Michigan
Wojo: May’s Wolverines complete rivalry sweep and historic Big Ten run, rile Izzo
Michigan coach Dusty May on 90-80 win over Michigan State at Crisler Center
The Wolverines swept the home-and-home series in the rivalry for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign.
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
Amazon Prime Day 2026 will span four days next week. Here’s when
Amazon Prime Day 2026 begins next week and will last for four days. Only Prime members benefit from Amazon’s biggest annual sales event.
Prime Day is in full swing, and as Michigan residents scroll though deals, there are Michigan-themed coffee/tea mugs to consider, perhaps for a gift or to spice up your morning sip.
Amazon Prime Day — the 4-day event of discounted items for Prime members — begins at 3:01 a.m. ET on Tuesday, June 23, and ends at 2:59 ET, on Friday, June 26.
Here are five fun Michigan-themed mugs to consider as you shop for deals this week:
Michigan coffee mug by Primitives by Kathy
The 18-fluid-ounce Michigan-inspired stoneware mug is designed to represent the state with its scattered wraparound design. It includes a large outline of the state and a deer, surrounded with key words such as “yoopers,” “fudge,” “Big Mac,” “dunes,” “Great Lakes,” “we’re smitten in the mitten,” and others.
It is priced at $11.48 on Amazon Prime. Primitives By Kathy is the name of the company.
Sip and admire a detailed map of Michigan by Xplorer Maps
The founder and owner of the company, Xplorer Maps, illustrates maps by hand on everyday items such as a mug. On Amazon, there is a 16-fluid-ounce mug available that features a map of Michigan on one side with landmarks, and other illustrations of what Michigan is known for on the other side.
It is priced at $19.99 on Amazon Prime.
Represent Michigan with a Detroit Lions coffee mug
There are several Detroit Lions-themed coffee mugs available on Amazon Prime. One design by Rico Industries is a 12-ounce campfire mug fully coated in the iconic honolulu blue shade with a speckled print and the team’s logo.
It is priced at $16.52 on Amazon Prime.
On-the-go Michigan-inspired travel mug
In another busy Michigan design, Swig Life’s 22-ounce insulated travel mug is scattered with the state’s landmarks and key illustrations. The travel mug is cup holder friendly and is stainless steel with a handle.
It is priced at $30.07 on Amazon Prime.
Simple Michigan coffee mug deal on Prime Day
For those who are looking for a more straight-forward design, the coffee mug by Andaz Press via Amazon is perhaps an option. The 11-ounce mug includes a simple print of Michigan’s silhouette with the word “home” beside it.
It is priced at $14.21 on Amazon Prime.
Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com
Lansing — Michigan residents will be able to begin voting this week in the state’s Aug. 4 primary election with nominations for governor, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House and the Legislature hanging in the balance.
Under the Michigan Constitution, by Thursday — 40 days before Election Day — clerks have to ensure that absentee ballots are available for voters and that ballot dropboxes, through which the ballots can be returned, are accessible.
Michael Siegrist, the clerk in Canton Township, said this week marks the start of the election.
“Most of the voters in Michigan are going to have a ballot in their hand within the next week or two,” Siegrist said.
Siegrist, a Democrat and the president of the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks, was referring to the fact that most of the vote in the primary election is expected to come through absentee ballots.
In the August 2024 primary election, as an example, about 65% of the vote in Michigan’s largest county, Wayne County, came via absentee ballots.
Adrian Hemond, a Michigan political consultant and CEO of the firm Grassroots Midwest, said it will be difficult this year for candidates who go into Election Day behind their opponents on absentee ballots to catch up.
“It’s basically the election,” Hemond said of the absentee ballot window.
A larger portion of the vote in primaries comes through absentee ballots than in general elections because there’s usually a smaller pool of voters in primaries and primary participants tend to be more educated about their ballot options.
Before 2018, Michigan voters generally had to have an explanation to cast an absentee ballot, like they planned to be out of state on the date of the election. But in 2018, they approved a ballot proposal that allowed for no-reason absentee voting, broadly providing the option to submit an absentee ballot through the mail, a dropbox or by turning it in at the clerk’s office.
Local clerks can’t begin processing and tabulating the absentee ballots until July 27, at the earliest.
Also, in July, Michiganians can begin voting early in person into a tabulator. The exact date of the early voting window opening depends on decisions made by local clerks, but it has to start statewide by July 25.
In Michigan’s last primary election in a year when the governor’s office was on the ballot, about 2.17 million voters participated, according to the Secretary of State’s tracking.
Both Republican and Democratic primary ballots have contested races for their gubernatorial nominations this year.
On the Democratic side, voters will pick between Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson of Detroit and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. On the GOP side, there are four candidates on the ballot: former Attorney General Mike Cox of Livonia, U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township, businessman Perry Johnson of Bloomfield Hills and state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt of Porter Township.
Early polling has indicated that Republican gubernatorial race and the Democratic campaign for U.S. Senate might be close. The Democratic U.S. Senate contest has three contenders: former public health official Abdul El-Sayed of Ann Arbor, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham.
Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers is the lone Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.
Tony Forlini, the clerk in Macomb County, said he expects voters who are on the permanent absentee ballot list to begin getting the ballots in the coming days. Some of them will turn their filled-out ballots in as soon as they have the chance, Forlini said.
“We’re ready for it,” said Forlini, a Republican who’s running for secretary of state this fall
In Michigan’s largest city, Detroit, election officials are sending out 99,000 absentee ballots for the primary, said Matt Friedman, spokesman for Detroit Votes, the nonpartisan voter information campaign that partners with Detroit’s elections department.
“Voters are starting to receive absentee ballots this week for the primary election, as they have for the third consecutive year in Detroit, under Michigan’s absentee and early voting laws that took effect in 2024 as part of Michigan’s Constitution,” Friedman said.
In the August 2024 primary, about 63% of Detroit’s 84,994 ballots cast were absentee, about 3% were early votes and about 34% were in-person Election Day votes.
cmauger@detroitnews.com,
(FOX 2) – Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel is stepping down from her position, the governor’s office announced.
Hertel led the division for several years while serving under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, including during the pandemic. While she will be tackling a new chapter in her career, it’s unclear where her next position will be.
Amy Epkey has been promoted to acting director of the agency. She will assume the role on July 1.
What they’re saying:
“Amy Epkey brings decades of experience in state government and a proven record of leadership, and I am confident she will continue the important work of the Department of Health and Human Services,” the governor said in a statement. “I also want to thank Director Hertel for her dedicated service to our state. Under her leadership, MDHHS helped Michigan navigate unprecedented challenges, expanded access to health care, strengthened behavioral health services, and improved outcomes for families across our state.”
Dig deeper:
Epkey previously worked in the financial operations administration at MDHHS, overseeing the agency’s $40 billion budget, contracts and grants, as well as finance and accounting.
Epkey has also worked within the state’s environmental and agricultural departments.
Zoom out:
Hertel cited the expansion of behavioral health services, designing two new state-of-the-art psychiatric hospitals, as well as launching the Keep Kids Safe Action Agenda as among her accomplishments.
The Source: The Michigan governor’s office issued a news release that was cited for this story.
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