There are some rivalries that matter so much that fans will say, hey, if my team can beat my rival

team, then the rest of the season doesn't matter. They could win just that game or just those

games, and the rest of the season, they could all be losses, and it'll still be a success. That's not

really true. It's not how almost any fan really believes.

But certainly, rivalry games have a feeling of more than just one game,

more than just one opportunity because of how much it resonates within a fan base

between the two fan bases.

And certainly, when you have a rivalry like the one that transpired for the 194th time,

all time in men's basketball on Saturday night,

an in-state clash between Michigan and Michigan State.

But the reality for the Wolverines coming in on Saturday was the fact that, yeah,

this season is not gone very well.

There have not been

enough wins. Michigan is not really talking too much about postseason opportunities. The fan

bases had a tough go, and so obviously have the players and the coaches. But it did feel going into

Saturday night that this was an opportunity for the Wolverines to salvage something out of

this season, to take away a significant victory, also hurt the postseason chances of their

rivals in East Lansing in the process, but also give the team a chance to have some good

vibes heading into the stretch run, knowing that, yes,

Michigan is still behind the eight ball, probably behind five or six eight balls at this point

for Big Ten competition.

So, yeah, it elevates, it gives more meaning to a certain game, but it also can illuminate

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