Tom Izzo – Page 2 – Syndication Server

WATCH: Tom Izzo explains why he played Mady Sissoko over Xavier Booker at end of Michigan State basketball’s loss to Ohio State

Tom Izzo gives explanation for why he played Mady Sissoko over Xavier Booker at end of Michigan State’s loss to Ohio State

It is easily the most debated topic of the day, no actually probably the whole year, but especially today: following Michigan State basketball’s home loss to Iowa, fans are wondering why Tom Izzo and his staff went away from freshman Xavier Booker, who started the game and led the team in box score plus-minus, in favor of senior Mady Sissoko.

After the game, Tom Izzo gave his explanation for the move:

Tom Izzo's answer on the Booker/Sissoko question: pic.twitter.com/9hpCWBuSBs

— David Harns (@DavidHarns) February 26, 2024

You can read all of his quotes from after the loss here.

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Quotes: Tom Izzo and Jake Diebler address media following Michigan State basketball’s loss to Ohio State

I would say that this latest loss to Ohio State at home on Sunday is one of the more painful losses of the season. While Ohio State did recently beat Purdue, they have been one of the worst road teams in the Big Ten, are fresh off firing a coach, and this was a game where MSU had multiple large leads.

Yet, some interesting coaching decisions as the Spartans went scoreless for nearly four straight minutes to close the game led to an Ohio State win and MSU is now back on the bubble.

After the game, Tom Izzo and Ohio State coach Jake Diebler addressed the media, and you can find the notable quotes from that session below.

Couch: Michigan State basketball freshman Xavier Booker ‘in a really good place’

One of the most divisive topics surrounding Michigan State basketball this season has been the play, or lack thereof, of freshman phenom Xavier Booker.

Booker, who was a 5-star recruit coming into the season, has averaged just 8 minutes per game this season, and some fans are getting nervous that this might be giving him cold feet about staying in East Lansing for the long-term. Other fans are frustrated because MSU has had some struggles with their big men this season, and Booker seems like an obvious solution to some.

The one person who hasn’t weighed into this topic too much this season is Xavier Booker, and what little he has said has been very positive about his development, usage, and the coaching staff. That trend seems to be continuing, as Booker spoke to the media on Friday and Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch reported on social media that Booker is ‘in a really good place’ and that Booker and Izzo are ‘in alignment’ on his progress and development.

Here is the full post from Couch, and we will link to his full story on Booker once it drops for the Lansing State Journal:

… More on Xavier Booker: Some of the progress he feels comes from the 20 pounds he’s put on (up to 236). Says he couldn’t have walled off the Iowa power forward like he did Tuesday earlier in the season. Says the coaches are getting him more reps in practice with the starters.

— Graham Couch (@Graham_Couch) February 23, 2024

Quotes: Tom Izzo reviews Michigan State basketball’s home loss to Iowa

It was a frustrating night for the Spartans, as Michigan State basketball yet again suffers a tough loss this year after going on a nice run.

Two steps forward, one step back seems to be the theme of this year, and that was very much the case on Tuesday night, when MSU lost to Iowa 78-71 after they just won two straight road games and beat a good Illinois team at home.

After the game, MSU head coach Tom Izzo spoke to the media about the loss and his thoughts on the game, and you can find the notable quotes from that session below.

WATCH: Tom Izzo previews Michigan State basketball vs. Iowa match-up

Ahead of Tuesday’s match-up against Iowa, Tom Izzo spoke to the media about the game against the Hawkeyes, and he also gave us an interesting update on freshman Jeremy Fears Jr..

If you prefer to read those quotes, you can find them here. Or, you can watch the full video below:

WATCH: Tom Izzo, Juwan Howard, and Michigan State basketball players’ media sessions following MSU’s win over Michigan

On Saturday night, Michigan State basketball earned one of their most satisfying wins of the season, taking down their rival, Michigan, in Ann Arbor 73-63.

This was an important one for MSU for many reasons. This team now has won three conference road games, something that has been extremely hard for them, and many other teams, to come by this season.

It also featured another dominant performance from Malik Hall (18 points), who, along with Tyson Walker (19 points), led the Spartans in scoring. This has been extremely encouraging sign as Michigan State approaches March.

After the game, Tom Izzo, A.J. Hoggard, Tyson Walker and Malik Hall all spoke to the media, and you can find each of those interviews below, which were recorded and posted on YouTube by SpartanMag.com. Juwan Howard, Tarris Reed Jr. and Nimari Burnett also spoke to the media, and their session was recorded by UMHoops.com.

Quotes: Tom Izzo, Malik Hall recap Michigan State basketball’s road win over Michigan

There was an amazing atmosphere in the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday night as the Michigan State basketball team played an important rivalry game against their rival, the Michigan Wolverines.

The Spartans were able to take down the Wolverines, 73-63, to secure the season series sweep over Michigan and earn their third road win of the season (not a typo).

Following the game, both Tom Izzo and Malik Hall spoke to the media and gave their thoughts about the game, and you can find the notable quotes from that session below.

Quotes: Tom Izzo previews Michigan State basketball vs. Michigan game

Our coverage of Michigan State basketball’s big rivalry weekend against Michigan continues. If you weren’t able to watch Tom Izzo’s full pre-game media session where he spoke on a number of topics, we have you covered below.

In the quotes below, Izzo gives some final thoughts on the somewhat strange win over Penn State that showcased some of his team’s inconsistencies, recent tragic events, the firing of Chris Holtmann at Ohio State, and talked more specifically about the rivalry with Michigan and the atmosphere he is expecting tomorrow night.

WATCH: Tom Izzo previews Michigan State basketball vs. Michigan game

It’s rivalry week for Michigan State basketball, as they will head to Ann Arbor on Saturday night to face Michigan. No matter what the situation is, no matter how good either team is, this game is always going to be one of the biggest ones on the calendar for the Spartans, and this one will be no different as MSU looks to snap Michigan’s home winning streak they currently hold in the rivalry.

Before the game, Tom Izzo spoke to the media about his team and the game, which you can see below:

WATCH: Tom Izzo’s full post-game press conference following Michigan State basketball’s win over Penn State

WATCH: Tom Izzo’s full post-game press conference following MSU’s win over Penn State

Following his team’s win over Penn State on Wednesday night on the road, Tom Izzo was in an interesting position. Michigan State basketball accomplished something that has all but eluded them this year: they got a road win. But at times, they looked sloppy, his star players, A.J. Hoggard and Tyson Walker, didn’t really show up all game, and they nearly let the lead slip away on numerous occasions.

But, the team still came away with a very important road win, a loss here would’ve been rather devastating considering how the season has gone, and they still largely handled the Nittany Lions for the full game.

In his post game press conference, which you can see below, you can watch as Izzo tries to make sense of a victory for his team that never felt great, despite them being in control nearly the whole time.