For at least a few days, the Michigan State basketball program can take a deep breath. The Spartans earned a huge boost towards their NCAA Tournament dreams on Sunday after beating No. 10 Illinois, but will now gear up to face Penn State on the road, a challenge for a team that has struggled on the road this year.
On Monday morning, Tom Izzo met with the media for his weekly press conference, and he took some time to acknowledge an MSU tragedy, along with giving his thoughts on where his team is right now.
You can see the best quotes from that session below.
Izzo on the anniversary of hte campus shooting
Izzo on 2023 campus shooting (2/2) "…And I hope we do grieve and I hope we do honor them. And I hope we do remember them. I think too many times, we just let life goes on, and you forget about the things that are really important."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 12, 2024
Izzo on shifting from Illinois to Penn State
Izzo on shifting from winning at home over Illinois to playing at Penn State: "Now, we gotta learn when you go on the road, the crowd doesn't help you. You gotta help yourself."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 12, 2024
Izzo on where the team is
Izzo: "Where do I think this team is? I think they're every bit where I thought they were at the beginning of the year."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 12, 2024
Izzo on U of M handling of game following last year's shooting
Izzo: "That was respect they showed for us." Says it was "greatly appreciated" and "classy" with everything that happened at Crisler Center before that game.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 12, 2024
Izzo on changing terminology
Izzo asked about consistency, delivers a bit of a non-sequitur: "We have to change the terminology now, but the terminology is, 'Are you reading your press clippings?' Now I say, 'Are you reading your TikTok, Twitter, FacePage, FaceTime."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 12, 2024
Izzo final thoughts on his team
Izzo in closing about MSU right now: "I still think that this team is good enough to go on a big run. And they're inconsistent enough that I don't sleep very good. So it's different, it's an adjustment, it's a little different. But I feel I'm more at peace with it now."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 12, 2024
