The Michigan State basketball season rolls on following Monday’s disappointing loss to James Madison. Next up? Former Division II powerhouse Southern Indiana, now of the Division I Ohio Valley Conference.
Before the game on Thursday, Tom Izzo addressed the media to give his final thoughts on the loss to James Madison, along with his thoughts on Southern Indiana.
You can see the key quotes from that session below, as annotated on Twitter by Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press.
Izzo on what went wrong in season opener
Izzo points to missing FTs and 3s as the reason, credits JMU for some of that. "I felt like some guys didn't do the things they needed to do. We're gonna challenge some guys in some different ways" but isn't panicking.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 8, 2023
Izzo on Southern Indiana
Izzo says Southern Indiana, a one-time DII power, has plenty of transfers. MSU has a better idea though because it has film on them playing St. Louis.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 8, 2023
Izzo on Tyson Walker injury
Izzo says Tyson Walker has been hurt but went through walkthrough. Been cramping due to shin splints but expects him to play Thursday vs. Southern Indiana.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 8, 2023
Izzo on A.J. Hoggard not getting MSU into their offense
Izzo says he doesn't feel PG A.J. Hoggard got MSU into offensive sets like he should, "and he wholeheartedly agreed."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 8, 2023
Izzo on Malik Hall
Izzo says it'll take some time to get Malik Hall back to where he was at the beginning of last season. "I think he's gotta make some adjustments to be more aggressive in a lot of areas." Physically and mentally "in great shape" after offseason surgery.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 8, 2023
Izzo on his roster's leadership
Izzo: "I don't like our leadership right now. That's gotta get better." Says he's talked to some seniors about it, who he felt did a good job this summer. "A lot of that falls on A.J." Hoggard, who echoed that in the locker room after Monday's loss.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 8, 2023
Izzo on Walker's 35-point explosion
Izzo says Walker scoring 35 points "in the framework of everything" in the offense while missing all 5 of his 3-point attempts, going 11-17 at FT line with three front-end misses, is a big positive.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 8, 2023
Izzo: 'It's always on me.'
Izzo: "It's always on me. And it should be on me," even when shots aren't falling like Monday's game.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 8, 2023
Izzo on Hoggard
Izzo on Hoggard: "You're always gonna put a lot of pressure on your PG, and he gives me reason to. But he also has given me reason to feel pretty good about some things he's done." Big key he wants is better consistency. Feels their relationship has grown positively over summer.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 8, 2023
