Wolverine Digest

Tom Izzo Says he is 'Nobody's Damn Little Brother' After Loss to Michigan

The Michigan State head coach didn't seem thrilled about the 'little brother' chants from the Michigan crowd
Seth Berry|
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo looks on after a play against Michigan during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, March 8, 2026.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo looks on after a play against Michigan during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, March 8, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

During Michigan basketball's second victory over Michigan State this season on Sunday at Crisler Center, the Wolverine faithful began the traditional "little brother" chant late in the game when Michigan had it all but wrapped up, referring to MSU as the little sibling in the rivalry.

The chant has been reciprocated in the past from MSU fans when the Spartans have beaten the Wolverines in the past, with MSU students and fans chanting "little sister" after beating Michigan in prior games.

The tradition of the spat stems back to 2007, when former Michigan running back Mike Hart referenced MSU as the "little brother" of the rivalry in his postgame press conference after Michigan's 28-24 win in football over the Spartans that year. Ever since then, those comments have been used on both sides of the rivalry in football and basketball by each fanbase depending on each games' outcomes over the year.

However, MSU coach Tom Izzo heard the chants from the Michigan crowd at the end of the game, and made it clear in his postgame press conference that he is in fact not anyone's little brother, nor is his team.

What Izzo said

"I guess the crowd didn't watch the game, because I'm nobody's little damn little brother, and neither is my team," Izzo said.

The sold out Crisler Center crowd seemed very in tune to watching the action at hand, and likely started the chant because they were in fact watching the game and knew that the Wolverines had the game sealed down the stretch.

To Izzo's credit, he did tip his hat to the Wolverines in how they played, saying both teams had a great regular season and that Michigan has just been better.

"They did some good things, and we didn’t counter them well enough," said Izzo.

Michigan will now turn its attention to the Big Ten Tournament, where the Wolverines will play on Friday in the quarterfinals as the 1-seed against an opponent to be determined.

If the Wolverines and Spartans were to meet for a third time, it looks like it would come in the Big Ten title game next Sunday as it looks like the teams will be on opposite sides of the bracket

Michigan finished the regular season with a 29-2 record while winning the program's first outright Big Ten regular season title since the 2020-21 season under former head coach Juwan Howard.

Yaxel Lendeborg shoots
Mar 8, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) shoots on Michigan State Spartans forward Jordan Scott (6) in the first half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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Seth Berry
SETH BERRY

Seth began writing on Michigan athletics in 2015 and has remained in the U-M media space ever since, which includes stops at Maize N Brew and Rivals before coming onto Michigan On SI in June of 2025. Seth has covered various angles of Michigan football and basketball, including recruiting, overall team coverage and feature/analysis stories relating to the Wolverines. His passion for Michigan sports and desire to tell stories led him to the sports journalism world. He is a 2020 graduate of Western Michigan University and is the former sports editor of the Western Herald, WMU's student newspaper.

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