He heard it all offseason. He heard it when Michigan State lost five of seven in the Big Ten. Oh, and you can bet he heard it when the Spartans blew a 13-point lead in an overtime collapse at Iowa.
I’ll paraphrase it for the people in the back: Tom, why didn’t you sign more players? Why didn’t you grab more transfers? What were you thinking??!
Tom Izzo was thinking what his returning players were thinking, that trust is a powerful motivator. He stuck with them, they stuck with him. And after that inexplicable loss to Iowa, Izzo said it to them, the media and anyone still listening. He concluded an interview session with a statement more plaintive than defiant: “Don’t give up on us. Don’t give up on us.”
