Tom Izzo's absurd reaction to Jeremy Fears' dirty play makes the Michigan win even better

It's official: the Michigan Wolverines own the Michigan State Spartans this season.

After their second meeting with their in-state rivals, which concluded with a second win, the Wolverines can head into the postseason with their heads held high (and with the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament).

Making the win even better was the beyond-bizarre reaction that Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo had to his guard Jeremy Fears Jr. receiving a technical foul.

In the first half, Fears very clearly kicked Michigan's Elliot Cadeau in the ground and was rightfully assessed a technical. At halftime, Izzo said it wasn't fair.

"You know what? "It's all because of what happened earlier, and now every microscope's on him. And I don't like that," Izzo said.

Tom Izzo in denial of Jeremy Fears foul problems

Earlier this season, Izzo had conceded that Fears might have an issue controlling his emotions on the court. Now, it seems that the Spartans' head coach believes that his point guard is being treated unfairly by the officials.

Of course, when the initial whistle was blown, Fears threw up his hands and acted as if he had done nothing wrong, which is pretty much the same thing he did when he tripped Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg during the teams' first meeting of the regular season.

After the technical was assessed, Lendeborg stepped to the line and sank two free throws, while Cadeau recovered from the low blow, adding to Michigan's early lead. However, by halftime, the Wolverines only led by one point.

As the second half progressed, Dusty May and his squad held the steady lead, and eventually knocked off the Spartans for a second time this season (the first series sweep for the Wolverines since 2014), securing the 90-80 win over their in-state rivals.

Up next, Michigan and Michigan State head to the Big Ten Tournament, where both teams will receive byes through the first two rounds as two of the top four teams in the conference standings.

With the NCAA Tournament tipping off after the conference championships wrap up, it is fully possible that the Wolverines and Spartans face off at least one more time this year. Hopefully, Fears will be held on an even tighter leash in those games.