The No. 4 Michigan State basketball program fell to James Madison 79-76 in overtime at home in the season opener, and head coach Tom Izzo had some strong words for the team's upperclassmen after poor showings from many of them in the loss.

“I don't have a good answer why three juniors and seniors played like they played, but I also don't care, because I'll play some freshmen then,” Tom Izzo said, via Myron Medcalf of ESPN. “Let the controversy begin.”

Tyson Walker scored 35 points and shot 12-for-26 in Michigan State basketball's loss to James Madison, but fellow upperclassmen AJ Hoggard, Malik Hall, Mady Sissoko and Jaden Akins, the four other starters all struggled. AJ Hoggard, Malik Hall, Mady Sissoko and Jaden Akins shot 8-for-36 in the game.

Although Izzo was disappointed with his team's effort, he gave James Madison credit for the win.

“I give [James Madison] a lot of credit,” Tom Izzo said, via Medcalf. “They came in here and they played harder than us. They played stronger than us. Made some good plays. We got into foul trouble early. That hurt us. We missed all those free throws early. That hurt us. You go 1-for-20 from the [three-point line]. How do you go 23-of-37 from the free throw line.”

The bad shooting performance from the line and from beyond the arc is why upsets like James Madison pulled off can happen to anyone. All it takes is a cold shooting night. Tom Izzo and Michigan State's next game will be against Southern Indiana before taking on No. 2 Duke in the Champion's Classic on Tuesday.

It will take a lot of improvements to beat a team like Duke in the Champion's Classic, but mainly the shooting just has to be better to beat not only scrappy underdogs, but the championship-caliber teams.