Tom Izzo says Michigan State fans are 'crazy' to panic after loss to Michigan
Some Michigan State fans started panicking after a second loss to Michigan this season, the latest on Saturday which eliminated the Spartans from the Big Ten tournament.
And Tom Izzo had some choice words for them: Just remember, he said, No. 5 MSU is still a 29-4 team heading into the NCAA tournament.
“First of all, if fans are upset about four losses, they’re crazy. No insult intended,” Izzo said Tuesday on “The Mad Dog Show” on WVFN 730-AM in Lansing. “It’s just crazy. I mean, we lost to Duke early in the year. Yes, we lost to our rival twice, and they deserved to beat us – we didn’t play as well as we should. … I just think that if that’s what people expect, shame on them.”
Pointing to the controversies surrounding his program since late January, Izzo said it has “been a little bit of a Peyton Place here for five or six weeks,” and it has had an effect on his players.
However, the 23rd-year head coach also praised his Spartans for how they have handled all of the distractions.
“For these kids to do what they did under those circumstances,” Izzo said, “you can be mad at me, but they should be applauded. … But I don’t need a cheerleader, and I don’t need any prayers. I’m healthy, my team’s healthy, we’re doing well. The day will come out when things come out, but right now, I’m just worried about this team and helping them get better.
“And what they’ve been through, they’ve done phenomenal. I’m not sure a lesser team or team with less character than these guys have could do that.”
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Player breakdown
Izzo talked about what he wants from a few of his starters heading into the NCAA tournament as well.
• On Miles Bridges: “For me, this has been a blessing to have a kid like this. He is a phenomenal teammate. He’s been more than I could expect. Do I constantly want him to be more aggressive? Yeah, I do. But he’s got Jaren Jackson there, he’s got Cassius, he’s got Josh Langford, we’ve got Nick Ward. We got some players around him. And he’s fine with being a good teammate and part of it. Now, this week, we’re gonna try to make sure that he really understands that he’s still gotta be able to take over a game, like that second half of the Michigan game, he had about five possessions in a row where we played through him. And I think that was a big step for him and hopefully he learned something and he’ll continue to grow.”
• On Ward: “Nick Ward has been double-teamed so much that is has affected him a little bit. And I think when his offense is affected, his defense is affected, and that’s what hurt us in the last game.”
• On Winston: “Cassius has been so good, shooting 56 percent, and his offense – I think he was 1 for 11 … from the 3 in that (Big Ten) tournament. He was leading the nation in 3-point shooting. And I think sometimes, the offense affects your defense.
• On Langford: “The funniest part about Langford is he’s been my best defender. But his field goal percentage has gone down 6, 8, 10 points in the last month and a half. And who knows the reasons. Both from the 3 and the 2. But it’s guys that have done it before.”
• On the entire team: “If they get everything together, and that’s what it’s all about – finding a way to peak at the right time or finding a way to make a run at the right time – I like the pieces we have. I like the fact that these guys are still very focused in on what they want to accomplish. It’s kind of figuring out that as young guys, one and done means one and done. And so you can’t have a ‘my bad’ second half or a ‘my bad’ stretch. It’s just the nature of the beast.”
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Awards time
Bridges on Wednesday was named one of five finalists for the Julius Erving Award, which goes to the nation’s top small forward. Keita Bates-Diop (Ohio State), Kelan Martin (Butler), Mikal Bridges (Villanova) and Trevon Bluiett (Xavier) are the other finalists.
Bridges also has been named a second-team All-American by Sporting News and a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the Associated Press. Winston earned second-team All-Big Ten honors by the AP. Both Bridges and Winston were named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's District V All-District Team earlier this week.
Sports Illustrated cover
Freshman Jaren Jackson Jr. was featured on one of Sports Illustrated’s four regional covers to preview the NCAA tournament. Bridges was on the magazine’s preseason cover.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.