Tom Izzo is rarely, if ever, satisfied and he definitely wasn’t after Michigan State’s win over Minnesota on Thursday.
Michigan State defeated Minnesota 76-66 on Thursday night for its third Big Ten win of the season. Don’t get me wrong, a win in the Big Ten is always a good thing, but this win was about as ugly as they come.
The Spartans looked sharp on both ends of the floor at times, but they also really struggled, too. The offense was clicking early and the defense was clicking late, but everything in between felt average, at best.
Tom Izzo commented on his feelings toward this game and he agrees with a lot of what our fanbase has been saying.
What was Izzo’s reaction after this game?
During his post-game press conference, Izzo shared that, “We won a game, we did not progress.”
This sums up this game perfectly in my opinion. This quote, first of all, tells us that winning at the end of the day is what matters most. Izzo knows more than anyone how difficult it can be to win in the Big Ten. So beating Minnesota is never a bad thing, even if the game is ugly.
But the second part of the above quote rings just as true. Michigan State did not “progress” or take a step forward as a team in this game. Sure, Malik Hall played outstanding and Tyson Walker was magical late, but the team overall did not play well.
Izzo even called out his guards a little bit, saying that they “did not guard anybody.”
To be fair, Minnesota did hit some really difficult shots, so at some point you do have to tip your hat to them. But Michigan State’s defense has been outstanding most of this season, and at times in the Minnesota game, it left a lot to be desired.
I, for one, was hoping to see a much-improved performance against Minnesota. Mainly so I could have more confidence going into this difficult two-game road stretch against Maryland and Wisconsin. The Spartans will undoubtedly have to play better if they want to win either of these games.
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