Michigan basketball was the favorite against rival Michigan State in East Lansing — a rare occurrence for the maize and blue. The Wolverines hadn’t won at the Breslin Center in years and had lost four straight to the rival Spartans.
However, on Friday, not only did Michigan go into enemy territory and beat MSU, it did so convincingly in the end. But it wasn’t without drama.
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The Wolverines took a 16-point lead into the locker room at halftime, only to see much of that lead evaporate minutes into the second half. With just eight minutes remaining in the game, MSU took the lead, and it looked dire for the maize and blue. But with some clutch shots from Elliot Cadeau and Will Tschetter, Michigan retook the lead and never looked back, cruising to an 83-71 win.
And, as it turns out, much of America saw the effort.
According to Fox Sports PR, it was Fox’s best-ever Friday game in terms of viewership, the fifth-most viewed college basketball game in the network’s history, and more.
That adds insult to injury for the Spartans, who have been struggling to come to terms with Michigan’s win on Friday.
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In the aftermath, Wolverines head coach Dusty May decried Jeremy Fears Jr.’s play in the game, which led to some words from Tom Izzo.
The two teams will match up again in Ann Arbor to close out the regular season in March.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan–MSU on Fox sets network records in Friday night viewership
