Tag: Tom Izzo

Quotes: Tom Izzo breaks downs Michigan State basketball’s senior night match-up vs. Northwestern

Tom Izzo breaks downs Michigan State basketball’s senior night match-up vs. Northwestern

For a multitude of reasons, Wednesday night’s match-up for Michigan State basketball vs. Northwestern will be one of great importance for the Spartans.

For one, it’s senior night, and the Breslin Center might be saying goodbye to players like A.J. Hoggard, Tyson Walker and Mady Sissoko.

It’s also of vital importance because recent losses has made this game more of a must-win, and the Spartans will also be looking to avenge their January loss to the Wildcats.

Tom Izzo broke down the match-up along with his thoughts on his program on Monday, and you can see the notable quotes from that session below.

Quotes: Tom Izzo breaks down Michigan State basketball’s loss to Purdue

Quotes: Tom Izzo breaks down Michigan State basketball’s loss to Purdue

As we all know, there are no moral victories in college basketball, a loss is a loss. But Michigan State basketball’s loss to Purdue on Saturday at least felt a little better than their last two losses Ohio State and Iowa.

It wasn’t because Purdue was favored to win anyway, it was more-so because MSU competed in this one and played hard basketball even when they went down double digits, and that was encouraging to see.

In his post game press conference, Tom Izzo said he was proud of the way his team competed, something he didn’t say in the last two losses. You can see some key quotes from that press conference below.

LOOK: Carson Cooper having elite defensive season, the analytics say

Analytics courtesy of Evan Miya, the gold standard in college basketball, show that Carson Cooper is having a sneaky good season:

The center position has been a major topic of controversy amongst Spartan fans and media alike. A member of that group is Carson Cooper, and the sophomore is sneakily having an elite season defensively.

Shared by Justin Spiro, with the stats courtesy of Evan Miya analytics, showed that Cooper is one of the best defenders in the Big Ten this season.

Bayesian Performance Rating quantifies how effective a team or player is, using advanced box-score metrics, play-by-play data and historical information.

Cooper ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten for overall defense, No. 16 overall combining offense and defensive and is No. 5 in how well the team plays when he is on the court.

Needless to say, maybe it is time for Cooper to shoulder the load at center.

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

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.

Michigan State basketball to host 5 recruits against Ohio State

MSU will be hosting five big time recruits for its matchup with Ohio State on Sunday:

Michigan State is set to host Ohio State inside of the Breslin Center on Sunday afternoon for a big time Big Ten matchup.

While the matchup on the floor is imperative for the Spartans as they move into March, the Spartans will be making it a big day for recruiting as well.

According to Joe Tipton of On3, via X, Michigan State will be hosting five big time targets in the class of 2025 and class of 2026.

Check out who the Spartans will be hosting at the Breslin Center on Sunday, when they square off with the Buckeyes:

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

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:

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Bracketology round-up: Where does Michigan State basketball stand with a week left in February

Bracketology round-up: Where does Michigan State stand with a week left in February

It is officially that time of the year, as the college basketball season winds down, and March is right around the corner, fans can smell the NCAA Tournament nearing. With the NCAA Tournament nearing, that means bracketology is in full swing, and the talk of the town.

While many fans know about Joe Lunardi with ESPN, there has been a new wave of bracketologists that have entered the picture. Bracket Matrix is an innovative new website that ranks bracketologists on their accuracy over a five year period, while compiling all bracketologists to give an average of each team’s seeding.

Michigan State, sitting at 17-10, is safely in the field, for now, but will still have some work to do to be a stone cold lock.

Take a look at where the bracketologists see Michigan State as of Friday, Feb. 23:

3 takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s loss to Iowa

3 takeaways from Michigan State’s loss to Iowa

Michigan State basketball laid an egg on Tuesday night, dropping a game to Iowa inside of the Breslin Center, 78-71. The game proved to be a major disappointment for Spartan fans, with the team snapping a 3-game winning streak, and ultimately looked uninspired on the court.

The loss doesn’t end their season, or prove to be a huge blow to NCAA Tournament hopes, but it is one that will frustrate everyone involved with the program.

Albeit a loss, there is still something to take away from the game, and still something for MSU fans to look forward to:

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

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

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:

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