#1 Basketball (& other sports) Rival

If it's not football, it's Sparty.

MSU hockey is the team I hate the most across all sports.

but I'll go again. I think it's MSU in everything but football. Don't get me wrong, there's no love lost on my end for anything from Columbus, but I think the basketball series is better, the hockey rivalry isn't close, and everything else is probably more meaningful to beat the in-state, in-conference team.

Our rival is Ohio. That's it. Msu thinks they are a rival and they hate us. That's on them not us. IMO, annoying somebody by living in close proximity does not make a rivalry.

In basketball (and any other sport that's not football), it's MSU and not even close. Anyone saying otherwise is just trying to annoy Spartans. Beating OSU is big in anything, but I agree with the above that there just isn't the same bad blood as there is with MSU. 

It's MSU, hand down. We're in each other's backyard, we recruit against each other, and our basketball tradition is roughly comparable to theirs (their additional national championship and lack of major NCAA trouble under Izzo probably gives them an edge, but not a huge one). Considering Duke to be our biggest rival is just wishful thinking. Let's be honest: we're not on Duke's radar. 

Anyone who doesn't say MSU doesn't live in Michigan.  There is no other choice

MSU

In Water Polo it's Indiana, which is just really weird to think about.

Who said beating Sparty in bball wasn't important? This is a huge game and they have been a quality opponent for over the last decade.

It's MSU and it's not even close in basketball. It's always your in-state rival unless there are special circumstances which is obviously the case in UM vs. OSU football.

OSU views UM as their top rival in everything because they are the only ambitious athletic department in the entire godforsaken state.

I agree that MSU is our biggest rival in both basketball and hockey, but they are not the conference team I hate the most in either sport. Wisconsin absolutely drives me batshit insane in basketball, and not just because of last week's game. And any sport that includes ND in our conference is not even up for debate on my part when it comes to most hated. I will never forgive them for the 08 Frozen Four, either. I thought that team was going to win the title.

Who do we have a trophy game with in soccer?

Half-Court Shots

For me, Wisconsin in basketball. My hatred for them runs to the deepest levels because I live in Wisconsin... and they have dominated us in the last decade. That's the only reason I personally need.

Something you've been thinking about or something you heard on the ticket yesterday?

People in East Lansing were super quiet/apathetic/humbled during football season, but now they can't stop trash talking about the UM basketball team. MSU is a basketball school

At one time you could make a case for Indiana in basketball, but not in the last 15 years.  It's definitely MSU.  Same goes for almost every other sport besides football.

It's strange how Ohio and Notre Dame are such big rivals in football but not that much in anything else. It's always huge to beat OSU in basketball but I always see that as a big win over a conference favorite rather than a rivalry game.

Jefferson High is our rival. Bad joke.

State is our biggest rival in hockey, soccer, and likely bball. Hockey seems fairly obvious. In state competition in a state that has long loved its hockey. Soccer, kinda the same deal, only not as entrenched in history. I would say state is our biggest rival in bball, but with some concessions. When I watched the fab five documentary I felt that ohio was a much more significant game. I think it fluctuates based on which program has had the upper hand in state. Since we have been down for 15+ years, it seems as though the in state rivalry has become more significant. Lots of factors play into this; proximity, recruits, bragging rights, etc. However, if Michigan continues to prove itself as a conference contender year in and year out, my guess would be that the rivalry with ohio will be rekindled. If you have hate in your heart, let it out. And no matter what I will always hate ohio and everything it stands for.

Fuck Breslin. The HS championships belong back in Crisler.

Does that answer your question?

Basketball is tough because there is so much variance in the quality of teams over time. And when players used to stay for 3-4 years it really went in 2-3 year cycles. Some examples:
If you asked in the 70's it would have been Indiana without question. Michigan and Indiana played for league and national championships. In the first part of the 80's it was still Indiana. I can still remember arguments over who was better between Gary Grant/Glen Rice/Rumeal Robinson and Jay Edwards/Calbert Cheaney/Steve Alford. In the later part of the 80's it was Illinois. Remember the great flyin Illini teams?. In the early 90's it was Duke. What's also part of this is throughout all of these periods other teams also became mini rivals. Iowa had a little run with Marble, Gamble, Armstrong, and Earl. MSU had their run starting with Steve Smith and going through Cleaves and Peterson. OSU had their run with Jimmy Jackson. Purdue had theirs with Big Dog and Counzo Martin up through the Robby Hummel teams. Remember Manny Harris and the elbow swings? Even Minnesota was a rival for a few years in the late 80's/early 90's with Willie Burton and Voshon Leanord led teams. Series would heat up for a few years and then players would graduate and a different series would heat up. I remember many years where beating MSU was nice but it was not the be all end all of the season. The other issue with basketball is the regular season is one component, but the tournament is what really matters. In the early 90's most Michigan fans only wanted to beat UNC because they knocked Michigan out of the tournament 2 or 3 years in a row.

Just speaking from an emotional perspective, I really cannot stomach it when either Ohio or MSU beat us in anything. Those are our only true rivalries in my opinion.