ANN ARBOR — If it’s true a positive performance in a bowl game can be a springboard into the next season, then Michigan’s defensive players must be feeling pretty good.

Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, entering his second season with the Wolverines, certainly is upbeat about his group as the team opened spring practice Tuesday. Michigan finished last season, highlighted by strong defensive performances, with three straight wins. They included a 13-10 upset at Ohio State and then a 19-13 upset of Alabama in the bowl game in which starters Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Josaiah Stewart, Makari Paige and Will Johnson did not play.

In the final four games, starting at Indiana, Michigan allowed an average 48.7 yards rushing, 172.5 passing and 221.2 total yards. The Wolverines gave up an average 12.2 points. For the season, the defense ranked No. 5 against the run (90.7), 10th in total defense (307.0), 19th in scoring (19.9) and 63rd against the pass (216.3).

“It gave people excitement,” Martindale said Monday of Michigan’s late-season defensive surge and what it means for this fall. “There wasn’t anybody banging on the door saying they wanted to transfer. They’re excited about this season and where we’re going with it.”

Michigan will be without defensive standouts like Graham and Johnson, projected first-round NFL Draft picks next month, and Martindale and his staff are tasked with replacing that talent. The bowl game offered some evidence what this defense could look like this fall — the Michigan players at the recent NFL Scouting Combine all pointed to edge Derrick Moore as the one they think will be a standout — but the Wolverines made some significant additions in the offseason. They signed tackles Tre Williams and Damon Payne from the transfer portal, and Martindale likes the experiene they bring to the room.

Still, he cautioned that while the outlook is good, this is a work in progress, and the work begins during spring football practices.

“It’s just not like something that happens overnight,” Martindale said. “We’ve been trying to replace them through recruiting and the development of the other guys. We did a nice job in the portal with the two veteran tackles that we got in here, so it’s gonna be interesting to see how it all works out. But also, I feel really confident in the depth that we have in that room. I feel more confident now than I did last year at this time with the depth, just starting off initially.”

Martindale several times mentioned how pleased he is with the depth on defense. It also will benefit from the consistency of having him back for a second straight season. Martindale came to Michigan before the 2024 season after 20 seasons in the NFL, and he did interview for two NFL coordinator positions this offseason.

He’s ready for a second season at Michigan, though, and said he feels more comfortable and is used to life in Ann Arbor. Martindale also said having the same coordinator for a second straight season should not be undervalued. He is the architect of the defense from the Baltimore Ravens that Mike Macdonald installed at Michigan in 2021 and Jesse Minter built on in 2022 and 2023. Macdonald and Minter were on the Ravens staff with Martindale, so there is continuity on defense.

“These kids are more resilient than anybody realizes, the way this thing goes with people going in the portal and coming out of the portal and all the other movement in college football and the NFL,” Martindale said. “Every year is a new year, and they’re excited and ready to go. There is comfort that I was here last year and all the staff’s back, so it’ll help us.”

What hasn’t changed is Martindale’s feistiness when he’s asked about the perception that he blitzes too much. That has been a criticism that followed him from the NFL, and it irks him.

“It’s like big-time wrestling. You throw something out there and it catches on social media,” Martindale said. “I know that you guys (in the media) all have a job to do, and everybody has an opinion. It was just like when we played Ohio State compared to Alabama, it was two different game plans. That’s what I was proud of. Not that it was two different game plans was I proud of it, but the execution of the two different game plans. Ohio State, the guys executed the game plan and they played physical with it.

“And so, the scheme is the scheme. It’s the same scheme for the last three years. Do I take pride in it? Did I let both Jesse and Mike know that we held Ohio State to 10 points and they didn’t? Yes, of course I did. But we’ll see what we can do with what we have. It’s new people. It’s a new year. It’s the same thing I said before last year — it’s going to be different. Don’t know how it’s going to be different, but it’s going to be different, and we’ll see how we adjust during the season and starting with spring ball here. I’m really excited about that, seeing the guys compete.”

One of the first encouraging signs came midway through the first half in Michigan’s first game at the Big Ten tournament.

That’s when big man Danny Wolf and point guard Tre Donaldson ran pick-and-roll action from the top of the key. Wolf got the ball, shot-faked, drew two Purdue defenders and threw a pass over to Donaldson for a deep 3-pointer.

Donaldson’s reaction said it all.

“Tre hit that first 3, I just saw a big smile on his face, and I knew he was going to keep going,” Wolf said after Friday’s 86-68 win over Purdue, the first of three victories on the way to capturing the conference tournament title.

“I saw more smiles from my teammates than I’ve seen in a while, which is awesome.”

Things didn’t just look different for the Wolverines, who had limped into the postseason on a three-game skid. Things felt different before they ever stepped on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse court.

During the four-day gap between Michigan’s regular-season finale and Big Ten tournament opener, the team had two of its best practices in months. The sessions were as competitive and as physical as they’ve been this season. The mood shifted and the spirits went up.

“The energy in the locker room — I feel like everybody is much more connected and confident in each other,” guard Roddy Gayle Jr. said. “I feel like we’re rolling right now.”

And now is the best time for that to be happening, with Michigan riding its tournament title run into Thursday’s March Madness matchup against UC San Diego in Denver.

For the Wolverines to be at their best, they need every player to be at his best. After relying on 7-footers Vlad Goldin and Wolf to carry the load much of the past month, Michigan’s backcourt stepped up and raised their level of play.

For starters, there’s Donaldson, who wasn’t pleased with his performance the past couple of weeks. He bounced back by scoring in double figures in all three Big Ten tournament wins. He came away with several 50-50 balls and had a hot stretch against Purdue. He dished out a season-best nine assists against Maryland. He did much of the damage in the decisive 11-2 run in the closing minutes against Wisconsin.

Most notably and importantly, he delivered in crunch time. He scored two clutch baskets in the final 28 seconds against Maryland, including the game-winner on a last-second layup. He drilled a lead-changing 3-pointer with 1:54 to go and made two critical free throws after grabbing a key defensive rebound late against Wisconsin.

“He took control when he needed to take control. That’s what point guards do,” guard Rubin Jones said of Donaldson. “I’ve been telling him you’ve got to get back to yourself. Tre’s best way is when he’s playing with energy, kind of talking to the (other) team, talking crazy. That’s what fuels him to get going.

“I told him to try to get back to that. I’m on him if I don’t see that. If he makes a wide-open layup and he doesn’t say nothing, I’m like, ‘Bro, come on. Get back to you.’ That’s who Tre is. He got back to that.”

Gayle snapped a 13-game, 0-for-18 drought from beyond the arc against Maryland, knocking down his first 3-pointer since Jan. 24. He joked that he didn’t know how to react when he made that shot because it had been so long since he’d seen one drop.

While Michigan coach Dusty May said the best part is seeing Gayle “having fun hooping again,” that deep ball wasn’t the play that stood out to him. Rather, it was when Gayle got into what May described as a “rugby scrum” and helped strip the ball away from the Terrapins.

Gayle, who suffered a hamstring injury against Wisconsin, brushed off the stress and pressure he put on himself worrying about his shooting numbers and “let that burden go.” He put an emphasis on making the little plays that make a big difference, like the one May referenced.

“Conversations with coaches and the respect I got from my teammates goes a long way to where I know that they’re confident in me, and I give all I have and lose myself in the game,” Gayle said.

“Coach came to me and said he needed me to play hard. He kind of questioned if I do play hard. I had to prove him wrong. … I feel like I needed to give a lot more, whether that’s on the glass or running in transition.”

Then there’s Jones and freshman LJ Cason, who both entered the postseason shooting below 25% from 3-point range. Against Purdue, Jones stepped into and drained two 3-pointers. For the first time in a long time, he simply let it fly and shot without thinking twice.

With freshman Justin Pippen in concussion protocol and not making the trip to Indianapolis, Michigan needed more from Cason. He answered with a season-high five assists against Purdue and a season-high five boards against Wisconsin. He was aggressive on offense. And when the Badgers started to pull away in the second half of Sunday’s low-scoring title game, Cason hit two 3-pointers that kept the Wolverines in it.

“Me, Roddy, LJ, we haven’t been shooting the best, but we came into this tournament like it’s a new season for us and we’re going to shoot the ball with confidence,” Jones said. “Going into March Madness, that’s perfect for us.”

Confidence is key, and it’s a word that came up frequently in the postgame locker room. It’s also something that grew and reached an “all-time high,” according to guard Nimari Burnett, as Michigan ripped off three wins in different ways against strong competition in the Big Ten tournament.

It was quite the quick reversal, going from a disappointing finish in the regular season to a thrilling start in the postseason.

“We got knocked down a notch. Then our guys showed up the last week with a reinvigorated mindset,” May said. “When you put in the work and believe in yourself and you have teammates and a staff that believes in you, I think good things typically happen more times than not.

“It’s a group that didn’t waver with their conviction to work and stand together. … For them to have the renewed energy, it just shows what type of guys they are.”

But the Wolverines didn’t necessarily find anything new in Indianapolis. They recaptured their swagger and mentality that Donaldson described as “we’re going to be the biggest dogs, not the small dogs” on the court.

As Wolf put it, the Wolverines know what they’re capable of. They showed it earlier in the season. They simply “got back to our old form.”

That’s a positive sign as they ride a wave of momentum into the NCAA Tournament and the most exciting time of the year.

“We re-found our sense of unselfishness, our sense of playing hard, a little bit of our sense of pace and our sense of physicality most importantly,” forward Will Tschetter said.

“We needed to get back and rediscover our identity. That’s exactly what we did, and we need to continue to stay true to that.”

By LARRY LAGE
The Associated Press

EAST LANSING — Michigan State has joined some rare air in college basketball history over the last half-century with coaching longevity and NCAA titles.

Since 1976, the Spartans have had just two coaches and both won a national championship.

Hall of Famer Tom Izzo cut down the nets in 2000 and Jud Heathcote won it all in 1979.

Kentucky, North Carolina and Michigan State are the three programs to have two basketball coaches in a span of at least four decades with each winning a national championship that was not vacated due to violating NCAA rules.

“That means the world to me because I don’t think Jud got the credit he deserved,” Izzo said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The Spartans, seeded No. 2 in the South Region, will open the NCAA Tournament against 15th-seeded Bryant on Friday night in Cleveland.

Izzo has become synonymous with March Madness, earning a spot in college basketball’s annual showcase 27 straight times in the longest streak by a coach.

He trails just Kansas’ record of 28 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, a run that the governing body ended in its record books in 2017 due to sanctions, and is tied with North Carolina’s stretch of success from 1975 to 2001.

The 70-year-old Izzo is in his 30th season in charge of a program he began working for as a part-time assistant under Heathcote in 1983.

He has been around long enough to coach a father and son, Jason and Jase Richardson, and to recruit a high school basketball player who has become a coaching peer.

When Izzo broke former Indiana coach Bob Knight’s record for Big Ten wins with his 354th conference victory, 54-year-old Purdue coach Matt Painter compared his ability to consistently win while enduring the test of time to Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak in 1941 that still stands.

“It’s unbelievable,” Painter said.

When Izzo took over a solid program, following Heathcote’s retirement, no one would have believed the Spartans would be in a conversation with college basketball bluebloods.

The Tar Heels were led by coaches Frank McGuire (1952-61) and Dean Smith (1961-1997) for 40-plus seasons, winning three NCAA titles while combining to advance to 12 Final Fours.

The Wildcats had Adolph Rupp (1930-72) and Joe B. Hall (1972-85) on the bench for more than a half-century, winning five national titles and playing in a combined nine Final Fours.

Heathcote was hired by Michigan State nearly 50 years ago, winning a national title with Magic Johnson against Larry Bird-led Michigan State, and pushed for the school to give Izzo a shot in 1995.

Izzo proved it was a good move, winning an NCAA championship in 2000 with a team led by Mateen Cleaves. His eight appearances in the Final Four trail the total of just four coaches: Mike Krzyzewski, John Wooden, Smith and Roy Williams.

The old-school coach showed he can still win in the new era this season, winning an 11th Big Ten title to tie the record set in 1940 by Purdue’s Ward “Piggy” Lambert and Knight equaled in 1993.

The Big Ten Coach of the Year for a fourth time, Izzo led a team that started the season unranked and went into the tournament ranked No. 8 in the AP Top 25 after winning the conference by three games without a first- or second-team All-Big Ten player.

“I think he has maybe dialed it back a little bit, it’s a different era as far as kids, but the passion and the care he has for the players, that’s still the same,” Cleaves said. “It’s such a joy to watch.”

By turning down opportunities to leave the school and lead the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kentucky among other teams in the NBA and college, Izzo has helped the Spartans say they’ve done what just the Wildcats and Tar Heels have in college basketball history.

“That is really an honor to be in that group with that group of coaches,” Izzo told the AP. “Especially my mentor because without him, I’m not here.”

Heathcote created a culture in which former players, including Johnson, wanted to come back to campus. Izzo took it to another level, welcoming professional players such as Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green to return to mentor current Spartans on and off the court in what’s called “Grind Week” each summer.

“Grant Hill talks about the culture, and he comes from an unbelievable culture (at Duke),” said former Michigan State and NBA great Steve Smith, who was recruited by Izzo and played for Heathcote. “This is second to none. The guys come back. You don’t have to be asked or emailed to come back.

“It’s just a part of our DNA.”

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Danny Wolf had 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and No. 22 Michigan snapped a three-game losing streak with a 86-68 win over No. 20 Purdue Friday in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal.

The second-seeded Wolverines (23-9) allowed the game’s initial six points, then led for the final 37 minutes in an impressive bounce-back win to advance to a semifinal against No. 11 Maryland (25-7) on Saturday.

Eight Michigan players scored at least six points. Vladislav Goldin added 15 points and eight rebounds. Tre Donaldson had 13 points and Roddy Gayle Jr. scored 11.

Trey Kaufman-Renn led sixth-seeded Purdue (22-11) with 24 points and nine rebounds. Big Ten player of the year Braden Smith, who averaged 24 points and 8.5 assists in two regular-season meetings vs. Michigan, finished with 12 points on 5-of-18 shooting, 2 of 10 from 3-point range. He had six assists.

Takeaways

Purdue: The Boilermakers have a strong 1-2 offensive punch in Kaufman-Renn and Smith, but NCAA Tournament survival likely hinges on the supporting cast, which is capable but often inconsistent.

Michigan: A much-needed confidence boost for the Wolverines after a lackluster regular-season finish. When this team shares the ball (25 assists) and limits turnovers (six), it’s a tough out.

Key moment

Michigan opened the second half with a 12-5 spurt to build a 52-41 lead after a Donaldson 3-pointer.

Key stat

Despite Smith being the league leader in assists, Michigan had a 25-11 edge in the category.

Up next

Purdue awaits an NCAA Tournament bid. Michigan faces Maryland in the semifinals on Saturday.

— By PHILLIP B. WILSON, Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — It only took warmups for Michigan State coach Tom Izzo to get a feeling about Friday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal against Oregon. Against an eight seed Ducks team riding an eight-game win streak, he expected his first-seed Spartans to have their hands full. He even went back to the locker room and told assistant coach Doug Wojcik, “we’re in trouble.”

“They don’t miss a shot,” Izzo said. “They’re big, they’re strong.”

Now, they’re eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament. Because as much as Izzo’s warning came to fruition at times Friday afternoon at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Michigan State stayed in front of Oregon in a decisive 74-64 win to open up its Big Ten Tournament run. Paced by four players scoring in double digits and strong work on defense and the glass, the Spartans opened one-and-done play with a win.

Michigan State will play Wisconsin in the Big Ten semifinal 1 p.m. Saturday (CBS). Friday’s win over Oregon is its 12th Quad 1 win of the season, boosting its case for a 1-seed on Selection Sunday.

Izzo’s warning about Oregon made sense. One only had to look back to the last time these teams played to see why. In the win Feb. 8 when Izzo tied Indiana great Bob Knight’s career Big Ten wins record, Michigan State (27-5) trailed by 14 at halftime before mounting a major comeback. Oregon (24-9) hadn’t lost since.

This time, Michigan State got off to a better start. It scored the first eight points to take control before a 9-2 Oregon run brought the game right back. The first half proved a war of attrition, with each team grinding out offense in the halfcourt and battling for defensive stops. The shot clock bled down on many possessions.

Jeremy Fears Jr. — who watched the last meeting with Oregon from his couch because he was sick — played a big role with his playmaking, but also his defense on Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad. The same could be said for center Carson Cooper off the bench, who heard a friendly crowd shout “Coop” when he drew a first-half charge on the baseline. Michigan State guards Jaden Akins, Tre Holloman and Jase Richardson all found ways to score from midrange, finding space in Oregon’s coverage.

“We knew they were going to be really aggressive, pressing us and denying us,” Akins said. “So we got a couple back doors to happen, which led to Coen (Carr)’s dunk at the end. … I feel like they were playing drop coverage, so we just tried to do our best to do damage in the midrange.”

It took until the final three minutes for Michigan State to pull away. After a corner 3 from Carr, his team outscored Oregon 18-7 in the final six minutes of the half to take a 42-32 lead.

Michigan State wasn’t so crisp to start the second half. An overshot 3 from Fears turned over the first possession with a shot-clock violation. A travel from Fears turned over the next. Szymon Zapala fouled away the third possession before Kohler turned over the fifth. As Oregon’s TJ Bamba scored on the break as part of 15 points off turnovers, Michigan State’s lead fell to just four points.

Just as the game got out of control, Michigan State seized control. Frankie Fidler drew first blood of a 15-0 run off the bench, adding a 3 later in the sequence. Richardson nailed a 3 to take a 57-43 lead at 10:47 before scoring a midrange off one leg right after.

Richardson led Michigan State with 17 points on 4-for-13 shooting. It’s the most he’s ever shot the ball in the game, a milestone for a player whose first start came 10 games ago against Oregon. Such an upgrade in role came with hiccups, however, as he shot well below his season average.

“He’s just very efficient, very intelligent,” Izzo said. “And I think he knows he’s gotta do some things when we get stagnant and talks to me about moving the ball more. I talked to him tonight when he said, ‘I’m not shooting well.’ I said, ‘Let me worry about that. You just keep doing your job.”

Richardson left the game with 51 seconds to play after Bamba’s knee collided with his head and neck, knocking him to the ground. He split his free throws before subbing out, but said after the game he’ll play in Saturday’s semifinal.

As much as Richardson, Coen Carr factored in heavily during this run — not only for his putback dunk early in it, but especially his strong rebounding and defensive play. Carr tied a career-high with eight rebounds, including five during the run.

“Coen grew up today,” Izzo said. “I mean, in a lot of ways. It wasn’t just hitting a 3. Some of those rebounds he got. Some of the defensive stops, guarding guards. … He proved what I believe about Coen Carr: that as that shot keeps coming, he’s gonna be a special player.”

As much as any dunk or defensive stop, Carr’s rebounds secured possessions that kept Oregon from mounting a comeback.

“That’s one thing that they want me to do is go in there and rebound like an animal,” Carr said.  “So when I go in and do that, I get extra opportunities for my team.”

The offense cooled after the run, but Michigan State’s defensive play didn’t wane. After going nearly six minutes without a bucket during the Spartans’ run, Oregon went 3:32 without a field goal right after. Bittle broke the slump with a jumper, part of a 22-point performance that led the game. And though Shelstad found his groove in the final five minutes, Oregon never drew within eight points down the stretch.

When Illinois coach Brad Underwood met with reporters Friday night at the State Farm Center, he was asked where his confidence level stood after the Illini closed the regular season with an 88-80 victory over then-No. 18 Purdue.

“It grew a lot tonight,” Underwood said at his postgame news conference. “Just simply the confidence to win a close game when things are really, really hard against an unbelievably good opponent and a team that has the best offense in the league, to get stops when you need them. To find enough moxie when you’re down four or five and to make plays, man, my confidence is really high.”

After a bumpy patch in mid-February, the Illini finished the regular season with three straight convincing victories: against Iowa, at then-No. 15 Michigan and the finale at home against the Boilermakers, who had won five straight in the rivalry.

The Illini — who reentered the AP rankings at No. 24 on Monday — hope that confidence and momentum will carry over this week to the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, where they are the No. 7 seed and will take on the Iowa-Ohio State winner at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

A team that dealt with injuries and illness for several weeks in January and February has been healthier, though freshman center Morez Johnson Jr. remained out with a broken wrist Friday.

Underwood credited the leadership of junior guards Kylan Boswell and Tre White with helping pull the Illini out of their funk following a 110-67 loss to then-No. 3 Duke on Feb. 22 at Madison Square Garden.

White had 20 points and nine rebounds against Purdue, and Boswell added 15 points and five assists. Their improved play has helped supplement the Illini’s best player, freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis, who’s averaging 15.2 points.

“It’s just a matter of some guys stepping up,” Underwood said. “After the New York game (against Duke), they didn’t want to pitch a tent and say we’re done. They decided to fight, and that’s who we are. That’s what we’re about, being an everyday guy.”

Here’s a look at what else to watch in the new-look Big Ten Tournament field, which consists of the top 15 of the conference’s 18 teams.

The favorite

Michigan State already had clinched the Big Ten regular-season championship when it took the floor against Michigan on Sunday at the Breslin Center. But that didn’t stop the Spartans from putting on a show on senior day, cruising to a 79-62 victory to punctuate coach Tom Izzo’s 11th Big Ten title.

At 26-5 overall and 17-3 in the conference, Michigan State is the No. 1 seed this week and the Big Ten’s clear favorite to make noise in March. The Spartans have a double bye and don’t begin tournament play until Friday’s quarterfinals.

They went through a rough patch of three losses in four games to USC, UCLA and Indiana earlier in conference play. But starting with a Feb. 15 victory over Illinois in Champaign, the Spartans won seven straight to end the regular season.

Freshman guard Jase Richardson has scored 15 or more points in four of the last five games to lead Michigan State’s surge. Izzo made a case to reporters before the Michigan game that Richardson should be considered for Big Ten freshman of the year, especially given his play over nine starts to end the season.

“There can’t be many guys that I’ve coached that are as efficient and confident — not cocky, not arrogant, but believing in himself,” Izzo said. “It’s hard to find that happy medium.”

Next in line

No. 2 seed Maryland, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 UCLA also earned double byes into the quarterfinals.

Maryland would await the Illini should they win their second-round game. The teams’ lone meeting this season didn’t go well for Illinois, which lost 91-70 in Champaign.

Like Michigan State, Maryland has been on a hot streak, finishing the regular season with seven wins in eight games — the only loss coming to the Spartans — and 11 wins in 13 games.

Maryland’s starting lineup of Derik Queen, Julian Reese, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel — each averaging more than 12 points — has earned the moniker “The Crab Five.” The group’s scoring average of 69.5 points is the highest among major-conference programs. Queen leads the way with 15.7 points per game.

Northwestern squeaks in

Northwestern lost its final two regular-season games to UCLA and Maryland but did enough during a three-game winning streak before that to nab the No. 13 seed.

The Wildcats will face 12th-seeded Minnesota in the first round at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. Northwestern  beat the Gophers 75-63 on Feb. 25 in Minneapolis.

Junior forward Nick Martinelli scored 28 points in the loss to Maryland, shooting 8-for-19 from the field and 11-for-11 from the free-throw line. That helped him finish the regular season as the Big Ten scoring leader with 20.2 points per game.

He has scored 15 or more points in 16 straight games to help keep Northwestern competitive despite season-ending injuries to veteran leaders Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach.

“If you don’t see that Nick Martinelli is one of the very best players in this league, then I don’t know what you’re watching,” coach Chris Collins told reporters after the Maryland game. “What’s happened to him this year with his two running mates going down — Brooks Barnhizer, 18 (points) a game; Jalen Leach, 15 a game — for him to come out and lead us to four wins in the last 10 with a bunch of young guys that really weren’t even in our rotation, to me that’s a sign of a heck of a player.

“He’s a warrior, man. I love that he’s on my team.”

Other player to watch

Purdue’s Braden Smith was the Big Ten preseason player of the year in October, and he has lived up to the billing. The 6-foot guard, who will be playing in the tournament not far from his hometown of Westfield, Ind., is averaging 16.3 points, 8.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals.

Smith was one rebound shy of a triple-double against Illinois with 18 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, and Purdue coach Matt Painter sang his praises after the game.

“In my opinion, he’s the best player in this league,” Painter said. “They call it the most valuable player, right? He’s pretty valuable. Like, who rebounds like him? Who gets assists like him? Who scores like him? You know, he leads the league in steals.

“Like, he’s pretty good. For a guy that had one high-major offer, he’s damn good.”

---

Big Ten Tournament

Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

Wednesday’s games

• (12) Minnesota vs. (13) Northwestern, 2:30 p.m., Peacock
• (10) Ohio State vs. (15) Iowa, 5 p.m., Peacock
• (11) Rutgers vs. (14) USC, 7:30 p.m., Peacock

Thursday’s games

• (8) Oregon vs. (9) Indiana, 11 a.m., BTN
• (5) Wisconsin vs. Minnesota/Northwestern, 1:30 p.m., BTN
• (7) Illinois vs. Ohio State/Iowa, 5:30 p.m., BTN
• (6) Purdue vs. Rutgers/USC, 8 p.m. BTN

Friday’s quarterfinals

• (1) Michigan State vs. Oregon/Indiana, 11 a.m., BTN
• (4) UCLA vs. Wisconsin/Minnesota/Northwestern, 1:30 p.m., BTN
• (2) Maryland vs. Illinois/Ohio State/Iowa, 5:30 p.m., BTN
• (3) Michigan vs. Purdue/Rutgers/USC, 8 p.m., BTN

Saturday’s semifinals

• Noon and 2:30 p.m., CBS-2

Sunday’s final

• 2:30 p.m., CBS-2

Michigan State is heading back to Ford Field this season.

Announced Wednesday morning, the university will move its final regular-season game against Maryland to the home of the NFL’s Detroit Lions. The game remains scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 29, with a start time to be announced.

“Playing at Ford Field is an exciting opportunity for Spartan football,” Michigan State athletics director Alan Haller said in a release circulated by MSU Athletics. “The 2023 game proved that this can be a successful and enjoyable venture. I heard from fans, donors, students, and media, all of whom universally raved about their experience at Ford Field. We witnessed what the Detroit Lions experience every game, that Ford Field can be a tremendous home field advantage. Our student-athletes dream of playing in the NFL and to have the opportunity to play in that stadium is a thrill for them as well.”

Added Lions President and CEO Rod Wood, “We are excited to welcome Michigan State Football back into Ford Field for another Spartan season finale. Thanksgiving and football have been a staple in Detroit for the past 91 years and this year will be a true celebration of the game at every level. It is an honor to connect all levels of the game by kicking off the weekend with the Lions and featuring the Big Ten and MHSAA State Championships throughout an amazing four days of football.”

Two years ago, Michigan State hosted Penn State at Ford Field for its final game of the season — a 42-0 loss attended by 51,927 fans. That loss came under the direction of interim head coach Harlon Barnett, who took over when Mel Tucker was fired by Michigan State amid a sexual harassment scandal. Second-year head coach Jonathan Smith will coach the return trip, the bookend to a season that follows up his 5-7 debut wearing the headset.

“Playing at Ford Field is an exciting way to close out the regular season,” Smith said in a release. “We will have an opportunity to play in one of the best venues in the NFL in front of our fans, which will create a great atmosphere and a home field advantage for our players.”

This year’s game will be Michigan State’s third at Ford Field — in 2010, a game against Florida Atlantic was moved there due to building delays for what is now FAU Stadium. Michigan State won that game, 30-17.

Thanksgiving weekend traditionally sees the Lions host an NFL opponent Thanksgiving Day, followed by Michigan High School Athletic Association state championship games over the weekend. The MHSAA changed its schedule to accommodate the Michigan State game, with games to be played on Friday and Sunday.

“We have strong relationships with both Michigan State and Ford Field, and with moving our traditional Saturday games to Sunday we still have a valuable opportunity to play two days of football indoors,” MHSAA communications director Geoff Kimmerly said.

“We are very thankful for Ford Field and the Detroit Lions, and all their work to host this game,” Haller said. “Beyond that, we’re grateful for our ongoing partnership with the MHSAA and their accommodations in shifting their weekend schedule. Together, we’re able to provide a great four-day weekend of football in a terrific setting.”

Playing at Ford Field is closer for many Michigan State students and fans, including more than 100,000 alumni and students in the Metro Detroit area.

Ticket sale dates will be announced in the future, but there are plans to designate sections of the lower bowl for student seating. Season pass holders will get priority. Spartan fund donors and season ticket holders can purchase tickets based on Spartan Fund priority order. The event is sold as a standalone event.

By DOUG FEINBERG
The Associated Press

Southern California has its best ranking in 39 years after moving up to No. 2 in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll on Monday.

The Trojans won the Big Ten regular-season title Saturday, beating then-No. 2 UCLA for the second time this year. That victory vaulted USC up two spots for its highest appearance in the poll since the team was second on Jan. 5, 1986. USC garnered six first-place votes from a 31-member national media panel.

“A goal was to come here and bring USC back to what it was at one point,” coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a phone interview. “Recognition of our history and admiration of the history and its a neat feeling in the present moment.”

Texas remained the top choice after receiving the other 25 first-place ballots. The Longhorns beat Georgia, Mississippi State and Florida last week to wrap up a share of the SEC title with South Carolina.

The Bruins fell to fourth with UConn right in front of them. South Carolina, which won a coin flip to get the top seed in the SEC Tournament, was fifth. Notre Dame dropped three places to six after losing to Florida State last week.

North Carolina State and TCU were seventh and eighth. The Wolfpack shared the ACC regular season crown with Notre Dame while the Horned Frogs won their first Big 12 title after beating Baylor on Sunday.

LSU fell to ninth after the Tigers dropped both their games, losing to then-No. 20 Alabama in overtime and to Ole Miss. The Tigers also will be without star Flau’Jae Johnson for the SEC Tournament as she recovers from shin inflammation.

Oklahoma rounded out the top 10.

Michigan State slipped a notch to No. 24.

Ranked Rabbits

South Dakota State entered the poll for the first time this season, coming in at No. 25. It’s the first time the Jackrabbits are ranked since the preseason poll in 2022. The team went 16-0 in conference play and have gone undefeated in the Summit League three straight years. The Jackrabbits have won 63 straight regular season conference games and are 81-1 dating back to the beginning of the 2020-21 season. The team’s only three losses this season came to Duke, Georgia Tech and Texas.

Conference breakdown

The Southeastern Conference has seven ranked teams. The ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 each have five. The Big East has two and the Summit League one.

Games of the week

All four of the major conferences begin their tournaments this week with the championship games on Sunday.

By JOHN MARSHALL
The Associated Press

Auburn and Duke remain atop the AP Top 25. The rest of the poll was a big jumble.

Auburn was the unanimous pick at No. 1 for the second straight week, receiving all 61 votes from a media panel in the poll released on Monday. The Tigers held the top spot for the eighth straight week following lopsided wins over Ole Miss and then-No. 17 Kentucky.

Duke was No. 2 for the second straight week after blowing out Miami and Florida State despite playing without guard Tyrese Proctor due to a bone bruise in his left knee.

No. 3 Houston moved up a spot after beating Texas Tech and Cincinnati, while Tennessee climbed to No. 4 following Jahmai Mashack’s last-second 3-pointer from well beyond halfcourt to beat Alabama 79-76.

Florida rounded out the top five, dropping two places after losing to Georgia and beating Texas A&M.

No. 8 Michigan State joined Auburn and Duke as the only teams to have the same ranking as last week.

Rising Red Storm

St. John’s has pulled off quite the turnaround in its second season under coach Rick Pitino.

The Red Storm (26-4, 17-2Big East) have not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2019, but are pretty much a lock to end the drought after clinching their first Big East regular-season title in 40 years with Saturday’s 71-61 win over Seton Hall.

“We’re just getting started,” Pitino told the Madison Square Garden crowd after the win.

St. John’s also beat Butler last week and moved up a spot in this week’s poll to No. 6, its highest ranking reaching No. 5 in 1990-91.

In and out

No teams moved in or out of this week’s poll.

Rising and falling

No. 14 Louisville made the biggest move of the week, climbing five places following wins over Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. No. 13 Maryland moved up three places after losing to Michigan State by three on Tre Holloman’s last-second heave from beyond midcourt and beating Penn State.

No. 22 Texas A&M had by far the biggest drop, losing 10 places after losing to Vanderbilt and Florida, stretching its losing streak to four straight.

Michigan fell from No. 15 to No. 17 following Sunday’s 20-point loss to Illinois.

Conference watch

The SEC continued its dominance with three of the top five and eight total in the Top 25 this week. The Big 12 has three teams in the top 10 and five ranked teams, while the Big Ten also had five teams in the poll. The ACC has three, the Big East two and the American and West Coast conferences have one ranked team apiece.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Nimari Burnett made a long 3-pointer at the buzzer, lifting No. 15 Michigan to an 84-82 win over Rutgers on Thursday night and into a first-place tie in the Big Ten with rival Michigan State.

The Wolverines (22-6, 14-3 Big Ten) rallied after trailing by 12 in the second half.

The Scarlet Knights (14-15, 7-11) went ahead with 12.2 seconds left when Tyson Acuff made two free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer, but they couldn’t make one last stop.

Rutgers, which led by 13 in a 106-point first half, was ahead 74-62 midway through the second.

Michigan went on a 14-2 run to tie it with 4:33 left and made enough shots and stops to win.

Vladislav Goldin had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Burnett finished with 20 points, Will Tschetter scored 16 and Danny Wolf added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Wolverines.

Rutgers freshman Lathan Sommerville scored 10 of his season-high 17 points in the second half when the highly touted players in his class, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, cooled off. Harper finished with 17 points and Bailey had 13 after both scored 11 in the first half, helping their team score 57 points in 20 minutes.

Takeaways

Rutgers: Steve Pikiell has his highest-scoring team in nine seasons at the school, but the Scarlet Knights are not playing the type of defense they usually have under their coach.

Michigan: The Wolverines made just five shots beyond the arc for the third straight game, attempting 20-plus each time.

Key moment

Burnett’s 3-pointer from deep on the left wing won the game just before time expired.

Key stat

Rutgers shot 68% in the first half.

Up next

Michigan hosts Illinois on Sunday, and Rutgers visits No. 20 Purdue on Tuesday night.

 

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Sarah Te-Biasu had 21 points, Shyanne Sellers scored 18 on a milestone night before limping off the court in the closing seconds and Maryland held off Michigan 85-77 on Monday.

Te-Biasu made 8 of 15 shots with three 3-pointers for the Terrapins (20-6, 10-5 Big Ten Conference), who snapped a three-game skid at home. Sellers added six rebounds and five assists. With her fourth assist, Sellers became the first Terrapin to total 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in a career. The senior, who wears a heavy brace on her right knee, was helped off the court with 25 seconds remaining after a hard fall.

Saylor Poffenbarger totaled 12 points and six rebounds for Maryland.

Freshman Olivia Olson had 26 points and seven rebounds before fouling out for the Wolverines (18-8, 9-6), who saw a four-game win streak end. Freshman Syla Swords added 19 points and six rebounds. Jordan Hobbs had 13 points and Yulia Grabovskaia scored 11 off the bench.

Olson scored 11 to guide Michigan to a 22-15 lead after one quarter.

Sellers had eight points and four assists by halftime and Maryland scored the final seven points of the second quarter to get within 40-38. Mila Holloway hit a 3-pointer to put Michigan up 30-20, but the Wolverines went scoreless over the final 3:53.

Maryland took a 44-41 lead in the first minute of the third on a layup by Christina Dalce and Te-Biasu’s 3-pointer and played with a lead over the final 19:06. Michigan trailed 60-59 heading to the final period.

Maryland plays at Northwestern on Thursday. Michigan will host Penn State on Saturday.

Eight former Michigan players have been invited to the upcoming NFL Combine ahead of the NFL Draft in late April.

The invitees are defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, edge Josaiah Stewart, running backs Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings, tight end Colston Loveland, offensive lineman Myles Hinton and defensive back Will Johnson.

The combine is Feb. 27-March 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Draft is April 24-26 in Green Bay.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network recently released his list of his top 50 prospects, and Michigan is well-represented. He considers Graham, a consensus All-America, the No. 4 prospect with Loveland at No. 7. Johnson is No. 12, Grant is No. 18 and Stewart No. 46. On ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s most recent Big Board, he has three Michigan players among the top 25 — Graham at No. 3, Johnson at No. 9 and Loveland at No. 13.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Syla Swords scored 19 points with six rebounds and six assists, Olivia Olson added 14 points and Michigan beat No. 20 Michigan State 71-61 on Sunday to snap a three-game skid in the in-state rivalry.

Mila Holloway scored 10 points with five assists for Michigan (17-7, 8-5 Big Ten). The Wolverines have won three games in a row.

Grace Vanslooten led Michigan State (18-5, 8-4) with 15 points and 12 rebounds before she fouled out with a minute to play. Nyla Hampton added 11 points and Julia Ayrault scored 10.

Swords hit a 3-pointer to make it 37-36 about 3 1/2 minutes into the third quarter and the Wolverines led the rest of the way. Holloway made a layup to open the scoring nearly a minute into the fourth quarter and Hobbs followed with a 3-pointer about 30 seconds later that gave Michigan a 10-point lead and the Spartans trailed by at least seven points from there on.

The Spartans, who went into the game shooting better than 45% from the field this season, shot a season-low 31.8% (21 of 66).

Michigan State leads the all-time series 74-26, 36-10 at home. The Spartans rolled over Michigan 88-58 last month.

The Spartans are off to their best start since the 2015-16 teams also started 18-5.

Michigan returns home to play Indiana on Wednesday. Michigan State also plays at home Wednesday against Wisconsin.