Sunday’s basketball matchup between Michigan and Michigan State at Breslin Center feels like the start of a new era. Not only is it the first meeting of the rivals this decade, but it’s also the first time since Feb. 27, 2007 that a head coach other than Tom Izzo or John Beilein will prowl the sidelines for either side — Juwan Howard is in his first season as Michigan’s head coach.
Howard went 5-1 against MSU as a player in the early 1990s; his only loss to the Spartans came on Feb. 15, 1992, when Howard scored 12 points and had five rebounds before fouling out with 12.