‘Bigger Than The Game’: Michigan Basketball Plans Touching Tribute For Rivalry Matchup With Spartans Days After MSU Shooting

When you are Blue and Maize Meet their in-state nemesis Michigan State SpartansFamily members can split, and tempers can flare. The century-old rivalries will be forgotten when they meet on Saturday at Ann Arbor’s basketball court.

Following the Shooting that took three lives on Michigan State’s campus earlier this week, the University of Michigan has planned to honor the victims and show support for its rival school during its annual basketball game against the Spartans at Crisler Arena.

Michigan is working on a variety of recognitions for MSU. “specially designed team warm-up shirts,” A “Spartan Strong” flag displayed in the Michigan student section, the Michigan band learning and playing MSU’s fight song, and a moment of silence for the victims.

Special things slated for Saturday’s game with Michigan State ….

✔️ Honoring victims of the Michigan State and our community💚💙
✔️ A Maize Out
✔️ 2013 Final Four Reunion

〽️🏀 #ForCompetitorsOnly#GoBlue #SpartanStrong pic.twitter.com/ett6CEUh3Y

— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) February 16, 2023

Students Arielle Anderson, Alexandria Verner and Brian Fraser were all killed. Five others were also injured Monday night following a shooting. A 43-year-old man Students were attacked at two locations on Michigan State’s campus by the suspect. According to police, the suspect was not affiliated with the university and later committed suicide.

Michigan State University canceled classes through the end of the week, and the men’s basketball team postponed a home game scheduled for Wednesday against Minnesota as the campus reels from the tragedy. The Spartans’ game against Michigan will be its first time taking the court since the shooting.

Tom Izzo is the long-serving head coach of Michigan State. that after talking with mental health professionals earlier this week, they decided that it’s important for the team to play to begin the healing process.

“We’ve had a lot of help from some mental health professionals that I think really helped me,” Izzo commented on Thursday. “They felt that if (MSU’s basketball team) played it would help not only themselves, the team, but maybe the campus heal a little better. And so we agreed that would be our battle cry.”

Legendary MSU player, Mark Steiger, said that Saturday’s match against Michigan would be more than a rivalry game.

“There’s some things that aren’t rivalries. There’s some things that are bigger than the game,” He said. “The game is gonna be really important to me, as it has been for all 28 years I’ve been here. But there’ll be a little asterisk on it. And I’m gonna have to do a good job of holding my emotions, their emotions. Everybody’s emotions.”

Although the game has taken on a greater meaning following the East Lansing tragedy, Juwan Howard, Michigan’s head coach, still expects a hard-fought contest.

“I expect two competitive teams to still go out there and compete,” Howard stated Friday that According MLive. “Me and Coach Izzo … we put our hearts into our players and helping them go through whatever they go through, and preparing them to play the game they truly love.”

“We know once that ball goes up it’s going to be all about the game of basketball, and both teams trying to, at the end of day, win,” He concluded.