Michigan's Phil Martelli on playing at MSU: 'You'd better go in there with a boxer's mentality'
Michigan is heading to Michigan State for one of two scheduled basketball games with the Spartans this year, and the MSU contingent has been frothing at the mouth in preparation for Juwan Howard, Phil Martelli and crew. Head coach Tom Izzo even joked recently Michigan State “had two tunnels” in reference to the assault of Michigan players by MSU football players at this year’s game in Ann Arbor.
RELATED: Wolverine TV — Phil Martelli, Joey Baker preview Michigan vs. Michigan State
But there’s probably little doubt this will be the most physical game of the year for the Wolverines, and a lot of emotion. Izzo was one of the most vocal critics of the Big Ten’s response to football “tunnel gate,” and he always has his teams prepared to play his hated rival.
Michigan assistant Martelli believes the Wolverines will match the intensity. He met the media Friday to explain what it’s like.
“When we walk on the floor tomorrow at 2:30 … it is, yes, a basketball game. I get that. And skill will prevail,” Martelli said. “But you’d better go in there with a boxer’s mentality. And there’s no boxer out there that hasn’t walked into one of their bouts and didn’t have in their head, ‘I am going to get hit.’
“So, our players have to realize they are going to get hit. And at that point in time, they have two choices — they can cover up and cower up, or you can hit back. I’m betting on hitting back. And in a boxer’s mentality, you’re going to stand toe to toe and you’re going to to kind of wail away at each other. And then the toughest, nastiest boxer walks out of the ring [with a win].”
Martelli has had a front row seat to what’s become one of the better rivalries in college basketball. The two teams are 3-3 since head coach Juwan took over in 2020 in what’s been a back and forth rivalry since John Beilein established his program, with both teams having mini-runs.
Michigan got the last win, an 87-70 blowout, last year in Ann Arbor.
“I don’t know if there is a trophy in football, but in games that involve schools and there’s a trophy in football, you think, ‘Oh … that’s different,’ because it really is that one game and it’s a featured game,” Martelli continued. “And in basketball, with the excellence of Tom Izzo’s program and obviously with all that John Beilein accomplished here, I knew it was a really big game.
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“You could always tell by the placement. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you always saw this game on a Sunday — an NFL Playoff Sunday. Yeah, this was a little different.”
So, it begs the question … how will the Michigan freshmen be prepared? First-year starting point guard Dug McDaniel will get his first taste, as will frosh wing Jett Howard. The environment is insane, Martelli noted — some would call it “nasty” — and unlike anything they’ll have experienced.
“I just did Michigan State radio, and they said, ‘How will Dug McDaniel handle it?’ I go, ‘I don’t know if he’s ever played on a court that’s shaking when he’s dribbling the ball up the floor,'” Martelli continued. “How do you prepare for that? How do you even tell somebody that that’s real? But it’s real …
“Having been involved in it for four years — I guess two of the years were quote unquote ‘normal years’ — if there is such a thing as normal anymore in this world — it’s much more amped up than I had the idea of. It’s palpable. It’s not just these players that day. Former players come back and this is what they talk about. They talk about Michigan State.”
It’s much more fun to discuss when you win, of course. Howard, Martelli and the crew will get their shot Saturday afternoon to add to their recent success.
