If Michigan and Michigan State meet in Elite 8, who needs a win more?

ATLANTA – The No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans and the No. 5 seed Michigan Wolverines are on a collision course to make history in a potential Elite 8 matchup inside State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The Spartans will take on the No. 6 seed Ole Miss Rebels at 7:09 p.m., while the Wolverines will take on the No. 1 seed Auburn Tigers at 9:39 p.m. on Friday (March 28) for a chance to advance to the Elite 8 in the South Region.

Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans have been playing some good basketball this season, as they’re (including postseason) 29-6.

MSU held serve at home, going 15-1, with their only loss coming in upset fashion to the Indiana Hoosiers 71-67 on Feb. 11.

But no team is perfect, as minor hiccups occur throughout a 31-game regular season in which the Spartans finished with a 26-5 record while winning the Big Ten Conference championship outright.

The Spartans went 1-1 in the Big Ten Tournament after dominating the Oregon Ducks on Friday, March 14, in a 74-64 victory.

--> Michigan State basketball surges past Oregon to secure Big Ten Tournament semi-final spot

MSU went into the Big Ten Tournament riding a seven-game winning streak ahead of their Oregon matchup, which extended their consecutive games winning streak to eight.

The eight-game winning streak came against all Quad 1 opponents, including the Wolverines, whom they beat by a combined 30 points in their two matchups.

But John Tonje and his Wisconsin Badgers had other plans as they snapped the Spartans’ winning streak with a 77-74 victory inside the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

--> John Tonje dominates as Wisconsin stuns Michigan State basketball in Big Ten Tournament semifinals

With their winning streak snapped, the Spartans regained focus and dismantled the Bryant 87-62 in the round of 64.

--> 4 takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s win over Bryant

Then, after trailing by as much as 10 points in the first half, the Spartans advanced to the Sweet 16 after rallying in the second half to take down the New Mexico Lobos, 71-63 in the round of 32.

--> 4 standout storylines after Michigan State punches ticket to Sweet 16 with win over New Mexico

Michigan State is on a two-game winning streak, and they’re chomping at the bit as they’re four games away from securing head coach Tom Izzo’s second national championship in 25 years.

There were some pretty close calls for the Spartans to win the national championship under Izzo, who has an overall coaching record of 736-301 (.710) from 1995-present.

Some of his accomplishments are staggering, as he has one NCAA Division 1 Tournament championship alongside eight Final Fours, six Big Ten Tournament titles, and 11 Big Ten regular-season championships to go along with being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

His knowledge, along with the talent of Jase Richardson, Jeremy Fears Jr., Jaden Akins, Tre Holloman, Frankie Fidler, Carson Cooper, and Coen Carr, is a recipe for a national championship that would do wonders for their alumni and fan base.

The Spartans have won two national championships, with their first in 1979 and their second in 2000, so another title would successfully end their title drought.

But they have a tough team in Ole Miss standing in their path and a potential matchup with in-state rival Wolverines in a potential Elite 8 matchup.

Michigan Wolverines

On the other hand, the Wolverines finished the regular season on a sour note as the once leaders of the Big Ten Conference finished the regular season losing four out of their last five games, followed by a three-game losing streak.

Their skid started with their first matchup against the Spartans inside Crisler Arena on Feb. 21, snapping a then six-game winning streak while taking control of first place in the conference.

The Wolverines led 38-34 at halftime, but MSU turned on the jets in the second half, finishing with a 41-24 run in a 75-62 victory.

Richardson and Holloman were dominant as they moved into the No. 1 spot that night before finishing the season as outright Big Ten Conference champions.

--> Richardson scores 21 and No. 14 Michigan State tops No. 12 Michigan 75-62 for 1st place in Big Ten

The second time around was worse than the first matchup between the two basketball programs.

--> No. 8 Michigan State tops No. 17 Michigan 79-62, winning the 18-school Big Ten title by 3 games

The game was so bad that the most fight the Wolverines put up in the blowout on March 9 in East Lansing inside the Breslin Center was when Fidler exited the game and kissed the Spartans logo during their annual Senior Day tradition while Justin Pippen was shooting free throws.

Holloman decided to take matters into his own hands as Michigan Wolverines first-year players L.J. Cason and Phat Phat Brooks stood at center court, walked over, and pushed them off the logo at half-court, which incited their fans as a mini fight ensued.

--> Bitter rivals: Michigan and Michigan State players shove one another at center court late in game

As the old saying goes, you never kick a man while he’s down, as you might wake up the beast, which happened for the men in maize ahead of the Big Ten Tournament.

As heavy underdogs against the Purdue Boilermakers, Michigan, after a mini resting period, pulled off an 86-68 upset to advance to the semifinals while snapping that three-game skid.

--> Michigan basketball snaps 3-game skid, dominates Purdue to secure Big Ten Tournament semifinal spot

Michigan, who seemed to have found their groove, took down the Maryland Terrapins after a Tre Donaldson buzzer-beating layup to take an 81-80 victory as underdogs again.

--> Tre Donaldson’s game-winning layup sends Michigan basketball to Big Ten Tournament championship

The Wolverines faced a tough Wisconsin Badgers team that beat MSU in the previous round in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, where they were once again underdogs.

After struggling in the first half of the matchup between both teams (23-21 Wisconsin), Michigan found its footing and pulled away with a 59-53 victory for the championship.

--> Late-game heroics lift Michigan basketball to Big Ten Tournament championship over Badgers

They then go to Denver to take on the UC San Diego Tritons, a team that won 15 consecutive games to end the regular season in the 12-5 matchup that is always filled with upsets.

Even though they returned to form in the Big Ten Tournament, pundits were all on the Tritons to upset the Wolverines in the first round.

And although they were almost right, the men in maize staved off elimination with a narrow 68-65 victory to extend their winning streak to four.

--> Michigan basketball marches on as they narrowly escape UC San Diego to advance to round of 32

Michigan was the underdog again as they took on the Texas A&M Aggies, who took a 10-point lead in the second half and looked like they were pulling away.

But the Wolverines went on a 25-9 run to outlast the Aggies 91-79, thanks to Roddy Gayle Jr., who played out of his mind, dropping 26 points off the bench.

Vladislav Goldin was a man amongst boys in the matchup, dropping 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, while Danny Wolf chipped in with 14 points, nine boards, and three blocks to help extend their winning streak to five consecutive.

--> How sweet it is: Michigan basketball pulls off second-half surge, upsets Texas A&M to reach Sweet 16

Who needs it more?

The potential matchup between the rivals is already simmering as Gayle Jr. said the possibility of matching up with the Spartans would be one of the greatest games ever during round three.

But Michigan has a tall task ahead of them, as the Tigers have been ranked in the top five all season.

Ole Miss is nothing to sneeze at either, as they are very scrappy and have the potential to match up against the Spartans in the Sweet 16.

But by chance, the in-state rivals meet for the first time in March Madness, and families might split up due to the choosing of their respective team as the winner would move on to the Final Four and raise another banner while also being able to brag about eliminating their rival from the potential chance of winning a title.

Michigan State has swept the Wolverines this season, so they’ll be pumped to play the Wolverines as neither was less than double digits.

But if the Wolverines and Spartans beat the SEC teams and take on each other, Michigan would have the edge this time around as they’ll be coming off eliminating the No. 1 seed Tigers.

Plus, they’ll be pumped as they’ll get a chance to play the Spartans, who would be the favorites in the matchup because, for one, it’s Izzo, and he knows how to coach ball.

Also, it’s hard to beat a team three times in a row, as the Spartans have Michigan’s number.

Beating Michigan again wouldn’t mean as much as it would be the “Been there, done that” mindset.

Yes, it would mean the Spartans would be going to their first Final Four since 2019, but if Michigan gets to a Final Four for the first time since 2018 while seeking revenge on the Spartans, they’d appreciate it more.