Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo is moving on from the loss against rival Michigan, looking to bounce back against Minnesota on Feb. 4.
“Michigan’s over,” said Izzo during a press conference. “I’m moving on to Minnesota.”
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Minnesota is 10-12 overall and 3-8 in the Big Ten but still presents a challenge for Michigan State. Izzo credited the Golden Gophers for being competitive in almost all their games.
“They’ve been up in just about every game they’ve played,” said Izzo. “They had Wisconsin down 20, they had Nebraska down at halftime, they had Ohio State down, Illinois down and a couple of those games were on the road.”
Izzo highlighted the team’s solid guard play which is led by senior Cade Tyson, sophomore Isaac Asuma and senior Langston Reynolds.
“They have good guard play,” said Izzo. “Tyson, Asuma who really played well at the end of the year last year and Reynolds, who’s a linebacker playing guard. Tough kid, love the way he plays.”
Tyson leads the team in scoring averaging 19.9 PPG on 50% shooting along with 5.5 REB. Asuma and Reynolds split the teams’ playmaking duties as Asuma averages 10.4 PPG and 4.1 AST while Reynolds averages 11 PPG and 4.3 AST.
Izzo described junior forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson as a “defensive tackle who is tougher than nails.” Crocker-Johnson has an imposing frame at 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds. He uses that frame to play physical inside the paint while possessing a solid outside shot. Crocker Johnson averages 13.4 PPG and 6.9 REB.
After the 83-71 loss to Michigan, the Spartans went from No.7 to No.10 in the AP Poll rankings and fell to second in the conference alongside Nebraska.
Michigan and Illinois are tied for first in the conference but with nine conference games remaining on the schedule, the race for the regular season title is far from over.
Michigan State’s road game against Minnesota tips off on Feb. 4 at 7:00 P.M.