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It isn't often we lead off the Morning Briefing with sports. But we'll make an exception for Saturday's No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 9 Michigan State men's basketball game. Unless you were born under, live in or were hit by a rock, every Michigander knows any MSU-UM game is a big deal. But there's a bit more on the line this time around than just bragging rights. First and foremost, the Big Ten Conference regular-season title is up for grabs, along with the right to hang another banner from the rafters. There's also denying your rival a chance to celebrate a title. Then there's the seeding implications for the B1G and NCAA tournaments. Oh, and it's senior night in East Lansing. Add it all up and MSU coach Tom Izzo went as far as to say Saturday's 8 p.m. nationally televised showdown is the biggest game in the history of Breslin Center. Wow. MORE
►Wanna attend the big game? It'll cost you
►Lack of surefire NBA Draft selections not holding UM, MSU back

Gov. Whitmer visits our Grand Rapids hub for a roundtable talk

Fresh of the heels of her first state budget proposal, Governor Gretchen Whitmer was in our Grand Rapids hub this week for an MLive Citizen Roundtable. A trio of panelists, as well as capitol reporter Emily Lawler, joined the governor in a conversation that centered on her $60.2 billion budget proposal. She talked about her plan to increase the gas tax to pay for road repairs, high auto insurance rates and mental health issues. She also announced a desire to overturn a 2016 law that requires students to repeat the 3rd grade if their reading performance is too low. MORE
►Whitmer open to lowering truck weight limits on roads
►Video: Whitmer explains proposed gas tax increase
►Video: Roundtable discussion (full length)

How legal weed is regulated from seed to sale

The fledgling legal marijuana industry in Michigan operates in a confusing landscape of rules and regulations. In fact, state officials still are sorting out how everything should be run. Officials do have a fascinating system in place that tracks a medical marijuana plant from when it sprouts to when it is sold. The same or a similar system may be used for legal weed grow operations. Here's how the system works. MORE
►7 questions from elimination of marijuana licensing board

The future and the fantasy of the Tigers

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Detroit Tigers beat reporter Evan Woodbery flew to Florida to catch all the spring training action. And with Opening Day less than three weeks away, Woodbery has a little time between roster cuts and Miggy updates to explore the depths of this franchise. He's got a speculative post about what the Tigers could be if they opened their pocketbook. (Better, but probably still not contenders.) He also checks in on the 2018 draft class. (Already showing signs of promise.) MORE

Sweet tidbits, surprising facts about Michigan maple syrup

Some of us at MLive didn't know about Michigan Maple Weekends. Thankfully, we've all got Emily Bingham to keep us informed of such goings on. And in honor of the sticky delight otherwise known as Michigan maple syrup, Bingham has supplied us with a sweet list of factoids on the state's first agricultural harvest of the year. MORE
►How an 800-mile canoe trip was the turning point in Michigan history