Dusty May states need to 'accept our place' after technical foul vs. Michigan State

Emotions were high inside the Crisler Center Monday night as one of the more anticipated Michigan–Michigan State matchups occurred. Wolverines head coach Dusty May was getting his first taste of the rivalry with a ranked showdown. Unfortunately, it’s one that went against Michigan and Michigan State heads back to East Lansing winners.

At some point in the first half, May was hit with a technical foul seemingly out of nowhere. Michigan State has just finished off a dunk and the Michigan bench argued the ball was still in the cylinder. Officials did not make the call, leading to some chirping from May. The technical was then called, giving out two free throws.

May was asked about the moment, admitting it was him who got the technical. He did not have too much to say on the overall moment but did take blame.

“I think sometimes, we just have to accept our place,” May said during his postgame press conference. “And I’ve got to do a better job.”

With just under five minutes remaining in the first half, Coen Carr was the one who threw down the dunk to cut the lead to four at 26-22. May’s technical wound up costing his team a point as Tre Holloman made one of his two shots.

Overall, there were much bigger issues during the loss for May than being given a technical. The three-point difference between the two was massive. Michigan made just five of 21 attempts from deep for a make percentage of 23.8%. Tom Izzo will be a whole lot happier with his team’s shooting night at 40.9% on 9-22.

There were bigger-picture implications on the line too. Both teams are now tied for first place in the Big Ten, battling for a regular season championship. Michigan could have taken a commanding two-game advantage this late in the year but let the opportunity slip.

It’s likely the overall point May will focus on throughout the weekend instead of his technical foul.

May will have a quick opportunity to prove he can do a “better job” as Michigan is back in action on Monday night. A road trip to Lincoln is next up on the schedule as the Wolverines play Nebraska for the first time this season. Just once has May’s squad lost back-to-back games throughout the year, with recent history showing they should be in line for a good performance.