Michigan State Basketball: Why the 2020-21 squad feels hopeless

Michigan State basketball has had its fair share of down years, but this is different. For the first time, one of Tom Izzo’s squads feels hopeless.

As somebody who was born in the year 1997, Tom Izzo is the only man who has coached Michigan State basketball in my lifetime. While those my age have definitely been extremely privileged as a fan, it comes with its downsides. We are witnessing the worst stretch of basketball in Tom Izzo’s tenure as head coach and a lot of us don’t know how to act.

Some prefer to instantly point a finger, calling Izzo a fraud and demanding his firing. Those, of course, would be the type of people whose opinions don’t hold much value on a day-to-day basis. Then, there are those who think Izzo can do no wrong. Once again, those people hold too much loyalty to their head coach and often have clouded judgment.

But as things go in life, nothing is as black and white as I’ve just explained. If you think Izzo should be fired, look yourself in the mirror and say “Tom Izzo should be fired.” If you can keep a straight face while saying this sentence, I’m worried for you. If you think Izzo has done nothing wrong, you should also find a mirror to look into. This time, say to yourself “Izzo isn’t to blame, its the pandemic. It’s only affecting Michigan State and no other schools in the Big Ten.”

Hopefully people who fall into either of those categories have returned to this page to continue reading. You probably feel pretty silly right now, and that’s okay; it’s only natural to overreact to a bad losing streak after decades of success and championships. There is actually a very logical middle ground between these two zones that is a more realistic idea of where Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans stand.