Couch: How Michigan State’s basketball team grew into becoming Big Ten champions

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Tom Izzo wasn’t talking about a Big Ten championship when, last March, he promised he would restore Michigan State’s basketball program to its old ways or “die trying.” But it was essentially part of the package.

Izzo has always measured the eliteness of his program on two things — deep runs in the NCAA tournament and Big Ten titles. One challenges his program’s ability to handle quick turnarounds and all sorts of matchups during a thrilling three-week sprint in the national spotlight. The other speaks to his team’s ability to withstand the grind and adversity of a 20-game Big Ten season, Saturday nights in Champaign through Thursdays in Iowa City. Izzo earned the moniker of Mr. March during his eight Final Four runs. But winning the month of January and February 11 times now has brought him every bit as much satisfaction.

You wouldn’t know it to listen to him after Thursday night’s 91-84 win at Iowa — after the Spartans won the Big Ten championship outright. But Izzo’s orneriness in the face of great achievement is probably how we can be sure that MSU basketball is actually back.

Izzo spent much of Thursday’s postgame press conference sticking up for Iowa coach Fran McCaffery and chastising his own team’s approach to the first half of the game. He was in his element. His own house in order, he leaned back, put his arms over the two chairs on each side of him and defended his friend, another Big Ten coach whose sins include not being able to live up to Izzo’s standard. And, after MSU’s 25th win of the season and 16th in conference play, Izzo tried be upset with a group of players who have brought him and MSU fans so much joy over the last few months.

“I felt we got a little selfish, little full of ourselves,” Izzo said. “I did not appreciate that.

“Who in the hell said we were so good? Not me?”

The standings, Tom. The standings.

MSU hadn’t won an outright Big Ten championship since 2018 or claimed any share of a Big…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/couch-michigan-states-basketball-team-094828013.html

Author : Lansing State Journal

Publish date : 2025-03-07 09:48:00

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