On Friday, March 27, the Michigan State University Spartans fell to the UConn Huskies in the Sweet 16, and following the game, UConn head coach Dan Hurley had words for MSU’s Tom Izzo.
It was a close game, with the No. 2 seed UConn Huskies narrowly pulling off a victory over the No. 3 seed Michigan State Spartans in a 67-63 Sweet 16 final score. The Huskies came out of the gate strong and notched a double-digit lead early in the showdown, but Michigan State was able to come back late in the first and in the second half of the game to even take the lead at one point.
Following the game, Hurley had a strong message for Izzo. Michigan State Spartan fans should love what he said, too.
“It took a lot out of them to climb back into it, but I don’t think you could have more respect for a program and a coach than we have for the Spartans and Tom Izzo,” Hurley said during a postgame presser.
It certainly took a lot for the Spartans to fight back. When the Huskies took a more than 20-poitn lead early in teh game, it appeared over, but Izzo and the team quickly closed that gap.
Following the game, Izzo was asked retirement. At 71 years old, he tends to get that question a lot. When asked where he’ll be in five years, he said, “Trying to win a national championship, plain and simple.”
He added, “The minute I don’t feel good, the minute I don’t feel like I’m giving my AD or president or school every ounce of energy I have every day or that energy drops, you don’t have to worry about it. I don’t steal money. I won’t steal anybody’s time.”
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Izzo added, “I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I’m just not lucky enough to be playing on Sunday. I’ll get to play on another Sunday. Hang around.”
Izzo has led Michigan State to eight Final Fours and won the Big Ten’s most recent national title in men’s basketball in 2000. It’s wild to think that the Big Ten hasn’t taken home the big win since 2000, but it’s the case. So, he has nothing to be ashamed of, but it’s still sad for him to see this promising team go home early.
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So, Michigan State heads home, but the UConn Huskies have another game ahead. They’ll play the No. 1 seed Duke on Sunday, March 29.
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