In Big Ten men’s basketball, No. 13 Michigan State visited the No. 8 Purdue and won. It's the first time the Spartans have beaten the Boilermakers on their home floor at Mackey Arena since 2014.
The final score was 76-74.
The Michigan men are ranked No. 3 in the nation. They’ve got a key conference matchup on the road against No. 10 Illinois Friday night.
For a look at other sports news, Michigan Public commentator John U. Bacon joined host Doug Tribou on Morning Edition.
Doug Tribou: The Michigan women’s basketball team beat Ohio State 88-86 in overtime Wednesday night. Michigan is now 23-5 on the season and ranked 8th in the country. The Wolverines dropped a couple of spots in the rankings after an 18-point loss to Iowa on Sunday. What are you seeing from Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico and her team this season?
John U. Bacon: Well, two things. They're not quite elite. When they play a [highly ranked] Big Ten team like Iowa or UCLA, they usually lose. The flip side is they beat everyone else, clearly. And what she has established here, Doug, is not just a good team, but a great program that is consistently good year in, year out. This is the best women's basketball program Michigan has ever had. No question.
DT: The Big Ten has several teams in the women’s Top 25, including Michigan State. The Spartans jumped up three spots to No. 15 in the latest poll. But, John, right now, it looks like the road to a Big Ten title might go through UCLA. As you mentioned, UCLA is very good. The Bruins beat Michigan by 3 earlier this month, but the Wolverines have a lot of company in that category.
JUB: [Laughs] Yeah, I'm not going to find too much fault there, Doug. UCLA is 17-0 in conference play. That is all of [the games], in case you weren't, quite following the numbers.
DT: That's the "0" part. [Laughs]
JUB: Yeah, the 0 is the losses, in case you're not a sports fan. And yes, 21 straight [wins]. So, they are that good. And Michigan, I mean, three points is a toss-up game basically, so they are that close to cracking elite.
But UCLA is UCLA. My advice is to avoid playing them in the future. That's my advice.
Like the rest of the Big Ten, the Michigan women's basketball team is chasing UCLA. The Bruins have won 21 straight and are 17-0 in conference play.
DT: [Laughs] Since we since we last spoke, the U.S. men's ice hockey team beat Canada in the final 2-1 in overtime. It was the first time the U.S. won gold in men's hockey in 46 years. In Olympic overtime, there are four players on the ice for each team, and as the winning goal went in the net, not one, not two, not three, but all four of them for the U.S. were from Michigan. What stood out to you about that game?
JUB: Well, I like that part, of course. Connor Hellebuyck, in goal, was by far the most important of all those players. He turned in one of the greatest performances of all time. 42 shots on net from the best players in the world and only one goal in, so he was phenomenal.
And fun fact for you: instead of playing AAA hockey like a lot of guys do, and then playing with the U.S. National Development team in Ann Arbor or Plymouth, [Michigan], he played high school hockey at Walled Lake Central. And then got on to UMass Lowell, not a huge power in college. And he got [to the Olympics and NHL]. So don't worry, kids, if you can play, they'll find you.
DT: Well, and as we mentioned last week, the U.S. women also brought home gold with an overtime victory over Canada. The golden goal in that game was scored by Megan Keller, who — wait for it — is from Michigan. Farmington. Must be something in the water here in Michigan, John.
JUB: Yeah, ice is in the water here, Doug. [Laughs].
DT: [Laughs] What caught your attention about the U.S. women's performance in Italy?
JUB: That was one of the most dominant performances of any team ever in this tournament. They played seven games. They won all seven. They scored 33 goals for and only two goals against and Canada got them. So that's how dominant this team was.
They are as good as any Olympic hockey team that's ever shown up. They're that good. And let me add with that many good players from Michigan, there should be a Division I college program for women in the state of Michigan. It's embarrassing that there isn't.
DT: Maybe even more than one.
JUB: Maybe seven, like the men.
DT: The Tigers have high hopes for this season. Spring training is a time to work out the kinks. The Tigers through Wednesday had yet to win a game, but it's probably a little early to press the panic button, right?
JUB: It's February, Doug, Here's my scouting report. The sun has been located in Lakeland, Florida, where the Tigers play. So if that's true, let's pursue that story.
DT: [Laughs] Hope springs eternal.
Editor's note: Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the full conversation near the top of this page.
