A big day for Big Ten basketball. A former Michigan football coach sues the university. The U.S. vs. Canada... again? And a special Detroit Red Wings goal.
Michigan Public commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to discuss those stories and more from the world of sports.
Doug Tribou: All four quarterfinal games for the Big Ten tournament are Friday in Chicago. Michigan is the No. 1 seed and tips off at noon against Ohio State. Michigan State is the No. 3 seed and will face UCLA in the fourth and final game of the day Friday night.
Since you and I last talked, Michigan beat Michigan State in the last regular season game. Let's start with Michigan. What will you be watching for in the matchup against Ohio State?
John U. Bacon: Thanks to the Michigan v. Michigan State game last weekend, Michigan posted a 19-1 regular season record in the Big Ten. That's the best since Indiana in 1976. So all that looks very good. They're ranked No. 3 in the country right now. However, they've lost L.J. Cason, one of their best shooters. The question is: are they really an NCAA title caliber team? This weekend will tell us a lot.
DT: The Spartans are in a slightly different position. Still a top 10 team, nationally ranked No. 8 in the latest AP poll. What's at stake in the conference tournament for Tom Izzo and his squad?
JUB: Well, he's got a real good chance to win his seventh Big Ten tournament title. His record speaks for itself. He's already a hall of famer. What is not at stake is that they're going to get their 28th — 28th! — consecutive NCAA tournament bid coming up. There's no question about that. That is second all time in the country.
So, the question is: how far can they go? They're not quite at Michigan's level. That's been clear so far. However, never ever knock out a Izzo team before they play. This team could go for a real big run.
DT: In the other quarterfinal men's games, Illinois will face Wisconsin, and Nebraska takes on Purdue. The NCAA tournament selections for both the men and women will be made this Sunday after the men's conference tournament games have ended.
The Michigan women did get one win in their conference tournament before taking a bad loss to Iowa in the semifinal. UCLA beat Iowa to win it all. As you said last week, Michigan is up there — No. 9 in the country — but there's still a gap that they'd have to close between themselves and the top three or four women's teams to really go far.
JUB: Well, as you know, Doug, we've already established that I really hate it when I'm right. And in this case, that seems to be the case. And really, nobody does. Let's be honest, Doug.
DT: [Laughs] It's funnier when you're wrong, generally, yes.
JUB: [Laughs] Everyone's happier. Life is funnier. Yes. There's no question about that. So in this case, it does seem to be the case that Michigan women's team with Kim Barnes Arico, a fantastic coach — the best ever in Michigan's history [of] women's basketball. Not even close. — Her team is very good. They're not quite great. Now, that could change, of course, in the tournament. They're going to get to the NCAA tournament. There's no question about that. But that is the challenge they have in front of them.
DT: And the Michigan State women are currently ranked No. 20 in the country. They will wait to see where they land after a one-and-done performance in the Big Ten tourney.
Let's turn to some other sports news from this week. Former University of Michigan assistant football coach Chris Partridge filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the university, the U of M Board of Regents, and athletic director Warde Manuel.
Partridge was fired in the fall of 2023. The university claimed he violated an order not to discuss the ongoing investigation into the sign-stealing scheme that was organized by Connor Stalions. Partridge is now on the staff of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. He says he was made a scapegoat for that scheme and that his reputation has been damaged by the firing. Does he have a case?
JUB: I think he's got an excellent case from what we can tell so far. Now keep in mind, we're hearing his side. We're reading his complaint, of course, filed with the courts. We've not heard from Warde Manuel, nor have we heard from Tony Petitti, the Big Ten commissioner.
And Petitti does not want the other information to come out about the Big Ten's investigation. So both Warde Manual and Petitti have got a very strong interest in not having all this come to light. My strong hunch is either Partridge wins or more likely, they settle. But if that stuff comes out, it could get more interesting.
DT: And some NCAA documents after the [sign-stealing] investigation also pointed to Partridge not having much wrongdoing, if any, in the case, as well. So it seems like we're going to see, as you often say, John, more lawyers, more litigation here.
In the Olympics, we saw the U.S. men's and women's ice hockey teams both face their Canadian counterparts in the gold medal games. Now in baseball, in the World Baseball Classic, the U.S. and Canada will square off Friday night in the quarterfinals in Houston. How much more cross-border rivalry action can North American sports fans stand?
JUB: [Laughs] I think this might be about it. We're going to find out. Now, the cruel irony might be, of course, the U.S. beats Canada in both women's and men's hockey in [Canada's] national sport. Hockey. Of course, now it could be possible that Canada beats the U.S. and you think, okay, that's impossible. Canada beating the U.S. in baseball.
The Canadian baseball team was undefeated in their pool, and the U.S, by the way, had lost to Italy. Italy, Doug! And they needed Italy to beat Mexico to even advance to the next level. They almost got knocked out for the first time. So the U.S. is heavily favored, but they already were, and they barely made it. So I'm watching.
DT: Well, let's hope this rivalry doesn't extend to a trade war or anything.
JUB: [Laughs] By all means, don't get politics into this!
DT: Let's turn to hockey. The Red Wings are playing sort of middling hockey and hanging on to hopes of — right now — a wild card playoff spot. But there have been some fun moments recently, and probably none of them more fun than the final goal of the Wings' 3-0 win over New Jersey on Sunday. Detroit forward Dominik Shine, who is originally from Pinckney, Mich., got his first NHL goal. I think it's fair to say Mr. Shine earned it.
JUB: And then some. This poor guy. He's from Pinckney. He went to Northern Michigan University. He's been grinding in the minor leagues for almost a decade. And he scored a beautiful goal. And, you know, it's a big deal when the guys in the bench go crazy. The veterans on the bench love this kind of stuff. And what a happy story that was.
Editor's notes: 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.
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