It was a tough day at the office for Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball on Saturday, as they once again failed to ‘slay the dragon’ and beat North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament, falling by double digits to the Tar Heels after holding a comfortable lead in the first half.
This loss signals a lot for this program, as it was the last charge for a core group of Spartans that have overseen one of the worst multi-year stretches in MSU basketball’s history under Tom Izzo.
And, as Tom Izzo noted repeatedly in his press conference, which we transcribed below, it was the final piece of a ‘perplexing’ season for the Spartans, where they seemingly had all the talent they needed to win, but mistakes, insanely long cold-shooting streaks, and difficulties doing things that Izzo usually prides himself on, like rebounding, ultimately led to disappointment.
You can see the key quotes from Izzo’s post-game press conference below.
On the Loss
“I’m perplexed, disappointed. Trying to say ‘Hey, it’s great your team fought back. They didn’t quit, they could’ve quit in February, the abuse they took, and rightfully so. Like I said, I didn’t hide behind any of that, and still don’t. I still think we under-achieved and I still think a lot of that falls on me. Strange year.”
On what he told his team
“You know that I was proud of them for not giving in like a lot of teams had in February when things were struggling a little bit. And to the underclassmen, that every possession matters. And the upperclassmen were shaking their heads, and you know, take that into life. You can’t make mistakes and everything stays the same. You know, this last week, I wish you could’ve been there, it was the most fun I’ve had in years, and that’s a good thing.”
On the changing roster for next year
“My son said something pretty cool, he said it starts in the Spring for you guys.. then he corrected himself and said ‘No it starts today.’ And that’s really true… because today is, what you learn by the tearful reaction by so many of those seniors that maybe people questioned sometimes where they were. It was something i hope our underclassmen learn.
You know I think Kohler will get better, I really do. That was a hard pill because we just couldn’t score in there enough. There’s no question to me, Book, and we’ve got a shooter in Gehrig, we’ve got an athlete who’s getting better with his shooting in Coen, and then I think I’ve got a guard that can run a team. So, I’m all good with it.
On Malk Hall
“You gotta love Malik. He’s a phenomenal student, a phenomenal kid. He’s been through a lot at the university, he’s been through a lot outside the university.”
On what made the last few weeks so fun
“You know I just think there was a different focus, A.J. was a different kid if you ask me. And Tyson was healthy, you know, he practiced hard. And Jaden… really he was the same, he worked hard all year. I think Mady realized… we put him on a scout team I think that helped him. You know, it’s the time you spent together, that’s what tournaments do for you.”
On his son leaving the program
“I’m gonna miss him because, it was one of the joys I had that I got to spent a lot of time with a guy who I didn’t spent enough time with when he was younger… Make sure you take better care of the people who mean the most to you.”
Izzo determined to make another run
“I’m getting back to a deep run in this tournament, or I’m gonna die trying.”
