MLive.com:
Tom Izzo carries lessons from loss
...For Izzo, though, the loss to MTSU stands as a moment of heavy lessons on early timeouts and defense. They're lessons that, the 61-year-old says, he'll carry forward after 21 seasons of coaching.
"I made a mistake," Izzo said. "Nobody else. I made the mistake."
More than anything, Izzo wishes he called a timeout. MTSU jumped out to a 7-2 lead. Then 10-2. Then 12-2. Then 15-2. Izzo waited and watched before finally taking fingertip to palm and stopping the bleeding.
By that point, though, MTSU was walking on water. A mid-major team with talent, it knew it could beat Michigan State. It saw itself as an equal, not an underdog.
"This year if we get down 12-0, there will be a timeout called," Izzo said Thursday. "I mean that sincerely. I had so much faith in my team that I forgot that there's another team that is getting energy from those threes going in, the lead going to 8, to 11, to 12, to 15, and finally the Hall of Fame coach called a timeout a little late."
Even with the early hole, the Spartans climbed back into the game with MTSU. They made their runs.
The reason they ultimately lost, though, was MTSU's shot-making. Everything was falling. While committing only 10 turnovers (compared to MSU's 14), the Blue Raiders shot 55.9 percent from the field and made 11 of 19 3-pointers. Michigan State couldn't get enough stops.
Credit where it's due, much of that had to do with MTSU and Giddy Potts, a now infamous name in Michigan State lore. But at the same time, in that upset, Izzo's team didn't carry the typical Michigan State defensive identity when it needed it most
"I have no regrets about the preparation, the focus of our guys or anything," Izzo said. "I have a lot of respect for what Middle Tennessee State did as far as making shots.
"That would be the second thing I learned. The timeout would be first. The second thing would be defense does win championships. If there's one thing that let us down, nobody, I mean nobody ever shot what they shot from the two and three against us. Even when we were so bad, it was scary back in the early days, nobody ever shot that against us.
"So it just kind of fuels my fire on why you've got to be able to defend and rebound. That part of it was good for me."
Even if it was learned the hard way.....
Tom Izzo carries lessons from loss
...For Izzo, though, the loss to MTSU stands as a moment of heavy lessons on early timeouts and defense. They're lessons that, the 61-year-old says, he'll carry forward after 21 seasons of coaching.
"I made a mistake," Izzo said. "Nobody else. I made the mistake."
More than anything, Izzo wishes he called a timeout. MTSU jumped out to a 7-2 lead. Then 10-2. Then 12-2. Then 15-2. Izzo waited and watched before finally taking fingertip to palm and stopping the bleeding.
By that point, though, MTSU was walking on water. A mid-major team with talent, it knew it could beat Michigan State. It saw itself as an equal, not an underdog.
"This year if we get down 12-0, there will be a timeout called," Izzo said Thursday. "I mean that sincerely. I had so much faith in my team that I forgot that there's another team that is getting energy from those threes going in, the lead going to 8, to 11, to 12, to 15, and finally the Hall of Fame coach called a timeout a little late."
Even with the early hole, the Spartans climbed back into the game with MTSU. They made their runs.
The reason they ultimately lost, though, was MTSU's shot-making. Everything was falling. While committing only 10 turnovers (compared to MSU's 14), the Blue Raiders shot 55.9 percent from the field and made 11 of 19 3-pointers. Michigan State couldn't get enough stops.
Credit where it's due, much of that had to do with MTSU and Giddy Potts, a now infamous name in Michigan State lore. But at the same time, in that upset, Izzo's team didn't carry the typical Michigan State defensive identity when it needed it most
"I have no regrets about the preparation, the focus of our guys or anything," Izzo said. "I have a lot of respect for what Middle Tennessee State did as far as making shots.
"That would be the second thing I learned. The timeout would be first. The second thing would be defense does win championships. If there's one thing that let us down, nobody, I mean nobody ever shot what they shot from the two and three against us. Even when we were so bad, it was scary back in the early days, nobody ever shot that against us.
"So it just kind of fuels my fire on why you've got to be able to defend and rebound. That part of it was good for me."
Even if it was learned the hard way.....
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