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Here’s what Tom Izzo said following Michigan State’s final exhibition game
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Michigan State put the final touches to its exhibition season Thursday night, beating Grand Valley State 83-60 in the Breslin Center.
It was the second of two exhibition contests for the Spartans prior to the regular season. The two games did not have many surprises with Michigan State beating Ferris State 92-58 in the first game.
Now, the Spartans can turn their attention to the start of the regular season, and it will start with a bang next Tuesday. Michigan State starts strong right out of the gate with a Champions Classic showdown vs. No. 3 Kansas on Nov. 9.
Entering the season, Tom Izzo and the Spartans find themselves in the unusual spot of being unranked after a rough 2020-21 campaign. Michigan State did receive votes in both the preseason AP Poll and Coaches Poll, but it will be up to the Spartans to show that they are a much different team than last season.
After Thursday’s exhibition game, Izzo met with the media to discuss what he has seen and the start of the regular season. Chris Solari with the Detroit Free Press shared Izzo’s comments:
Tom Izzo at the podium. Says he believes Grand Valley State "is going to win a lot of games" in Division II this season. Was happy with how MSU defended the Lakers in the first half and pushed the ball. "I was disappointed in our half-court offense."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2021
Izzo says Marcus Bingham "might have played as good defensively as he did offensively, and not just his six blocks." Feels the big man did much better defending ball screens with Walker and Hoggard up top.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2021
Izzo disappointed in FT and 3-point shooting (MSU was 8 of 25 from deep).
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2021
Izzo on Max Christie: "I think Max was a little down on himself because he gave up some shots late, and his defense had been really good." Also was very complimentary of Bingham's defensive performance in not allowing the ball to get into the post easily.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2021
Izzo: "I think we have seven right now etched in stone" for MSU's rotation. "What you hope to have is an eight-man playing group and two guys who can come in" for certain situations.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2021
Izzo: "The mistakes, the free throw shooting, they bother me because they're mistakes that shouldn't be happening." Says the missed FTs in particular show "a lack of focus" and calls it "concerning. … I'm waiting for a player to get mad about it, and not just the coach."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2021
Izzo: "Within a couple weeks, there's a lot of big games we're gonna play." Says MSU will have to adjust to winning those or losing those, but he believes this team will be better defensively and in other ways. "We'll find out shortly how much better."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 5, 2021
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.