Takeaways From Michigan's Big Win Over Michigan State

The No. 3 Michigan men's basketball team secured a huge road victory over No. 7 Michigan State to move to 20-1 overall and alone at the top of the Big Ten standings for the time being.

The victory was the first for the Wolverines at the Breslin Center since 2018.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Morez Johnson Jr. may be one of the most impactful players in the country

Johnson has been a force in the middle for Michigan this season on both ends of the floor, but has struggled with foul trouble in recent games.

On Friday, Johnson picking up his third foul early in the second half cost him some playing time as head coach Dusty May sat him on the bench to prevent him from picking up a fourth.

In that time, Michigan State quickly got right back into the game after trailing by 16 at the half, even taking the lead with under seven minutes to play at 59-57.

However, when Johnson was able to re-enter the game, the Wolverines started to find more of a rhythm on both ends of the floor.

Even though his numbers in the game don't necessarily pop out, as he scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds, his ability to impact shots at the rim on the defensive end of the floor took away a lot of the easy baskets the Spartans were getting with relative ease early in the second half.

Johnson also had a couple of strong finishes down the stretch in traffic that helped the Wolverines salt the game away on the road.

No hesitation from Morez Johnson Jr. on the one-hand JAM 😤 @umichbball pic.twitter.com/ThxsuO8BZT
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 31, 2026

Elliot Cadeau has a clutch gene

With so many offensive options with this team, sometimes it's difficult to decipher who the "go-to" guy is when the Wolverines need a bucket to get them out of a slump.

Michigan still has multiple players who can step up in clutch moments, but it's hard to argue that anyone has been more clutch than Cadeau.

While playing a great floor game and posting 17 points, six assists and turning it over just twice, Cadeau hit a big three-pointer with 3:08 to play to put the Wolverines up six and give them some breathing room after MSU was making a big push.

The game certainly wasn't over at that point, but it felt like a moment that MSU was going to have a difficult time overcoming with the way the momentum swung back to the Maize and Blue.

Cadeau also came up with a big three late against Ohio State at home last Friday and is showing why May added him this offseason out of the transfer portal.

Yaxel Lendeborg is as steady as they come

Lendeborg had a huge night with 26 points, 12 rebounds and no turnovers in what almost seemed like a quiet type of effort.

Part of that could be because 13 his points came from the free throw line, but the 15 free throw attempts shows how Lendeborg made an effort to get downhill and to the basket against a tough defensive team.

In Lendeborg's 35 minutes of action, it never felt like he forced anything and got out of his game, which is a credit to his maturity and the level headedness he brings when he's on the floor.

His 12 rebounds were also huge to allow the Wolverines to be even on the glass against a team that prides itself on rebounding.

Yaxel Lendeborg shoots — Michigan State's Coen Carr, left, and Carson Cooper, center, guard Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg during the first half on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan responds to a furious MSU rally

The Wolverines were completely on the front foot until they allowed a 16-point halftime lead to disappear rather quickly in the second half, partly because of careless play and partly due to Michigan State's desire, energy and the will of Jeremy Fears Jr., who finished with a game-high 31 points.

However, Michigan finally did calm down and withstood the big run and finished the last six minutes of the game by outscoring the Spartans by 11 points.

A lesser team might have folded in a hostile environment on the road when things started to go wrong, but the Wolverines' ability to stay the course and move onto the next play paid off.

Jan 30, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May waits for referees to make a call against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | Dale Young-Imagn Images

Tom Izzo is full of excuses

There is zero doubt that Michigan State coach Tom Izzo will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

However, he also has a knack for arguing with the officials about a high volume of calls throughout all games he coaches—which in some respect, he's earned the right to do.

But his assertion, as the FOX broadcast reported, that MSU was down by 16 at the half in part because of the officiating was completely asinine.

The reality was, the Spartans had a free throw advantage over Michigan at the half, but only shot 27% in the first half and turned it over 11 times compared to the Wolverines' four.

It was very obvious that Michigan outplayed MSU in the first 20 minutes in every phase of the game, and for Izzo to put blame on the officials for the Spartans' deficit was completely out of bounds.

Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo argues a call with a referee during the first half in the game against Michigan on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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