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As Michigan State basketball head coach Tom Izzo is looking to break the record for most wins in the Big Ten conference, it would have to be another time as the team lost to the Indiana Hoosiers, 71-67. Izzo tied the record when the Michigan State basketball team beat the Oregon Ducks on Feb. 8 as the long-time head coach speaks on why he feels worse coming off the loss Tuesday night.
Undoubtedly, with the record in the grasp of Izzo, people will be making their way the best they can to see the game where he achieves history. He would say in his post-game press conference he feels bad for the fans who “came a long way” to see a disappointing performance from the group according to Emmett Matasovsky.
“A lot of people came a long way for today. I feel bad,” Izzo said. “The players didn't play well, the coaches didn't coach well. All credit to Indiana. They didn't shoot well. They just passed it inside and we couldn't guard it.”
It was a frustrating performance for the Spartans as the Hoosiers put them into early foul trouble, especially finding their way in the paint, and mixing with them shooting poorly from deep and everywhere else is a sign of disaster. Still, it would be a close game until the end where they obtained the loss as after going on a 13-game winning streak, the team has exploited their flaws.
“We had an opportunity for a special night,” Izzo said Tuesday. “I don't think the players played very well, and I don't think the coaches coached very well. So that's a bad combination against a team that was desperate…I tried to explain when we were 9-0 what was going on. And I haven't changed one bit. I told you four or five losses would win the league, and I haven't changed on that any at all. We put ourselves in a hole now.”
Michigan State basketball was “stagnant” in loss to Indiana
The Michigan State basketball coach had been concerned even when they were winning like after beating Rutgers on Jan. 25, where as the season comes to a close, they need to finish strong. However, they have now lost three of the last four contests.
“We just didn't capitalize, and we didn't give him that record,” freshman Jase Richardson said as he scored 13 points on Tuesday. “So we gotta get back to work and get ready for Saturday.”
“I think offensively, we were stagnant. We weren't moving,” Richardson continued. “I think If we would have hit shots early, it probably would have got them out of the zone. But defensively, we weren't doing our jobs, so we couldn't get out in transition. It just wasn't an overall good game.”
The goal right now is to overcome their deficiencies, have short-term memory, and bounce back in a huge way as March is around the corner.
“We were in so much foul trouble that our bigs really couldn't guard well,” Izzo said. “But we also missed three (or) four layups, and we missed some incredible, I thought, open 3s. But that's the way the game goes.”
The Spartans are 19-5, 10-3 in conference play, as Izzo looks to get the record on Feb. 15 against Illinois.
