Wolverine TV: Phil Martelli, Joey Baker preview Michigan vs. Michigan State
Michigan Wolverines basketball associate head coach Phil Martelli and graduate guard Joey Baker met with the media Friday morning ahead of his team’s game against Michigan State Saturday in East Lansing. Watch video of the press conference below.
RELATED
• Hunter Dickinson shares thoughts on Michigan State rivalry: ‘I love everything about it’
• Fab Five: Takeaways from Michigan’s win over Penn State
Phil Martelli
Joey Baker
Joey Baker talks Michigan State
Michigan graduate guard Joey Baker is stepping into the U-M/Michigan State rivalry for the first time, though he has been involved with the sport’s most famous rivalry, which also includes in-state foes, Duke vs. North Carolina. He was asked to compare the two, and while he’s prepared for Saturday in East Lansing, he will surely know more about the rivalry after the game is over and done with.
“I think it’s fairly similar because of the close proximity of the schools, Baker said. “It’s a pretty quick drive to Lansing, and so that makes it very similar to the Duke-UNC rivalry. I’m not sure how it’s different yet; I think I’ll have a better understanding after Saturday. But I’m excited. The intensity is high, no matter what, in a rivalry like this. Yesterday when we started preparation, you could feel that it was a little more intense. Not that it hasn’t been intense the past few days when we’ve been preparing for other teams, but you really want to beat the guys up the road.”
Michigan is on a two-game winning streak and tied with Wisconsin atop the Big Ten standings at 3-0. The Wolverines suffered a disappointing loss to Central Michigan Dec. 29 but bounced back with a 35-point win over Maryland and a 10-point victory over Penn State. Beating Michigan State on the road would set the Wolverines up with some breathing room heading into the rest of the Big Ten slate.
Follow along with The Wolverine’s media content
The Fort is a vibrant community and one of the most active message boards in college sports. You can be a part of that if you are not already for 7 days free and $10 through the start of next football season. The best insider content and a massive Michigan community await.
All of our shows on The Wolverine are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a five-star review!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for live podcasts, content from the entirety of our staff, Michigan football and recruiting and more.
