"What a spineless response": Michigan State fans call out Dusty May as Michigan Wolverines HC accepts defeat against Spartans

Things are going from bad to worse for Dusty May and the 17th-ranked Michigan Wolverines as they head into the Big Ten Tournament. They suffered their third consecutive loss on Sunday, falling 79-62 to the eighth-ranked Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center in their regular-season finale.

Tempers flared in the closing moments of the game, as players from both teams engaged in a shoving match at center court after Michigan State’s Tre Holloman took offense to Michigan freshmen Phat Phat Brooks and L.J. Cason standing on the Spartans’ logo.

The Michigan coach spoke about the late skirmish in the postgame press conference, saying his players are allowed to stand at half-court during the game. However, he acknowledged that the Spartans had earned the right to celebrate.

Michigan State fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to Dusty May's statement about the incident.

"What a spineless response. Absolute joke. Beilein would never. Program's class went out the door when he left," one fan said.

"Well if Dusty didn’t understand the rivalry before, he will now. They knew what they were doing. You know damn well Izzo wouldn’t have let his guys do that," one fan chimed in.

"Pretending like he didn’t know!?!? Take accountability for your CULTURE," one fan replied.

Here are some other reactions.

"I haven’t minded Dusty all year, in fact started to respect him with how they had done. However, he’s reclaimed what Spartans had hoped for out of him and that program… a silly and ignorant response from him," one fan wrote.

"He didn't know? Did he not just watch Frankie kiss the Spartan logo like 10 seconds before? Did he think Zapala and Akins were not going to do the same? Nah...this is a "I'm not going to hold my guys accountable for their disrespectful behavior" answer," one fan shared.

"Yeah that doesn’t happen if Beilein is the coach, it’s that simple," one fan posted.

Poor start dooms Dusty May's Michigan in loss to Michigan State

The Michigan Wolverines got off to a disastrous start in their rivalry matchup against Michigan State, trailing 50-28 at halftime. The Wolverines were careless with the basketball, committing 11 turnovers in the opening period. The Spartans took full advantage, scoring 18 points off those errors.

Michigan head coach Dusty May reacts to a play against Michigan State during the first half at Breslin Center in East Lansing on March 9, 2025. Photo: Imagn

Dusty May's never recovered from the early deficit, finishing the regular season with a 22-9 overall record. Tom Izzo, meanwhile, secured his 11th Big Ten title as Michigan State ended the regular season with a 17-3 conference record.