Michigan Basketball: 3 reasons Trey Burke is my favorite Wolverine

Burke, Michigan started beating their rivals

Looking back, I’m sure Trey would tell you that he wish he had a better record against Michigan State and Ohio State because he’s that kind of competitor. But over two seasons, he was 4-4 against the Buckeyes and Spartans, going 2-2 against each team.

Of course, everyone will remember the game in which Burke missed a go-ahead shot in the final seconds in Columbus and for the Ohio native, not winning on the Buckeyes’ home court probably bothered him.

However, his two teams were 4-0 at home against Michigan’s chief rivals and if you are going to be an all-time great in Ann Arbor, you have to have success against those programs, which Burke did.

His freshman year, he scored 20 points in a win over the Spartans, as well as 17 in a victory over Ohio State. Then, during the 2012-13 season, Michigan basketball won the classic top-10 matchup as third-ranked Michigan beat OSU in overtime. Burke had 16 points and eight assists.

However, his most memorable rivalry game was against Michigan State. In another top-10 showdown, Michigan had a chance to take the lead, but turned the ball over, giving the Spartans the ball with a chance to hold for the last shot as the score was tied.

That’s when Burke took over the game literally. Playing defense, he stole the ball and cruised to the other end for a breakaway dunk in the second most-famous moment of his career. The Spartans had a chance to tie, however, Burke actually stole in the inbounds pass, leaving Tom Izzo flummoxed (see picture above).

We all know the best moment of his career, which will be touched on next, but this is a very solid No. 2 and it’s another memory no Wolverine fan will ever forget.