7 in Big Ten play, including the conference title in 2010 and 2013.After a brief NFL career with the Houston Texans and, in 2018, a stint on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad, Bullough got into coaching. He served as grad assistant for Cincinnati in 2019 under Luke Fickell, Alabama from 2020 to 2022 under Nick Saban (winning the College Football Playoff in his first year) and Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman in 2023. Freeman kept Bullough on as his linebackers coach last year, a season in which the Irish made it to the national championship game before losing to Ohio State.
Earlier this season, Bullough went viral in August for a video of him describing his detail-oriented approach during fall camp, citing knee bend and square tackling “when the s—‘s hard.”
Notre Dame finished the season 10-2, on a 10-game win streak, when it was left just outside the College Football Playoff bracket. Freeman and his team opted out of a bowl game, after terse words on the snub from AD Pete Bevacqua.Bullough coached a number of NFL draft picks in his career, including Dallas Turner (Minnesota Vikings), Christian Harris (Houston Texans), Henry To’oTo’o (Houston), Drew Sanders (Denver Broncos) and Jack Kiser (Jacksonville Jaguars).
Bullough won’t be the first in his family to coach at Michigan State. His grandfather, Hank, was an MSU guard and linebacker who won a national championship in 1952. Hank was also a well-regarded assistant coach on Duffy Daugherty’s staff from 1959 to 1969, including the national title teams in 1965 and 1966. He then went onto a pro coaching career that included stops with seven teams, including a head coaching tenure with the Buffalo Bills from 1985 to 1986.
After a year as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator in 1993, he finished his coaching career with a homecoming to Michigan State, where he was an assistant on George Perles’ final team. He died in 2019.
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
-
Alaska7 days agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Texas7 days agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Ohio1 week ago
Who do the Ohio State Buckeyes hire as the next offensive coordinator?
-
Washington4 days agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa6 days agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire
-
Miami, FL6 days agoUrban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
-
Cleveland, OH6 days agoMan shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS
-
World6 days ago
Chiefs’ offensive line woes deepen as Wanya Morris exits with knee injury against Texans