Photo Credit: @umichbball on X

Last night, Michigan was down one when guard Nimari Burnett sank a deep three-pointer at the buzzer to beat Rutgers. 

The night before, tied with time running out, Michigan State guard Tre Holloman heaved a 65-foot half court shot to beat Maryland. 

March Madness has started early this year, and fans in the great state of Michigan are loving it. 

Both Michigan and Michigan State are poised to do great things this season. Michigan is ranked No. 15 in the country, a few spots worse than last week because they lost to No. 8 Michigan State at home. But this is where it gets good. 

Both teams must first get through their next two games, but then, on Sunday, March 9, Michigan will visit Michigan State with the Big Ten regular season title on the line. The stakes are high. 

Michigan has a record of 22-6. Michigan State has a record of 23-5. Both teams have identical records in Big Ten play, at 14-3. 

Tough challenges await, so we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves. 

Michigan next plays on Sunday against a good Illinois (18-11) team. The Fighting Illini have the highest scoring offense in the Big Ten. Then comes No. 16 Maryland, which may have the best starting five in the country. 

Michigan State plays on Sunday, as well, at home against No. 11 Wisconsin (22-6, 12-5). The Badgers have the fourth highest scoring offense in the Big Ten, a good test for the Spartans strong defense. Then comes a visit to Iowa (15-3, 6-11), a team with nothing to lose and looking to play spoiler. 

Nothing can be taken for granted, but if Michigan and Michigan State make it through their next two games unscathed, fans from both schools, and the country, will have a thrilling, high stakes game to watch. 

So mark your calendars. Be sure to pay your electric and cable/streaming bills. Get tickets to the Breslin Center. Follow @MISportsMedia on X for ingame updates.