On paper, Michigan versus Michigan State was fairly straightforward with one caveat: rivalry games are never entirely straightforward.
For 15 minutes or so on Thursday night, it looked like this game might drift down that slippery slope.
Michigan looked like the better team, but it only led by five points with 2:43 left in the half, and Hunter Dickinson was on the bench with two fouls. Franz Wagner fouled Aaron Henry for a pair of free throws that would have allowed the Spartans to cut the lead to a single possession. Instead, a flagrant foul was assessed to Henry, his second foul of the half, and Michigan sensed blood in the water.
It was 30-26 after Henry split his free throws. Michigan State only scored 10 points over the next 16 minutes. By the time Jack Hoiberg checked into the game with 5:55 to play. Michigan led 64-36 and was on a 34-10 run.
By that point, the focus had shifted to the confetti, cutting down nets, senior celebrations, and Isaiah Livers kissing the Crisler Center floor n his final game in Ann Arbor.
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