"He’s already learned to play dumb": College hoops insider rips Michigan HC Dusty May in fiery rant over Spartans incident

Michigan Wolverines coach Dusty May faced criticism from college basketball analyst Jim Comparoni for his response to a postgame scuffle following his team's loss to Michigan State on Sunday.

After then-No. 8-ranked Michigan State (26-5, 17-3) defeated then-No. 17-ranked Michigan (22-9, 14-6) 79-62 in a Big Ten rivalry matchup, a tense moment unfolded between players from both teams.

As part of a long-standing tradition, Spartans seniors attempted to kiss the logo at half-court before leaving the game for the final time in their collegiate careers. However, Wolverines freshmen L.J. Cason and Phat Phat Brooks were standing on the logo at the time, which led to a confrontation.

Michigan State's Tre Holloman attempted to push them aside, escalating tensions and forcing players from both teams to be separated. The incident prompted reactions from both coaches, with May offering a sarcastic response when asked about the situation.

"I didn’t know there was a tradition where they’re shooting a free-throw and we have guys standing at half-court," May said in the postgame presser. "There’s not a tradition that we can't stand at half-court while the game's going on?"

Comparoni was highly critical of May's remarks, suggesting that the coach was being deliberately dismissive of the Spartans' tradition.

“He’s only been there 7-8-9 months and he’s already learned to play dumb, so congratulations to him,” Comparoni said.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo also talked about the incident.

“If it happened the way I heard, I’m still not going to let Tre get away with it, but I’m not going to be as quite as mad at him as I would have been,” Izzo said. “But at the same time, we have to make sure we handle ourselves better than anyone else. That’s what rivalries are all about. If everyone is out there hugging and kissing, then it’s probably not a rivalry,” he added.

Michigan State clinch Big Ten championship with win over Michigan Wolverines

Michigan State clinched the Big Ten championship with the win over Michigan on Sunday, as the Spartans led for all but 46 seconds of play.

The Spartans won its last seven games of the regular season and sealed the title by three games over Maryland.

Next in line for Tom Izzo’s team is the Big Ten Tournament which takes place in Indianapolis from Wednesday to Saturday. Michigan State is the No. 1 seed and will get a double bye as they won the regular season title.

The No. 3 seed Michigan Wolverines also get a double bye and will enter the tournament at the quarterfinal stage.