Michigan State men's basketball loses to Michigan, 84-72

It was an emotional game on the heels of an emotional week. The Michigan State Spartans returned to action Saturday night against Michigan in Ann Arbor for the first time since the senseless and tragic events that stole the lives of Brian Fraser, Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner, and left five others hospitalized, on Monday night.

When the clock struck zero in Ann Arbor, the Spartans fell to the Wolverines, 84-72, despite a game-high 20 points from Michigan State forward Joey Hauser.

Surprisingly, it was neither Hunter Dickinson nor Jett Howard who starred for the Wolverines. Instead, Michigan got strong play from role players such as freshman Dug McDaniel (who led the team with 18 points), Will Tschetter (seven points), Tarris Reed (game-high 10 rebounds) and Kobe Bufkin (17 points) who stepped up for Michigan.

The Spartans played hard for most of the game, but struggled to finish either half. Michigan also out-rebounded Michigan State, 38-25, including 14 costly offensive rebounds, which led to 13 second-chance points.

The atmosphere in the Crisler Center was unlike anything that fans of either school had ever seen. The Wolverines' student section were maize-and-blue shirts with the words “Michigan basketball stands with MSU.” University of Michigan coaches and administrators were observed wearing green and white pins.

Prior to the game, the Crisler Center was illuminated in green as the Michigan pep band played the Michigan State alma mater, MSU Shadows. Wolverine fans held up signs in support of their fellow Michiganders.

When the game finally started, the difference between the first and second meetings of the two rivals could not have been more different. Both teams started hot from the field. Michigan State hit seven of its first eight shots from the field, while the Wolverines made five of the team's first nine attempts.

Another major difference from the first meeting was the early play from Wolverine freshman point guard Dug McDaniel. He was held scoreless in the East Lansing, but McDaniel was 5-for-6 in the first half to lead the Wolverines with 11 points at the break.

McDaniel’s hot start led to a five-point Wolverine lead in the opening minutes. But the Spartans quickly fought back to even the score and eventually take the lead with 12 minutes to play in the first stanza. The Spartans held leads of six points and later eight points with just under four minutes to play in the half.

It looked for a moment as if Michigan State may have been able to grab all of the momentum to close out the first half, but the Spartans appeared to lose a bit of focus in the final four minutes of the half, allowing Michigan to close the gap to just three points at halftime.

Forward Malik Hall led the Spartans with 12 points at the half. Hauser chipped in 10 points, while guard Tyson Walker scored eight points. Point guard A.J. Hoggard struggled in the first half, missing all four shots from the field. But, Hoggard did post four assists to just one turnover after the first 20 minutes of play.

Michigan State did do a good job limiting the output of Wolverine stars Hunter Dickinson and Jett Howard. Both players only had five points at the half. Dickinson would finish the game with 14 points, while Howard scored only 10 points.

Early in the second half, the teams traded baskets, but Michigan was able to tie the game at 46, thanks in large part to a possession where U-M grabbed five offensive rebounds and Howard was finally able to score and draw an and-one on the final board. Soon after this play, however, Howard left the with a leg injury sustained when he landed on Hauser’s foot following a shot attempt. Howard did not return.

The teams then continued to trade baskets for several minutes until Hauser was able to hit an open 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Spartans a 63-57 lead with just over eight minutes to play. Once again, Michigan State seemed poised to take control of the game, but the Wolverines refused to go away.

Michigan hit a 3-pointer and then hit the boards. The Spartans proceeded to miss six consecutive shots from the field. With five minutes left in the game, Michigan’s Dickinson hit a pair of free throws to give Michigan the lead, 67-65, for the first time since the 11:17 mark of the first half. Michigan State would never regain the lead.

The teams proceeded to trade baskets in the final minutes, including a 3-pointer from Walker with 2:29 to play to tie the score at 72-all. But from there it was all Michigan.

Bufkin hit an off-balance 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring, and then one possession later, Dickinson hit a deep shot of his own to extend the lead to six points with just over a minute to play. The Wolverines would close the game with six free throws to secure the win.

Hauser had his third-straight outing with at least 20 points. Hall finished with 14 points, while Walker chipped in 11. Jaden Akins scored seven points and had a team-high five rebounds. Hoggard finished with six points and a game-high seven assists.

Michigan State will return to action on Tuesday at home against Indiana. The game tips off at 9 p.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast on ESPN.