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Tom Izzo reflects on loss in final showdown vs. Mike Krzyzewski
By Paul Harvey
Published:
With 5 minutes to play Sunday, Tom Izzo had an old nemesis on the ropes. Unfortunately, Michigan State was unable to close it out as Duke and Mike Krzyzewski rolled to the finish line.
The Blue Devils ended the game on a tear over the final 5 minutes and netted enough late free throws to etch a trip to the Sweet 16. As Coach K moves forward in his final season, Izzo reflected on another legendary battle against Duke.
Izzo admitted his team let “something special” slip away late. He also claimed he would “always pull for Mike” and would remember their meetings in a “respectful” way.
Izzo asked about facing Krzyzewski: “We did some things we wanted to do that we did an unbelievable job of that I’m proud of. I knew his guys weren’t quitting.” Adds “I’ll always pull for Mike…. My way of remembering it won’t be as enjoyable, but it will be respectful.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) March 21, 2022
Izzo says he’ll beat himself up. “It’s not often you have the opportunity when you’re on the threshold of something special, and it slipped away.”
— Matt Charboneau (@mattcharboneau) March 21, 2022
Izzo on the postgame locker room: “It was a tear-jerking conversation. I felt like they gave me just about everything they could. … I never felt like they gave up, gave in and they felt like they could win.”
— Matt Charboneau (@mattcharboneau) March 21, 2022
Izzo: “Our program is right where it needs to be. Now, we’ve just got to take another step.”
— Ryan Black (@RyanABlack) March 21, 2022
Izzo: “There’s no moral wins. We were 5 up with 5 minutes. … We made our mistakes.” Said the big key was keeping Duke out of the paint. “They lived in the paint.”
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) March 21, 2022
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.