ANN ARBOR --Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III were back at the Crisler Center Tuesday night.
Had they been in uniform, Michigan might have had a chance against Michigan State.
Instead, with Stauskas and Robinson watching from the stands, Mitch McGary sending his best from Oklahoma City and both Derrick Walton Jr. and Caris LeVert injured, the Spartans led from wire to wire on their way to an easy 80-67 victory.
John Beilein, though, wasn't making any excuses.
"Losing Glenn and Nick wasn't the plan, but plans change and we are happy for them," he said. "It's a grind, but you have to adjust. For both them and our future, it is the best thing, because it gave some freshmen a chance to play early. We're building a house and we had to replace an I-beam."
With Michigan missing so many players -- even Trey Burke would have only been a senior this season -- they didn't have a chance against an improving Michigan State team. The Spartans shot 62 percent from the floor, including a stunning 78 percent (25-of-32) on 2-pointers.
Even when Michigan State did miss, the Wolverines couldn't finish off the possession. The Spartans had nine offense rebounds, an enormous amount considering they only missed 19 field goals in the game.
"They average 16 assists a game, and Branden Dawson averages four offensive rebounds a game, and those are just ungodly numbers," Beilein said. "That's a very good team with a very good coach, and they are a very tough matchup for us. That's a team that is going to win games in February and March."
Tom Izzo also wasn't buying that the win was cheapened by Michigan's lack of bodies. Instead, he pointed out that his two seniors -- Travis Trice and Dawson - combined for 45 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists.
"They had never won here, and that was a big thing for both of them," he said. "I've been in their shoes with injured players, and Michigan did a hell of a job."
While the Wolverines will need an improbable conference-tournament championship to make it into the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans seem to be solidifying a bid.
"I think we are getting better," Izzo said. "We're not a great team yet -- we have some deficiencies, but we're continuously trying to tweak them."
As always, former players from both schools got involved in the action. Jordan Morgan joined Stauskas and Robinson in the crowd, while Jim Harbaugh and Desmond Howard represented the football team.
Within seconds of the game's end, it was former Spartans who were all over Twitter, though, with Derrick Nix's trademark "R.I.P. Ta Da Competition #SpartanDogs" and Draymond Green's gloating over winning an online bet with Stauskas.
"Man this is BEAUTIFUL!!! The look on the faces of scum bench is an amazing sight!!! Wouldn't you agree @NStauskas11?? #GoGreen"
Stauskas shied away from a big-money wager, pointing out that he's on a rookie deal while Green is expected to sign a huge contract this summer as a restricted free agent, so he only owes his rival $500. Under his original terms, the loser was also supposed to post a picture of themselves in the opposing jersey, but Stauskas backed down after the final buzzer.
"@Money23Green first of all, I'm not taking a picture because you said you wouldn't. You got 500 tho!"
At the end of the day, though, the important thing that changed hands was bragging rights. The Spartans hadn't won at Crisler since 2010, and now have a rare regular-season sweep of the Wolverines.
Michigan's whole season might come down to finding a way to get another shot at Michigan State -- and the rest of the top Big Ten teams -- next month in Chicago.
