Indianapolis — Sometimes, they let the managers play. At least that’s the motto of the Manager Games, where Michigan State’s basketball managers took to the court Friday afternoon.
Tucked off to the side of a hectic Final Four Fan Fest on Friday at the Indianapolis Convention Center, seven teams duked it out in the 2026 Manager Games Elite Eight.
As one could imagine for a gathering of hyper-committed college basketball managers playing their final game of the season, the scene was electric.
Groups of fans filled the railings and some seats on one end to watch the games as beats blared from the speakers. The games played out like high-level pickup runs. Players dove for balls and went up for contested rebounds. One player even chipped a tooth.
As far as results went, Michigan State lost, 28-27, to Kentucky in the Elite Eight, then downed Iowa in a consolation game, 32-28. Arkansas became the first two-time champions of the Games with a 45-34 win over Kentucky.
The Games date back to 2014 and were founded by former student managers Ian May, Andrew Novak and Kevin Pauga of Michigan State and Thomas Northcutt of Auburn. The event occurs every year at the Final Four, this year in Indianapolis where Michigan takes on Arizona and UConn faces Illinois on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Michigan State led Kentucky by two at halftime, but the Wildcats pulled away for the win in a tight finish. The Spartans also led Iowa after a timeout with 20.4 seconds left in the first half set up a corner 3 for a 14-12 lead. Michigan State gave up a 3 out of the break, but this time a 10-0 run pulled away for the eventual win.
The atmosphere? Well, let the videos speak for themselves.
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Watch Michigan State compete in Manager Games at Final Four
Reporting by Connor Earegood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
