Izzo demands defensive intensity and leadership, even after an opening win. He critiques effort, execution, and highlights areas needing immediate improvement for Saturday's challenge.
After Michigan State’s 80–69 season-opening win over Colgate, Tom Izzo didn’t sound overly impressed. The Hall of Famer made it clear that while he’ll take the win, the Spartans have a long way to go before becoming the well-oiled machine he expects.
“It was a win — that’s about the only good thing I’ll say about it,” Izzo opened. “We didn’t guard very well again. In the second half they shot 50%, but I thought we guarded better, which goes to show how analytics don’t mean anything.”
Izzo, entering his 30th season, touched on nearly every part of the team’s performance — the good, the bad, and the inexcusable.
On Leadership and Effort
“Jeremy [Fears Jr.] is our leader and his stats were unbelievable,” Izzo said. “In the first half, he didn’t lead our team to anything — and he knows it. In the second half, he did, and that’s the big difference.”
He didn’t spare his big men either:
“Kohler and Cooper — I didn’t think they guarded very well, so I’m calling them out.”
Izzo did note some bright spots:
“Coen came back in after some foul trouble and played with energy. Freshman Jordan Scott was a highlight. We got to the free throw line and didn’t turn the ball over much — those are good things. But we didn’t guard the three-point line very well.”
On Colgate
“That’s a very well-coached team,” Izzo said. “I expect them to win their league like they have in five of the last six years. They played better — we didn’t play very well.”
And as only Izzo could add:
“A lot of work to do, or we’ll get our ass embarrassed on Saturday.”
On the First-Half Struggles
When asked whether Michigan State’s early offensive issues came from missed looks or poor execution:
“We missed four or five layups, and they didn’t miss anything,” he said. “We had two jump-hook air balls — that’s inexcusable. It’ll be a fun couple days.”
On the Momentum Shift
Discussing the second-half spark — Kohler’s and-one and the now-viral Coen Carr alley-oop dunk:
“Jeremy Fears is a version of Mateen Cleaves — he’s not there yet, but he can be,” Izzo said. “When the head goes, the body usually follows. There’s a lot of pressure on Jeremy because right now those wings haven’t played very well. I thought he did everything I asked and more.”
“The bigs didn’t come to the ball screens like we worked on, but that’s on me, not him.”
On Team Development
“A big key was Jordan Scott — a freshman,” Izzo said. “Jaxon came around a little bit, even though he missed some free throws. We shot 77% from the line last year — I’ve told players how that helped us win games. We’re in our heads a little bit now, and there’s only one way out of it: work yourself out.”
When asked about what it’ll take to win the last game of the season, Izzo cut it off bluntly:
“Usually I like your questions, but that’s a dumb question,” he said with a smirk. “I’m thinking about tomorrow’s practice. I’m trying to win tomorrow’s practice. No way I’m looking past that. I’m not happy with how we played against UConn or today. This is part of the new regime.”
“The problem is, you can’t be one-dimensional. You have to guard somebody.”
On Shooting and Defense
“They’ve got a hell of a coach,” Izzo said of Colgate. “Some of it was them. I thought we took a lot of bad threes, but their defense gave us problems, especially with our subs in. The encouraging part was the energy rebounding — the energy guarding was not.”
When asked about defensive lapses:
“I don’t think it’s all effort — that’s a fair question. Coop is a better defender than he’s playing right now.”
On Free Throws and Growth
“Getting to the line 37 times is a factor — if we’re making them,” Izzo said. “We’re 53-of-84 from the line over the last two games. Getting there that often is phenomenal. Missing that many is ridiculous. I’ve got to balance the phenomenal and the ridiculous.”
“I’m not panicking — I’m mad,” he added. “Some upperclassmen didn’t play as well as they can. In this program, you grow, you learn, you get better. When it’s your time to shine, you’re supposed to shine. I don’t think they did that tonight.”
He closed with one final shoutout:
“I will say this — number 22, Cox, is a good player.”
On Individual Players
Jordan Scott:
“I thought Jordan played very well. He’s skinny, not a great athlete, but he plays hard. I’m proud of how he played.”
Coen Carr:
“Coen played hard. He’s missing free throws right now — 5-for-15 in the first two exhibitions and 7-for-20 through three games.”
On the newcomers:
“I thought the transfers struggled a bit, but the freshmen handled it well. Nobody played great, but it’s early — 30 more games to go. Hopefully by Saturday, or we’ll be embarrassed. But I don’t want to take anything away from how well Colgate played.”
Despite the double-digit win, Izzo’s tone made it clear: the bar is higher. The Spartans’ defense, free-throw shooting, and focus will all need to sharpen quickly before Saturday’s showdown with Arkansas.