Spartans' Cooper Talks Bitter Rivalry, Big Man Matchup

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Feb 21, 2025 4:03 PM ET

The No. 14 Michigan State Spartans (21-5, 12-3) are hours away from tipping off their first of two contests with bitter in-state rival, No. 12 Michigan (20-5, 12-2). The top two Big Ten teams will square off for the first time this year, and junior center Carson Cooper is up for the challenge.

Cooper spoke to the media after the Spartans' practice on Wednesday, talking about the past rivalry matchups and what he has experienced in the past in Ann Arbor. The third-year Spartan mentioned how he expects this year's road battle to be much different than a season ago.

"Last year, I don't even remember many 'Go Blue,' any of those chants really; I felt like it was it was mostly green there," Cooper said. "You knew they were struggling with a lot of stuff going on, but this is going to be a lot like a Purdue, like an Illinois, that level of intensity and that kind of environment. It's going to be loud, it's going to be a lot of trash talk, but it's going to be a lot different last year for sure."

The Wolverines were in the final year of their experiment with former head coach Juwan Howard, finishing 8-24 overall with a 3-17 conference record. They have completely revived the program with first-year head coach Dusty May and several new transfer additions.

Cooper discussed the top two transfers that joined the Maize and Blue this offseason, 7-foot center duo, Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf. They are the two leading scorers for Michigan, with Goldin averaging 15.7 points while Wolf averages a double-double on 12.9 points and 10 rebounds per game.

"We haven't seen that kind of combo probably at all this year," Cooper said. "So, for us, it's going to be a test of our togetherness as a four and five man, as forwards, to kind of adapt to their level of play style and their skill level with being able to shoot and the strength and power of Goldin down there at the center. But I think we could cause some problems for them too with having four guys that can come in and continue to rotate and kind of give them different looks as well."

The energy inside Crisler Center on Friday night will be the most anticipated and electric of the season for both programs. Cooper is going to be a guy to silence that Wolverine energy by imposing his will in the paint, limiting their top two players, and finding a much-needed rivalry win.

This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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