The Michigan men's basketball team is flying high. Michigan State isn't far behind, but a strange incident at a game Monday overshadowed a big moment for Spartans coach Tom Izzo.
Sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Michigan Public's Morning Edition host Doug Tribou for a look at those stories and more sports news.
Doug Tribou: Happy New Year, John.
John U. Bacon: Happy New Year to you, Doug.
DT: We haven't spoken in a few weeks, and I want to give people a chance to hear your thoughts on the University of Michigan's decision to hire Kyle Whittingham as the Wolverines head football coach.
Whittingham's 66 years old. He comes to Ann Arbor after 21 seasons as the head coach for Utah. And he's replacing Sherrone Moore, who was fired by U of M for having a relationship with a staff member and is also facing criminal charges connected to an alleged incident at the woman's home.
How do you like the choice of Whittingham to take over for the Wolverines?
JUB: I think it's a very good choice. The man is a proven winner. He also beat, by the way, Brady Hoke, Rich Rodriguez and Jim Harbaugh along the way. You know what they say, Doug? If you can't beat him, hire him. So that's what they did.
DT: So he outcoached them in matchups when they were coaching Michigan.
JUB: That is correct.
DT: If you like good college basketball, it's a great time to be living in the state of Michigan. The Michigan women and the Michigan State women are both ranked in the top 15 in the country right now.
The Michigan men's basketball team is undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the nation in the latest AP poll. What's working well for head coach Dusty May and his squad so far?
JUB: Well, jeez, Doug. Absolutely everything all at once. They're undefeated. They're blowing out ranked teams, usually by 30 points. It's just been a crazy, crazy run. But also, the hardest thing coming up now is to be consistent. And they almost ran into that at Penn State the other night. A two-point win. Very narrow, of course.
Steve Martin had a great quote about being a standup comic. He said the hard thing was not to be great on a given night. On a given night, almost any comic can do that. The hard thing was to be good every night, no matter what. Whether you're feeling it or not, still deliver. That's what they did the other night at Penn State. That is going to be the hard part going forward because the Big Ten [conference] is tough.
DT: Steve Martin: banjo player, comedian, actor, and basketball analyst, it turns out. [Laughs]
JUB: A lot of guys don't realize that. [Laughs.]
DT: The Michigan State men are ranked No. 12 in the nation. The Green and White blew out USC on Monday night, and coach Tom Izzo earned his 750th career win. But the story of the game was not about basketball.
Former MSU star player Paul Davis, who's 41, was there as a fan. Late in the game, he was jawing at referee Jeffrey Anderson, and Anderson ejected him from his courtside seat. Izzo was yelling across the court at Davis. Davis held an apologetic press conference this week. I can't say I remember a scene quite like this...
JUB: I can't either. And it's certainly, in some ways, a comical one in hindsight. My respect for Tom Izzo is through the roof. I've seen him deal with situations — both private and public — with incredible aplomb. This is another test of his character.
He could have ignored the whole thing. He's no longer responsible for Paul Davis, obviously. He's 41. He could have ignored it. Instead, he was yelling at Davis from across the court, "What are you doing?" And then, I'm sure the press conference was Tom Izzo's idea the next day. And I'm sure Mr. Davis listened to his old coach.
DT: And interestingly enough, no one has publicly revealed what Davis actually said. The ref told Izzo, who said he agreed with the ejection 150%. Izzo also specifically said the comment was not racial or sexual in nature, but also should not be said anywhere in the world. I'm just going to leave all of that to the imagination.
JUB: Is this where I start guessing or not? [Laughs]
DT: [Laughs] I think we just move on here, John. I like doing these segments with you, so...
JUB: Okay. [Laughs]
DT: Turning to the NBA, the Pistons are the top team in the Eastern Conference as they approach midseason. The league's trade deadline is Feb. 5. The Pistons have a lot of young talent and some attractive future draft picks, but they're winning. Should they make a move or hold steady?
JUB: The Red Wings, the Tigers and the Lions all failed to bolster their lineups right before the [last] trading deadline to give their teams a better chance in the postseason or to get to the postseason. So here's another situation.
But you know what? This is a better team. They are No. 1 in the Eastern Conference. It's tempting to get a shooter, perhaps, to take pressure off Cade Cunningham. But I think most people say, and I certainly agree, the best thing to do right now is to stand pat. This is working great.
Editor's notes: Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can hear the full interview near the top of this page.
The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.
