Not all rivalries are created equally. While the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans shared a heated rivalry in most sports, we appear to be seeing the one brewing on the hardwood approaching a boiling point. Michigan and Michigan State are among the two best teams in the Big Ten this season. The Wolverines went into East Lansing and got a huge road win over Sparty, 83-71...
This tough home defeat put Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo on blast for his weak handshake.
"No. Some guys I talk to. I have no interest in talking to my rival. Some guys I don't. It was not a ... it was a handshake. I walked by, it was a handshake. It was probably no different than the one last year, if you really got down to it."
Izzo did not want to talk about the tense exchange he had with Michigan head coach Dusty May at all.
"They're 20-1 and whatever they are, and we're 19-3, whatever we are. There should be a lot bigger things to get into than getting worried about the gosh darn handshake. So sorry, but you guys gotta have something that's controversial. So ... let's see ... what can I make controversial? ... I'm surprised nobody brought up the timeout."
Again, listen to Izzo's tone and look at his body language when having to answer this tough question.
Tom Izzo spoke about the postgame handshake with Dusty May.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) February 2, 2026
“Some guys I talk to. I have no interest in talking to my rival. Some guys I don’t,” he said.
“It was not a... it was a handshake. I walked by, it was a handshake. It was probably no different than the one last year if… pic.twitter.com/XCU26ItgLJ
Clearly, May and Michigan have gotten under Izzo's skin a bit. This is what rivalries are all about, y'all.
Tom Izzo seems to be incredibly flustered by his rivalry with Dusty May
One of the things we have to keep in mind as a society is you are never the best version of yourself when you are angry. When you are flustered, anything and everything is agitating. For Izzo, he has to be beside himself that the rival team in-state might have the better basketball team than him. Izzo is a legend in the coaching profession, but it has been a quarter century since he last won a national title.
Overall, having Michigan and Michigan State at or near the top of the sport is tremendous for college basketball. In a day and age where players and coaches are free to come and go as they so please, rivalries have somewhat gone to the wayside. That being said, having two coaches who are tense at best can galvanize the players to feel a certain way. It is totally okay to not be friends with everyone.
Ultimately, Michigan has the upper hand over Michigan State right now, but let's not take the Spartans for granted. The Wolverines will host the Spartans on March 8 to close out league play. From there, it will be all about the Big Ten Tournament, the NCAA Tournament, and so on. Again, having two teams who do not like each other is great for sports. To see Izzo be this aggravated only proves he is wrong.
Keep in mind that we still have another month of Big Ten action before Michigan faces Sparty again.