No. 14 Michigan State beats No. 12 Michigan 75-62 to take first place in Big Ten
Michigan guard Nimari Burnett (4) and Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler (0) battle for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Jase Richardson scored 21 points and Tre Holloman had 18, leading No. 14 Michigan State to a 75-62 win over No. 12 Michigan on Friday night to take sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.
The Spartans (22-5, 13-3) have surged atop the highly competitive conference with their third straight win.
The Wolverines (20-6, 12-3) fell out of first place with their first loss in seven games.
Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin scored 21 points, Danny Wolf had 11 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Nimari Burnett added 12 points.
Michigan State’s Jaden Akins had 11 points and Jeremy Fears scored 10.
The Wolverines led 38-34 at halftime and the Spartans went ahead for good on Carson Cooper’s dunk early in the second half.
Michigan State was 9 of 22 on 3-pointers, connecting on shots beyond the arc more than usual.
VILLANOVA 81, NO. 16 MARQUETTE 66
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Eric Dixon scored 23 points, Jhamir Brickus had 15 of his 21 points in Villanova’s dominating first half and the Wildcats beat No. 16 Marquette.
Jordan Dumont added 15 points to help Villanova (16-12, 9-8 Big East) snap a two-game losing streak overall and eight-game skid against Marquette (20-7, 11-5). The Wildcats have knocked off Big East powers St. John’s, UConn and Marquette at home this season.
Zaide Lowery scored 25 points for Marquette (20-7, 11-5). The Golden Eagles have lost four of six.
The Wildcats seemingly couldn’t miss in the first half when they raced to a 46-33 advantage. But Villanova looked similarly good at UConn on Tuesday night, only to surrender a 14-point advantage in the final 11:58. In that contest, UConn scored 27 of the final 33 points.
But there was no letdown for the Wildcats in the second half against Marquette, which never got within double-digits after halftime.