Michigan State basketball players say Michigan 'didn’t feel like a road game'

Originally posted on Spartan Shadows | By Daily MSU | Last updated 2/18/24

Michigan State basketball players talked about the environment in Ann Arbor and said it didn’t feel like a road game.

Home-court advantage is such a big thing in college sports. So much so that Vegas accounts for this advantage by giving the home team about a 3-point swing in their line strictly due to playing at home.

Home court has been an even more important thing in the rivalry between Michigan State basketball and Michigan in recent years. Before last night’s 73-63 win over Michigan, the two teams have won all of their home games since 2020. That means four straight years of splitting the regular season series.

Saturday night was different as the Spartans earned the first season sweep in the series since 2019. A lot of players deserve praise for this win, but the MSU fanbase does as well. They turned what’s normally a very loud Michigan crowd into a home-court advantage for their Spartans.

The “go green, go white” chants are loud at the Crisler Center after MSU takes a nine point lead pic.twitter.com/bzcUz6TjmR

— bella johnson (@bellajxhnson) February 18, 2024

Spartan players comment on the pro-MSU atmosphere

I unfortunately wasn’t at this game, but it felt like it at times. I’m sure a lot of you could also hear the “go green, go white” chants through your TVs as well. Some Michigan State players also noticed this and gave them a shoutout after the game.

Carson Cooper shared, “When they got done with the national anthem and everyone started saying ‘go green, go white’ we were like ‘alright, this is a home game for us.’ Especially with how we are starting to get this team going, how we’re starting to roll, it’s really nice to see how many fans we can get out here. It’s comfortable knowing that we can have the support that we have.”

When asked if the game felt like a road game, Malik Hall doubled down on Cooper’s comments, saying “Not really, to be honest. I know they (Michigan) won’t like that, but I heard a lot of ‘go green, go white’ chants.”

In a game that Michigan State needed to win badly, they did just enough to beat the Wolverines. The team is starting to hit their stride, and the Spartan fanbase is taking notice and is fully behind this group. The Spartans have two home games this week, and I’m excited to see how loud the Breslin Center will be for both.

This article first appeared on Spartan Shadows and was syndicated with permission.

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