Jan. 30--The last thing Tom Izzo wants is a headline along the lines of "Izzo gripes after 31-point road win."
He truly feels for young coaches such as Chris Collins experiencing tough times.
But Izzo also was ticked about some of what transpired in Michigan State's 76-45 trampling of Northwestern on Thursday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
His team didn't earn a trip to the foul line until the final two minutes. Denzel Valentine turned the ball over six times. There were shot-clock violations, reflecting a lack of awareness.
"Casualness," he called it.
"Honestly disappointing" was another way.
And the most memorable because it's not a word: "Unexcusable."
Izzo used that to describe Valentine's six giveaways and the team total of 15.
"I don't want to dampen a good win," he said, "but I'm going to dampen a good win."
These are first-world problems for a team that is 18-4 and would be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament if the season ended today, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi.
But Izzo didn't become Izzo by ignoring mistakes. And Valentine didn't blossom from a bit part to a national player of the year candidate by being satisfied.
So after the game, he responded to a question about his remarkable long-range shooting by turning it over to the subject of, well, turnovers.
"I've got to take care of the ball better," he said. "As a point guard and as a senior, you can't have six turnovers. That's unacceptable. I will look at that tape and not let it happen again."
Valentine has had a Jimmy Butler-esque rise, boosting his yearly scoring average from 5 points to 8 to 14.5 and now 18.4, tied with Big Ten co-leader Jarrod Uthoff of Iowa. Valentine also is averaging 7.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists, both top five in the conference.
Valentine made a memorable defensive play Thursday, hustling back just before halftime to force Bryant McIntosh into an off-balance lefty layup that he missed.
But let's face it, what most will remember from his effort will be his shooting. It was ridiculous. Valentine hit more 3-pointers than Northwestern's entire team, which went 4-for-23.
Valentine drained 5 of 7 from 3-point range, and one of his bombs should have been measured in yards (about 10) rather than feet.
"There were only 2 seconds left (on the shot clock)," he explained, almost apologetically.
Valentine hit only 28.1 percent of his 3-pointers as a freshman. Now he is more like guard Bryn Forbes, his Michigan State teammate and lifelong friend from Lansing, Mich. Forbes is among the best shooters in school history, someone Izzo likens to Scott Skiles and Shawn Respert.
Forbes went 3-for-3 on 3-pointers Thursday and is making them at a 47.3 percent clip. Valentine is second on the team at 42.2 percent.
"He works relentlessly on shooting," Forbes said. "We do a lot together, so I know firsthand. It's every day. In high school, he wasn't as much of a threat. Now he's a threat at everything."
Izzo said of Valentine's improvement: "That is strictly him. He has worked on his shooting and ballhandling for four years. 'Zel is pretty self-made; that's what's cool about it. That's why it was a shame to see him turn over the ball like that, really unexcusable."
No, Izzo was not about to let it go. He'll keep pushing these Spartans, who host Rutgers on Sunday, even if it means he sounds sour after a 31-point Big Ten road win.
It's what he does.
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
