The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/262939
U-M And MSU Losses Open The Door For Iowa And Others ESPN analyst and former coach Dan Dakich was right about one thing when he predicted Michigan and Michigan State would be neck and neck for a title before the two were to meet in Ann Arbor Feb. 23. Like most — well, just about everyone — though, he couldn't have known what would transpire the week- end of Feb. 15 when U-M and MSU lost at home to Wisconsin and Nebraska, respectively, to remain deadlocked at the top of the Big Ten standings at 10-3 with five games to go. "I guess I'm surprised at 10-2 [for Michigan]," he said before the Wolverines fell to the Badgers 75-62 Feb. 16. "But I've come to expect them to be good because more I watched Michigan I thought, 'Wait a second — these guys are pretty good.' Wisconsin was play- ing absolutely lights out early, but the more I watched it was, 'No, not really.'" Put the Spartans in the 'damn good' category, Dakich added, es- pecially with all of their players set to return for the last few weeks of the season. All hands should be on deck when the Spartans come to Ann Arbor, and Payne, for one, showed how much a bit of rest can help in the middle of a Big Ten season in looking like an All-Ameri- can upon his return. "He was super rested and hungry, and I know that's what you're go- ing to see from Daw- son, too," Dakich said. "It's going to be very in- teresting to me. Those two guys are differ- ent from everybody else. If they play, they're going to be really hard to beat — then again, Michigan is already going to be hard to beat. Going into Ann Arbor and winning, that's not easy." Frankly, though, nothing is easy in the Big Ten these days. There's no guarantee, even, that the winner of the Feb. 23 game will capture the Big Ten title, though the Wolverines would have to collapse to lose at least a share. Give the edge to Michigan by a nose, Dakich said, in a stretch run that could be one for the ages. "That's going to be an absolutely unbelievable environment," he said. "It's going to be a tough thing for Tom Izzo and Michigan State to get done." Either way, the rivalry seems here to stay. ❑ Fifth-year senior forward Jordan Morgan and the Wolverines play three of their final five games at home, including a show- down against Michigan State Feb. 23. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL