DETROIT (12/3/2020) -- It was a three-year run of supremacy that took place in the late 1990s. Three games that saw a big brother Big Ten school lose to the smaller sibling University from the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. A three-year winning streak that no one saw coming, but it happened, and then again and once more.

Michigan State had dominated the all-time series with the Titans to that point to the tune of a 44-13 advantage and had won 11 in a row over the red, white and blue. From 1977 to 1994, MSU claimed 11-straight wins and in all different styles, on the road and at home, from a 103-74 blowout in Detroit in 1977, to four in a row in overtime from 1981-88. 

The last five wins for the Spartans against the Titans were all by double digits including an 80-63 contest in 1994.

But then the calendar turned to 1995 and all of a sudden, little brother was able to stand up to big brother and look him in the eyes.

"The thing about those three wins was just the battle," said former head coach Perry Watson. "Those were three tremendously fought games. They were a Big Ten program, they had the physical size and top recruits and facilities, but my guys were kids who had achieved and earned everything. They had achieved a level of success in the league and were upperclassmen that had developed a lot of pride and weren't going to back down from a fight.

"If we got beat, it was because we got beat. I am so proud of those teams on how they competed and it was great signature wins not just for the program, but for the guys themselves, because a lot of those guys were recruited by the Michigan State's and it meant a lot for their pride. It meant a lot for the community to do that and in recruiting, being able to tell kids that if you come here, you have a chance to not only compete, but beat the best."

"What I loved about those inter-state games the most was the competitiveness," said Derrick Hayes. "It was just a lot of neighborhood guys, guys from the city of Detroit, who have had good battles against each other from when we were young and in high school. It was fun."

HOW IT STARTED
It began on a cold Dec. 10 day in 1995. Coach Watson was in his third year on the sidelines for the Titans and was already 0-2 against Michigan State, who had a new coach leading its program in Tom Izzo. 

Over 13,000 fans were at the Breslin Center to see the green and white continue its excellence over the Titans, but Detroit Mercy took the early 5-0 lead as Carl Pickett hit a three and Brian Alexander hit a jumper. The Titans continued to lead and were ahead by five, 15-10, midway through the half as Guido LeGardy got inside for a basket, but MSU fought back to take a five-point advantage, 23-18, before Pickett tied it at the break with two free throws and a three.

The thing that was noticeable was the effort and toughness as the Titans out-rebounded the Spartans, 24-19, in the first 20 minutes and forced six turnovers.

In the second half, Michigan State took a brief one-point lead, 24-23, but Pickett drained a 3-pointer and then back-to-back baskets by Leon Derricks and Alexander had the red, white and blue up by six, 30-24. The Titans would never trail after that, upping their lead to eight as Pickett nailed another three and Derricks got inside for two for a 41-33 advantage with 11:35 to go. 

Michigan State would pull within one, 45-44, at the 8:05 mark, but the Titans then went on a 10-2 run as Herman Jenkins had a three-point play, Iapo Montgomery sank a jumper and a 3-pointer along with a free throw and Pickett added another free throw and suddenly, the visiting mid-major Titans were up by nine, 55-46, with just 4:43 on the clock. 

From there on, the Titans hung on down the stretch despite missing some free throws and came away with a 63-61 win behind the 21-point, 12-rebound effort from Pickett, a junior who two years earlier coming out of high school had no Division I offers and was a walk-on. Jermaine Jackson had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists and also played great defense, while Kamau Alexander netted seven points and Brian Alexander posted six points and six boards. 

"I was so proud of (Carl)," said Watson. "He was a young man that I knew at Michigan when I was an assistant and his mom actually went to college with me at Eastern Michigan. To see how he was not really recruited by anybody, maybe a lack of respect for the level he played at in high school, and to convince him that he was that type of player if he came in and put in his work and be coachable and it was like a culmination of everything he worked when you see the stat line he put up in that game. The fierceness of competing was a joy for the coaching staff to watch."

THE REMATCH
A little over a year later, Dec. 14, 1996, the Titans and Spartans hooked up again, this time in downtown Detroit at Cobo Arena. Now anyone can win one game so coming into this one, odds are, Michigan State was going to pay the Titans back, especially on their home court. Detroit Mercy was 2-3, coming off a 75-59 loss at Michigan, while MSU was 3-0 with 30-point wins over East Tennessee State and UIC. 

"When we played schools like that, we had a chip on our shoulder," said Hayes. "A couple of guys on the team transferred back home to Detroit having already played for the bigger schools and it didn't pan out for us for whatever reason. So for coach Watson to recognize that and bring us home and recruit some other guys who were not being looked at by them, there was a lot of pride that we brought to the court. Beating them that first time, I had to sit out as a transfer, but you know after that, we got their attention and we were able to do it again. We had a great group of guys who had a lot of pride and didn't want to lose and it was pretty fun."

Michigan State scored the first basket, but the Titans took command after that as Derricks then scored three-straight baskets and had eight of the Titans first 10 points. Five-straight points by Alexander gave the Titans a 17-9 lead at the 10:56 mark and later, that advantage increased to nine, 22-13, as Brian Alexander had a layup with 9:27 to go in the first half. 

"You have to believe you can win those games, to win that challenge," said Derricks. "The guys we had and how we practiced, we really felt like we could beat anybody. I remember playing against a lot of those guys in the summer in open gyms and there was a lot of talking about how they were not going to let that happen again."

"We were a defense-minded team," said Hayes. "Everything kick-started with our defense. We had one of the longest winning streaks at home and every game, you saw that the other team's shooting percentage was low and we grinded wins out. That's how we wanted to win. Everyone was going to get that fight for us."

MSU started the half shooting just 9-of-29 and finished shooting 11-of-31 from the field and 2-of-13 in the first half, but the Spartans did start to find some rhythm late, ending the half on a 5-0 run to take a 31-30 lead at the break. 

"At that time, our kids competed in the summer leagues against all the kids from the big schools," said Watson. "They played summer ball at Calihan Hall together. I think that the players knew they could play with them, but knowing it and doing it are two different things. I think that we were such a good defensive team that we knew our defense was going to keep us in the game. Once you play some defense and you get some stops and some rebounds, that confidence begins to rise and carries over to the offensive end and you look to make your shots." 

The Titans forced four-straight turnovers to start the second half as the lead seesawed between both programs with neither owning more than a three-point lead until Hayes connected on two free throws to put the home team up by four, 52-48, with 6:09 remaining. With under a minute to go, Jackson stole the ball from MSU's Thomas Kelley and after a timeout, Brian Alexander was able to tip-in an offensive rebound for a 56-54 lead, but the Titans fouled Ray Weathers with 14 seconds left and he tied the game with a pair of free throws and Detroit Mercy was not able to get a shot off with time winding down, sending it to overtime tied at 56-56.  

In the first overtime, the teams again went back and forth, but MSU surged ahead by five, 67-62, with under two minutes to go as Morris Peterson hit a three and Antonio Smith and Kelley both sank a pair of free throws. The Titans did not go away as Derricks, off a nice pass from Jackson, got inside for a basket and after forcing a Spartans' miss, Hayes fed Brian Alexander and he hit a jumper to get the team to within one, 67-66, with 49 seconds on the clock. 

MSU then went up by three, 69-66, as Smith nailed a 3-pointer, but coming down the floor and with the time ticking off the clock, Pickett, who had not scored at all, was able to split a pair of Spartans and go up for a three, which sailed in, and he had to look back at the referees to make sure he stayed behind the line and he did, knotting the score at 69-69.

"That game was just a phenomenal game, battled back and forth and it was exciting," said Hayes. "Triple overtime. I thought it helped showcase that we weren't just a little school in the middle of Detroit, we can actually hang with these boys from the big school. It was a great game and we were able to beat up on Michigan State for a couple of years in a row."
"It just shows the kind of team we had and how we played. Carl has the big game the year before and then he is not scoring and he could have been frustrated, but he was a senior and he stayed in the game and makes that shot, I was so happy for him," added Watson. 

In the second overtime, the Titans took a four-point lead twice, first at 73-69 at the 2:38 mark and again at 75-71 with 1:16 left, but MSU came back to knot it at 75-75 with 17 seconds remaining and the Titans last gasp effort did not fall, sending it into a third overtime. 

In the third overtime, Peterson hit an early three for the MSU lead, but a three-point play by Hayes tied it up and Derricks powered his way for a dunk and an 80-78 advantage. Terrance Porter would hit a three to give the Titans an 83-79 lead, but the Spartans came back and a trifecta by Weathers tied the game at 84-84 with nine seconds on the clock.

The Titans had a little trouble getting the ball in, but they found E.J. Haralson, who was 0-for-6 in the game, and the junior calmly went up the court and went right by Smith to the rim and the layup was good just as time expired and the Titans made it two in a row over Michigan State, 86-84, in three overtimes. 

"We just needed to keep believing and having confidence," said Watson. "E.J. could have easily hung his head and just said I am not on today and be nervous with the ball and the clock running down, but we were tough and we believed that the ball would find the person with the best shot. When E.J. got that ball, it comes down to who is the toughest guy and I knew it was E.J. and I was happy that he still had the confidence to make that shot."

Another #TBT to Dec. 14, 1996, as E.J. Haralson gets the game-winning basket as the Titans beat Michigan State, 86-84, at Cobo Arena. Haralson was 0-of-6 from the field until that play #DetroitsCollegeTeam

More on the Titans' 3-game winning streak in the 90's over MSU in a bit pic.twitter.com/oqBfHgjYJS

— Detroit Mercy MBB (@DetroitMBB) December 3, 2020

"E.J. was that headstrong defensive guy that we had and a leader and we believed in him. He stepped up for that shot and he hit it. He showed his leadership that night," said Hayes.  "Those were some great years, some great games," said Haralson. "I had gone to the Breslin Center to see the game the year before and seeing the team win. I was upset during the game because I really struggled offensively. Even though my role was more a defensive player, as a competitor, you always want to do well. As a player, you still have to have confidence in yourself regardless of how the game is going. I did a pretty good job with that and I came down and a lane opened up, they tried to pressure me a little bit, but a lane opened up a little bit and I was able to make that basket."

Derricks ended the game with 23 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Hayes tallied 22 points and seven boards and Jackson posted 11 points, seven assists and six steals. The Titans out-rebounded Michigan State, 50-46, and forced 16 turnovers. 

"It was an awesome game," said Derricks. "A lot of our guys still talk about it. It was my senior year and I had a big game and it was great, but winning like we did at home was awesome. The crowd went on the floor after the game cheering with us."

"Leon (Derricks) was my recruit at Michigan and because of our connection and my belief in him, he decided to transfer here," said Watson. "I knew how good he was, but usually when you transfer from a program, it's because of something, maybe they think your to small, to slow, or whatever it might be and now you need to work on that confidence and that is what I had to do with him. I always felt that just because you had that kid transfer from a bigger program, you now had to do even more coaching to build him back up to where he was. For Leon to have the game he had against some of the guys he grew up with, that was special and great for him."

THE THREE-PEAT
The Titans had to head back up to East Lansing the next year, 364 days after the triple-overtime win on Dec. 13, 1997. After beating the Spartans two years in a row, one would have to believe there was a harsh tone in practice that no way would this school come up here and win another game.

"My senior year, no one could stop us and we weren't going up there to lose," said Hayes. "We went there and we knew we were the better team. We lost to Michigan by just one point in the last few seconds on a missed rotation. We beat Western Michigan and Central Michigan. We felt that we were the better team and we wanted to make a lot of noise that year and we did going to the tournament and beating St. John's."

"Obviously, their fan base was in total shock because they are not accustomed to losing games to mid-majors, especially three in a row," said Watson. "I would imagine that coming into the third game, those practices were probably brutal, but I go back to the fact that our guys were tough and confident and they all believed they were capable of winning those games."

The Spartans got off to a quick 10-3 lead as Mateen Cleaves had eight early points, but back came the Titans and a layup by Bacari Alexander with 8:21 left gave them a 20-18 lead. Detroit Mercy's defense was able to stymie Michigan State and the Titans took a 31-26 lead at the half. The red, white and blue held the green and white to 10-of-27 from the field and 1-of-4 from three with nine turnovers, turning those into 12 points.

"Jermaine had the size and strength and toughness to play with anybody," said Watson. "You then have E.J. in the backcourt with him and we can defend anyone in the backcourt. Some people say that defense starts with your big guys, protecting the basket, blocking shots, but I always felt that the defense started at the pick-up point and I knew when that ball was advanced, it was going to be defended and pressured and going to make your offense hesitant and I had that with those two guys."

The Titans then began to really put the pressure on and a jumper by Brian Alexander gave the visiting Titans a 47-35 advantage just five minutes into the second half. 

"Michigan State had a good team, they had Mateen Cleaves, they had Antonio Smith and a lot of guys who ended up playing at the professional level. We were a pretty tough team and we were good and we had that winning attitude," said Haralson.  

MSU was able to get its crown behind them and started to heat up in the second half, going on a 12-0 run and eventually taking the lead, 55-54. The Titans were able to take a 65-62 lead after Rashad Phillips came up with a steal and found Desmond Ferguson, who buried a triple, but Michigan State was able to answer with a three of its own, tying it at 65-65 with 1:32 left. 

With 32 seconds remaining, Jackson was able to drive to the hoop and was fouled, getting the layup and hitting the free throw for a 68-65 lead. Cleaves got the ball on the ensuing possession, but the Titans defense did not let him get a good look as he missed a shot with Detroit Mercy grabbing the rebound. MSU had one more chance to tie it up after a missed free throw, but Cleaves' heave at the buzzer sailed wide. 

"We get up for Michigan and Michigan State and the other state schools, too because we know their people and they know us. They're the same guys you play against in the summer," said the late Brian Alexander to the Detroit Free Press. 

Jackson finished with 17 points, seven assists and four rebounds, while Brian Alexander recorded 13 points and five boards. Hayes tallied seven points and eight rebounds and Ferguson hit three 3-pointers for nine points.

The Titans again out-rebounded the Spartans, 37-33, and saw MSU commit 17 turnovers. 

"They just played better than we did," said MSU coach Tom Izzo. "One of our strengths is rebounding and we got out-rebounded."

"People say we can't play with Big Ten Teams. We don't believe that," said Jackson after the game to the Detroit News.