Going into Ann Arbor and picking up a big rivalry win over Michigan is not an easy task, especially with the Wolverines turning things around under Dusty May. Still, State basketball fans have gotten used to splitting these games, especially during the John Beilein era.
Winning in Ann Arbor doesn't happen every year, but it has recently as Michigan has fallen on some hard times, but when the Wolverines are good and Michigan State wins in Crisler, it usually means good things.
In fact, winning in Ann Arbor is a prerequisite for a deep March run for Michigan State.
Don't believe me? No Michigan State team that has made a Final Four under Tom Izzo has lost in Ann Arbor that season. That's right, in all eight of Michigan State's Final Four seasons under Izzo, the Spartans have won in Ann Arbor. Friday night's win in Ann Arbor was a great sign for the potential March run for this team.
Michigan State improved to 22-5 on the season with the win and is now No. 8 in the AP Top 25 after picking up a couple of ranked victories last week.
Everything seems to be falling in place for the first deep March run since Cassius Winston: good guard play, depth, elite rebounding and defense, and winning at Michigan. Everything is falling into place for this team to make its mark on Izzo's all-time resume.
We all doubted Izzo last year when he said he was going to get back to deep runs in March or die trying. Turns out, the Hall of Fame head coach was right.