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Lions Dan Campbell Attends Michigan State Hoops Game Against Michigan

Detroit Lions head coach is in attendance at Breslin Center.
John Maakaron|
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell looks on against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell looks on against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is in attendance at Breslin Center with his wife Holly, for the basketball clash between the Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines.

The former NFL tight end's daughter attends school in East Lansing, and he was spotted donning a white hat that featured the Spartans logo.

Prior to the game, Campbell spoke to Tom Izzo and was photographed meeting head football coach Pat Fitzgerald.

This week, Izzo expressed his thoughts about the rivalry.

Even though there is no love lost between the two programs, Izzo expressed he still has respect for the Wolverines.

“You guys are awesome, too, because every year you want me to tell you how much I hate them,” Izzo told reporters. “So, I will say it again, I hate them. Of course I hate them. They hate us. You’ve got friends down there. You think I’m getting Valentine’s Day cards or birthday cards? I mean, it’s the way it is, guys. It’s no different than any way in America. The key word is respect. And I do respect them a lot. So, that’s all that matters.

“When I die, I don’t care if anybody likes me or not. I care if they respect me. So, that’s how I look at the rivalry. I had my time when I hated them and didn’t respect them, and it cost me," Izzo added. "So, I got smarter in younger days. If the day comes when you like your rival, it’s time to get out. That’s for anybody in any sport. But if the day comes and you don’t respect your rival, shame on you. And I do have great respect for them and what they’ve accomplished and what they’re doing. But I like my team, too.”

Both the Spartans (19-2) and Wolverines (19-1) entered the game with a 9-1 record in the Big Ten.

“They’re probably the most talented team that we’ve faced this year, as far as seven, eight deep. And we’ve played some talented teams. That’s a compliment to them," Izzo said. "But it’s not going to come down to one guy or one-on-one or anything like that. It’s going to be a collection of probably 10 players on both teams that have to play because you never know about fouls, you never know about what happens.

Izzo added, "We’ll see what happens..I know this: We can’t play poorly and win. We can’t play average and win. We’re going to have to be on top of our game to win a game like this.”

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John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!

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