Tigers ace and back-to-back Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal took in the Michigan State-Oakland basketball game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday.

The yearly contest between the Spartans and Golden Grizzlies is always a spectacle, with opposing coaches and friends Tom Izzo and Greg Kampe’s tradition of wearing matching ugly Christmas sweaters and doing their postgame press conference together. Any time Skubal comes into the conversation, though, a big question arises: Will he remain in Detroit or bolt in free agency when his contract comes up next year?

Kampe had that question himself after Izzo’s Spartans defeated his Golden Grizzlies 79-70 Saturday. Izzo mentioned that Skubal visited the Spartans the other day, and he wanted his players to butter up to the big lefthander in hopes of keeping him in Detroit.

“I’d tell my guys to hug and kiss [Skubal] to keep him around, so maybe they will,” Izzo hilariously said postgame Saturday.

Kampe said he asked Skubal whether he was going to stay with the Tigers directly. “I’m under contract for one more year is what he said,” the Oakland coach said of the exchange. “I go, ‘yeah, we all know that.’”

Skubal is likely in line for the richest contract ever for a pitcher once he hits the open market. Recent rumblings rose out of the MLB winter meetings that Detroit could look to trade its dominant ace to recoup assets before he walks for nothing but a compensatory draft pick. For now, Skubal remains a Tiger and two of the most legendary basketball coaches in the state are doing their part to keep him around.

Tom Izzo had incredible ugly Christmas sweaters made for him and Greg Kampe in game against Oakland

Izzo and Kampe first wore Christmas regalia for Michigan State-Oakland in 2022. Since then, the idea has evolved into tradition. Last year, they wore matching Grinch sweaters. Izzo upped the ante this year with incredible custom sweaters that he and his wife Lupe had made, per Tony Paul of The Detroit News.

Kampe got a “nice list” sweater with a cartoon that depicted him and an official bumping fists, while Izzo gave himself the “naughty list” version where he was shown arguing with a ref.

These guys are awesome and they have a level of relationship you rarely see between two opponents. In the joint postgame presser Saturday, Kampe gushed over Izzo and the incredible relationship they have.

“I would not be here still today if it wasn’t for [Izzo],” Kampe said. “What he’s done for me and our program, I’m getting choked up because it’s true. I got really good players because I was able to pay some and he’s the one that helped me do that. On his own, he’s come down and done an event twice now for me where I’ve raised close to a half-million dollars.”

An unbelievable dynamic between two incredible coaches. Now we wait to see what they have up their sleeves for next year’s holiday showdown.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tom Izzo Had Funny Plea for His MSU Players to Help Keep Tarik Skubal in Detroit.

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