EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo expressed deep disappointment following his team’s 83-71 loss to the No. 3-ranked Michigan Wolverines inside the Breslin Center on his 71st birthday.
“Well, to say I’m disappointed would be an understatement. I did not like the way we played,” Izzo said.
Izzo credited Michigan for playing well but pointed to his team’s struggles with turnovers, especially among the big men.
“We’re starting to have too many turnovers by our bigs,” Izzo noted.
Izzo mentioned a surprising stat: “Never thought I’d see the day when Carson Cooper gets two rebounds in a game, not in the first half."
He also referenced a controversial hook-and-hold call on Cam Ward for Yaxel Lendeborg that he believed changed the game, though he admitted uncertainty about the specifics.
Izzo was critical of his team’s overall performance, saying, “I was disappointed in the fish eating, but more disappointed in my team. I just did not think we played well enough.”
Izzo praised Michigan players Lendeborg and Elliot Cadeau for making critical plays late in the game.
When asked how his players, like Jeremy Fears Jr., handled emotional moments, Izzo was blunt: “Not very well.”
Izzo said some players let the opponent’s trash talk affect them, and that some of the newer players did not compete at the level needed.
Izzo discussed the team’s slow start and the difficulty in overcoming a large deficit.
“We get off to a bad start, and then we cut the lead, but we didn’t do enough of that,” Izzo said.
Regarding individual performances, Izzo took responsibility for overplaying Jaxon Kohler, who showed signs of fatigue late in the game.
“I don’t blame that on him, I blame it on me,” Izzo said.
Izzo also addressed shooting struggles, noting poor ball movement and rebounding as key issues.
“When we didn’t rebound, we didn’t run, and I didn’t think we moved the ball very well,” he said.
Izzo acknowledged the physical challenge posed by Michigan’s size and athleticism, calling them “the biggest size” and “as good a size as anybody in the country.”
He admitted his team did not execute their game plan well, especially in the first half.
Izzo also discussed the big men’s turnovers, suggesting they were trying to do too much.
“That’s why, in the last three games, our bigs have had 10 turnovers and nine turnovers,” Izzo said.
Despite the loss, Izzo praised the Spartan fans for their support.
“The fans were phenomenal. The place was electric,” Izzo said, though he lamented that the team did not give them enough to cheer for in the second half.
Izzo concluded by emphasizing the need to improve rebounding and defense at key moments.
“Officials didn’t cost this game. The lack of getting rebounds and playing defense at the right time of the game cost us a game,” Izzo said.