Coach Tom Izzo
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NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: First Four Thursday, March 18, 2021 West Lafayette, Indiana, USA Mackey Arena Michigan St. Spartans Coach Tom Izzo I say that when, boy, that first half and part of the second we moved the ball so well and really played really good Postgame Media Conference basketball. And made a couple of mistakes right before the half. We're supposed to switch. We didn't switch. They hit a shot. Those things -- you don't have many margins for error when you're just a good basketball team, UCLA - 86, Michigan State - 80 (OT) which we are. THE MODERATOR: We'll begin with an opening Q. You and Gabe Brown had sort of a heated statement from Coach Izzo. exchange going into halftime. Could you tell us what that was about? COACH IZZO: Well, just disappointed. I mean, we had the game won. And we made some of the same mistakes COACH IZZO: (Chuckling) you guys are beautiful. He we've made two or three times this year in critical missed a play and I told him. He walked away and I told situations. And I thought we played incredibly well him to come back. We went through this a couple of years offensively and incredibly poor defensively. ago. A game like that, that's the question you're going to ask me? I guess I'll answer it because the media has the And give them a lot of credit. They made some plays. We right to ask whatever question. were up five, six. Seemed like we had it in control and just didn't rebound the ball like we could have or should have, But we'll get him in here and you can ask him. It was a especially under some situations. normal nothing. It's just that this day and age everything is something. It was over a missed switch that we had talked So, it is what it is. It's a shame because I thought we about. played some of our best offensive basketball of the year. Q. Last play of regulation, wondering what you were Q. In those final two minutes, obviously when you go looking for on that play with Aaron's shot and how that back up five there and they've taken the lead, what played out? happened with the foul situations there? You guys got obviously, they got to the line a couple times. Was COACH IZZO: I was looking for Aaron to get to the basket that their driving and getting contact or were there where he could get fouled. I think we played Aaron so things defensively maybe that you didn't like? much he was just run down. Josh was hurt a little bit at halftime. And we just kind of grinded both those guys and COACH IZZO: Well, there were some things I didn't like just didn't have enough legs. But the deal was just to take defensively. I thought we had some tendencies that we it in there and pump fake and get fouled. And we didn't do talked about, who goes right, who goes left. And then they that. So it was probably a poor play call on my part. missed fouls and they got their free-throw rebounds. Q. You talked about some of the defensive mistakes So it was just a cluster of things that happened. I think late in the game. With the way you guys played late in within the last minute of the quarter, I don't know. I don't some of those big wins late in the year, were you a really have the timeline to it. But we didn't deserve to win little bit disappointed that that focus wasn't there at at the end the way we handled that situation, with a crunch time tonight? left-handed guy drive left and a right-handed guy drive right. And didn't get a couple of key rebounds. And you COACH IZZO: I really was. Really was. Especially some lose games. of our key guys that it happened to. But I think some of that was fatigue and I don't know how many minutes I We said all along our margin for error is very slim. And yet 105675-1-1045 2021-03-19 05:34:00 GMT Page 1 of 3 played a couple of those guys. But I think they did a better while and we didn't handle that real well either. We just job of subbing. And, I mean, Aaron played 41 or 42 kind of ran out of one extra body. minutes. And Josh played 35 or six minutes. And I think we had some fatigue in there. We had some different guys But I'd say that's a good way to put it. That's the way the in there. And I think that was part of it. season went. And you just can't make the same mistakes over and over and over again. And that falls on me. We Q. The overtime period, the couple of possessions gotta do a better job of figuring out how to cut out or what that you guys had, I guess how detrimental were some to do or not turn the ball over, take a bad shot. of those just in a sense that Rocket had an air ball and then Langford goes one-for-one from the line. And But nobody tried to miss any shots. It wasn't anything that then you turn it over a couple of times. Just curious anybody did. It's just the way the game went. how you thought about the overall, the overtime overall? Q. You mentioned about them going small with Juzang and Jaquez, they obviously had their way at COACH IZZO: Yeah, I think for the game, we ended up times. What was it that they were able to do, and in with 12 turnovers. And we had done a pretty good job not particular Juzang the second half and in overtime turning the ball over. I think we had three or four at before he got hurt? halftime. We had a couple of key ones there. We had a couple of bad shots that just didn't go in. Nobody's trying COACH IZZO: He just drove the ball, drove the ball and to miss a shot. drove the ball. I mean, he's a strong kid. Goes right every time. And we knew it. And we didn't always stop it. We just didn't -- we just didn't execute as well as we should have done down the stretch. But you're right, we missed a And Josh was a little bit shaken up at halftime, his ankle. free throw. I don't know what we shot from the line. It was So I tried to play Aaron on Jaquez more the second half probably pretty good -- 16-for-18 and the poor guy misses because he was hurting us in the first half. And so I had to one. play Aaron at the 4 defensively. And that hurt us a little bit, too, because I thought he did a pretty good job for a while. I'd like to say for Joshua Langford, you know, unbelievable And then just the lineup changes we just had different year. I mean, the kid gave me every single thing he had. guys. And I think it's too bad he had to go out that way because I thought we were a good enough team to win it. But I give For those two guys to get 50 points, we said that would be Mick and his team credit, because they were just a little the game. It was the game. I thought Rocket did a pretty tougher. And those guards kept driving the ball and driving good job on Campbell. He hits that one big 3 but I thought the ball. And that's the way the game ended. we did a pretty good job keeping him out of the lane and all the things we wanted to do. We didn't do a very good job Q. There were moments in this game where it seemed keeping those other guys out. So give them credit. like you guys had amazing flow and things just looking great, and other stretches where it just looked Q. There was a missed box-out on a free throw with disconnected and disjointed. And did this all just feel about 37 seconds left. Hurt you in early January also like it was this season summed up in two hours? -- you can only teach it so much I would imagine. Was that just a missed box-out for a shooter on that COACH IZZO: Yeah, that's a damn good question. And I situation? And how do you view that going into the already think you answered it. It did seem like it. We did postgame now? some really good things. We were moving the ball, then we got stagnant and quit moving the ball. When the ball COACH IZZO: Well, I think I know what happened but I goes side to side to side to side, I think it was Richard don't know for sure. So I'll reserve the right to look at the Pitino said during the third game of the year -- he had a film. But there was some box-outs on free throws stat on how his team did when the ball moved three times, throughout the year that hurt us, I think, three times or two one time to the other side, the other side and I thought, times.