Michigan State basketball knew they were going to have their hands full on Saturday night when they took on Purdue basketball, and while they put up a valiant effort, it wasn’t enough to pick up a victory, as they suffered a 80-74 loss for their third straight defeat. After the game, head coach Tom Izzo didn’t hide his admiration for the Boilermakers squad that just downed his team.
After suffering losses to Iowa and Ohio State, Michigan State was hoping to get back on track against Purdue, but that was always going to be easier said than done given how dominant they have been this season. After their hard-fought defeat, Izzo claimed that the Boilermakers are the best team in the nation, which is a claim that will certainly catch some attention with March Madness quickly approaching.
“We made some key mistakes and we’re not good enough to do that against what I consider the best team in the country. I’m prejudiced because (Painter) is a man in the Big Ten who has done a hell of a job in this conference. But I’m also not stupid. I do believe it. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t believe.” – Tom Izzo, Courier & Press
Tom Izzo gives Purdue their flowers amid strong campaign
With this win, Purdue pushed their record on the season to 26-3, and they remain ranked second in the nation behind Houston right now as the tournament draws near. With Zach Edey leading the way, the Boilermakers are extremely tough to defeat, and while the Spartans played well as a team, their shooting woes ultimately prevented them from pulling off an upset.
Given how good Houston and UConn have been this season alongside Purdue, this is some pretty high praise from Izzo that surely won’t fall on deaf ears. Michigan State surely will be hoping to find their way into March Madness of course, but if they don’t win it all, it sounds like Izzo wouldn’t be too surprised to see their Big Ten rival come out on top this year.
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