Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big Ten Basketball: 10 most polarizing figures in Michigan-Michigan State rivalry

By Joe Cook-Shugart

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 13: Michigan Wolverines celebrates a teammates made basket from the bench during a 82-72 win over the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on January 13, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 13: Michigan Wolverines celebrates a teammates made basket from the bench during a 82-72 win over the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on January 13, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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ROSEMONT, IL – FEBRUARY 17: Jackson Jr. (C) of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after making a basket against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half on February 17, 2018 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Michigan State defeated Northwestern 65-60. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
ROSEMONT, IL – FEBRUARY 17: Jackson Jr. (C) of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after making a basket against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half on February 17, 2018 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Michigan State defeated Northwestern 65-60. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /

Michigan vs. Michigan State has been the premier rivalry in the Big Ten as of late. Who have been the biggest polarizing figures when these two teams meet?

With both teams in the top 10 late in the regular season, the Spartans and Wolverines are the class of the Big Ten yet again this year. Separated by a mere one-hour drive on I-96 and down US-23, these two in-state rivals have produced tons of players that one fan base loves to hate, while the other loves to love.

For Michigan fans, the green and white faithful can seem awfully petulant. There has always been this sense from those that bleed maize and blue that they feel everything about their university, including their athletics program, is superior to what they have to offer in East Lansing.

For State fans, there is something about that bold, arrogant shade of yellow and the pompous fans and players that wear it that makes them want to throw hands.

With the success both teams have exhibited on the hardwood this past decade, the passionate rivalry between these two schools has been cranked up another notch. In the process, there have been a large contingent of characters donning the green and white that Spartan fans cherish and Wolverines loathe. Similarly, there are Michigan ballers that are now adored in Ann Arbor and degraded in East Lansing.

With these two teams set to do battle twice in the coming two weeks (potentially with a Big Ten regular season crown on the line), I figured it’d be fun to examine and rank the characters in this never-ending, captivating rivalry. I thought it best that I focus on the past decade, because the polarization of characters during this time period is still fresh in everyone’s mind.

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