Michigan Basketball Star Calls Rival Big Ten Team 'Scumbags'

Michigan basketball star Hunter Dickinson hates the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Badgers and Wolverines have built a surprisingly random basketball rivalry over the past several years as both programs have dominated the Big Ten.

Things hit a boiling point last year when a massive physical altercation erupted after Wisconsin handed Juwan Howard's team a loss in Madison. Howard, who is 6'9", was apparently scared of little Greg Gard and all hell broke loose.

Now, Dickinson wants people to know Wisconsin is a scumbag program in his mind.

"Wisconsin, they’re just… they're scumbags. That's what it is. That's what it is. I'm sorry. They're just scumbags," Dickinson said on the "RoundBall Podcast" when talking about the rival B1G program.

He followed it up by adding up "the feeling could not be anymore mutual."

Hunter Dickinson takes direct shots at Wisconsin.

Let me be clear, I'm a Wisconsin man. We all know that. It is what it is, but that doesn't mean the facts don't matter to me.

Dickinson thinks the program in Madison is full of a bunch of "scumbags." Yet, he didn't name a single reason why.

Why is Wisconsin full of "scumbags"? What is it about Greg Gard's roster that makes the Michigan star big man think it's a trash program full of trash people?

Hunter Dickinson calls Wisconsin a bunch of "scumbags." (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

In college sports, you're going to have some bitter and brutal rivalries. That's the nature of the beast. Rivalries are an awesome part of college football and basketball.

However, if you're going to call an entire program a scumbag program, you better have some example. Was Dickinson just in a time crunch and couldn't get to it on the podcast? That seems unlikely.

Maybe - and the most likely reason - is that everyone with eyes saw what happened with Juwan Howard in Madison. He got upset because Greg Gard called timeout with the bench in the game, the Michigan coach wanted to close the score to make it appear like it wasn't a blowout and then decided to blow his lid afterwards.

This is Juwan Howard. The man has a long history of doing stupid things. Just a couple weeks ago, he had to be held back during a game. That's not acceptable or normal behavior.

Wisconsin and Michigan will meet February 14 and February 26 this season. You can guarantee both games will be bitter and heated. After Dickinson's comments, fans and players wouldn't have it any other way.