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It was a night for seeing green—green with envy, green to an old rivalry in a new era, or even green for a newly minted contract raise and extension. For the No. 12 Michigan men’s basketball team, though, as swarms of Maize filed for the parking lots and left dots of green and white standing out inside Crisler Center, it could only feel as though the grass was just a bit greener on the other side.

Suffering the first home court loss of the Dusty May era, dropped to second in the Big Ten standings, and stomaching a third straight rivalry loss, it was indeed an opportunity missed. And while the Wolverines remain in the thick of every single one of their goals, Friday’s 75-62 loss to No. 14 Michigan State became a teachable moment in the face of potential triumph.

With another potential matchup in the Breslin Center just over two weeks away, UM Hoops has five takeaways from the first iteration of the rivalry clash:

Green and White with the green light

Coming into Friday night’s matchup, the Spartans looked like anything but shooters. Michigan State was firmly last in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage, and 347th nationally — one of just 18 teams shooting under 30 percent.

In Crisler Center, though, that script was promptly flipped. The Spartans shot 40.9 percent from deep and hit 50 percent of their 12 second-half attempts. Spurred by three consecutive hits from guard Tre Holloman, Michigan State’s lead inched ever upwards, and it would never relinquish it.

“For me, it was evident, seeing some shots fall, but two of ‘em are really good shots,” Spartan coach Tom Izzo said. “The third one, I guess they’re called heat checks. I don’t know, maybe they got a new name now, but he did a hell of a job.”

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There’s no better time to join UM Hoops for the most comprehensive Michigan basketball coverage online. To celebrate Michigan’s turnaround and Friday’s rivalry matchup with Michigan State, we’re offering a year’s membership for $20 with code RIVALS2025. That’s less than $2 per month!

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