Tre Holloman backs importance of altercation vs. Michigan: 'They're going to let him kiss the floor whether they move or I gotta move him'

It wasn’t a surprise to see things get heated on the floor between the Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines on Sunday. But how the physical altercation happened was probably a bit unexpected. Michigan players were standing on the Spartan logo at midcourt and let’s just say Tre Holloman did not appreciate it.

Words were exchanged. And he decided to shove them, starting off a scuffle between the two rivals.

Following the game, Holloman defended his actions in starting the altercation.

"They're going to let him kiss the floor whether they move or I gotta move him."

MSU's Tre Holloman on why he thought it was important to protect Michigan State's Senior Day tradition of kissing the floor. @wilxTV pic.twitter.com/8BuaFZndmJ

— Owen Oszust (@Owen_Oszust) March 9, 2025

“I was just like, man, they’re gonna let them kiss the floor. Whether they just move or. I gotta move them, so,” Holloman explained.

How did the fight exactly start and did the Michigan players initiate it? According to Holloman, the answer is Michigan.

“Yeah. Yeah. I seen them talking. They was like they’re not gonna move. I was just like, y’all have to move,” Holloman continued.

The Minnesota native defended his actions and let everyone know that he’s absolutely not sorry at all.

His biggest reason for shoving the Michigan players off the logo was defending the honor of past players in the MSU program.

“I gotta do it for the past players who did it before us,” the junior guard explained.

More on the Tre Holloman altercation in MSU-Michigan

Under a minute left in the rivalry game between the Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines, the Spartans were looking to honor their seniors, pulling one off the court at a time to receive an ovation. As is tradition, players were going to kiss the logo at midcourt when they did so.

In the midst of this, two Michigan players, LJ Cason and Phat Phat Brooks, stood on the logo during a set of free throws. They appeared to then say something to Tre Holloman of Michigan State who went over to them and got into a shoving match.

The altercation can be viewed below. There, the video shows Holloman confronting the two Michigan players and the beginning of the shoving, as well as it being broken up after the fact.

Michigan players standing on the Spartan logo prior to MSU's annual Senior Day tradition and Tre Holloman did NOT appreciate it 😳pic.twitter.com/WHbkJ7hu0G

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 9, 2025

Luckily, before a worse altercation could break out, the players were separated. An animated Holloman can be seen being taken away from midcourt, where players grouped together, by an official. Head coach Tom Izzo was later seen speaking with him directly. For its part, Michigan can be seen huddling up and having a discussion.

After that, Michigan State was able to continue its tradition of seniors exiting the senior day game kissing the logo. There were no further incidents, including in the handshake line after the game, which the CBS broadcast had suggested they skip to avoid any extra issues or opportunities for issues.

It’s unclear whether or not the two Michigan players were aware of the tradition. Regardless, where they were standing clearly created an issue for the tradition and kissing the logo. It also appears that words were exchanged but, again, it’s unclear exactly what was being said between the two sides.

This came in an emotionally charged game. The rivalry between Michigan State and Michigan always is tense and on senior day between the top two teams in the Big Ten standings, there was bound to be plenty of emotions running through the building. That had already shown up earlier in the game, which while it hadn’t been close throughout the first half, had been chippy at times. That included a double technical that had already been assessed in the first half.

For fans of these two schools, this altercation is not as bad as some of the altercations the two schools have had in football have been in recent years. That notably includes the tunnel incident that would lead to criminal charges against several athletes. Luckily, this didn’t rise to that level, but it’s a reminder of just how tense things can be between Michigan State and Michigan.

The Spartans ended up winning 79-62. They finish the regular season as Big Ten Champions. The Wolverines, meanwhile, finished tied with Maryland for second place.

On3’s Dan Morrison also contributed to this article.