After falling in the Elite Eight, Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo emotionally spoke on his team’s season and his deep appreciation for his players.
Spartans Coach Tom Izzo Filled With Emotion Following Elite Eight Defeat, Expresses Appreciation for His Team
Coach Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans exhausted every ounce of energy in their Elite Eight matchup with the top-seeded Auburn Tigers but ultimately fell, 70-64, on Sunday evening. The loss marked the end of Izzo’s 30th season at the helm of the Spartans’ program.
After the loss, Izzo was overcome with emotion when discussing his team.
“Well for the 30th year, I’m not sure I’ve ever been prouder in a team,” he began. “These guys gave me everything they had. Drained them of everything.
“These guys gave me everything they had.”
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Michigan State had proven itself to be one of the best teams in the country and had risen to the caliber of contending for a national title before running into the Tigers. They claimed the Big Ten regular-season title and were awarded the second seed in the South Region, reaching the regional final before their season was cut short.
Izzo, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame since 2016, displayed a tremendous ability to construct a well-rounded unit that focused on the teams’ strengths. The Spartans were known for their stout defense, allowing only 67.1 ppg, the 34th-best mark in the country.
The offense was led by point guards Tre Holloman and Jeremy Fears Jr., who Izzo masterfully placed in positions to succeed.
The development of freshman combo guard Jase Richardson was also one of the season’s biggest successes and one of the main reasons the Spartans were able to reach the Elite Eight.
After scoring in double digits in only nine of his first 21 games — and coming off the bench in each — Richardson blossomed down the stretch of the season, leading the team in scoring in eight of the final 15 games and becoming the team’s go-to scorer alongside senior guard Jaden Akins.
In their matchup with Auburn, the Spartans held the Tigers to only 70 points — nearly 14 points below their season average.
Unfortunately for Michigan State, Richardson endured a tough shooting day, scoring 11 points but on 30% shooting from the field. Junior forward Jaxon Kohler picked up some of the slack by scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds but it wasn’t enough to down the Tigers.
Izzo continued, explaining the nature of the team after the game while giving props to Auburn.
“It was a tearjerking locker room because they knew they spilled it all and yet we thought we started out poorly, which, we’ve had a little bit of a problem lately and just couldn’t recover from that 17-0 run. Wasn’t through lack of effort. Wasn’t through lack of anything except we played a good team.”
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He was referencing a stretch that began with just under 16 minutes left in the first half, as the Spartans held an 8-6 lead.
From there, only five minutes passed before the Tigers had taken the lead and found themselves up 23-8 after a flurry of baskets and stops on the defensive end. Michigan State fought hard, outscoring Auburn 56-47 during the rest of the game but couldn’t quite make up the lost ground.
The legendary coach put a final stamp on the season.
“All in all…unfortunately, your last game wears with you and I’m asking these guys that, if it does, make sure that you do something about it in your life. And for Jaden, he’s not done playing basketball either but, all in all, the most unbelievable year I’ve had, the most connected year I’ve had, and I just appreciate what these guys did for myself, our program, our university, and our community.”
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