On Monday, Tom Izzo spoke to the media to discuss his Michigan State basketball team, both their upcoming game against Kentucky in the Champion’s Classic, and their close loss to Gonzaga on Friday.
You can find the notable quotes from that media session below.
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Tom Izzo says "Everything was great in San Diego except for the outcome of the game." Says MSU found a way to lose a game it should have won. "We lost to a very good team, and I found out a lot about my team."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 14, 2022
Izzo says "this is the best Kentucky team I've seen." Says he told John Calipari "it's almost illegal" because of how many seniors the Wildcats has.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 14, 2022
Izzo says the biggest problem MSU faces is whether Oscar Tshiebwe will play, though he feels the star center "99%" will be in the lineup for Kentucky on Tuesday vs. the Spartans in the Champions Classic. "It's another game for us where we'll learn a lot about our team."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 14, 2022
Izzo says getting Akins and Brooks rebounding better is a key for practice right now.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 14, 2022
Izzo says Sissoko now needs to show how he responds after a good game and if he can duplicate what he did against Gonzaga.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 14, 2022
Izzo says MSU's ability gang rebound will be a key this season.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 14, 2022
Izzo says "we really don't have captains right now. We're kind of going to go game by game." Malik Hall is somewhat the de facto "acting" captain at the moment, Izzo adds.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 14, 2022
Izzo said Friday vs. Gonzaga "was our game to lose. And we did." Says there is satisfaction of playing with a quality team and well-coached group. Kentucky is almost the opposite, he adds, in terms of length and athleticism compared to the Bulldogs.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 14, 2022
Izzo was "disappointed" in some calls vs. Gonzaga. "But that's part of the game. Officiating didn't lose us the game, but there were some strange calls that put us in a bad position. They won the game. All-Americans are gonna get calls. I've had All-Americans who got called."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 14, 2022
