Michigan State is two wins away from breaking a program record for best start in school history, but Tom Izzo isn’t worried about that. He’s focused on just winning one game at a time and not celebrating big victories for too long.
After the 43-point win over Maryland, the Hall of Famer made sure to temper fans’ expectations, saying that the toughest stretch is coming, so we shouldn’t get too ahead of ourselves.
Izzo is good at downplaying how good his own team is, but you can tell by his demeanor this year that he believes this squad could go down as one of the best he’s ever had in East Lansing.
He’s not the only one who believes that.
According to Owen Oszust who spoke with Spartan hoops alums on Saturday during alumni day, Carlton Valentine had some incredible praise for this year’s team.
Carlton, the father of Denzel and Drew, played for Michigan State in the 1980s and has watched some really good teams over the past few decades, but he compared these Spartans to the 2000 national title team as well as the 2001 Final Four team. He’s said that this year’s team is one of the best basketball teams he’s ever seen.
On top of saying it’s one of the best teams he’s ever seen, Valentine went on to say that this Spartan team has no weak links — which is a hotly-contested topic.
Does Michigan State have “no weak links”?
I’m not sure I’d go that far, but Valentine is one of the most knowledgeable Spartan alums out there, and he’s seen plenty of basketball as a player, as a coach, and as an observer throughout his career. If he’s saying this team doesn’t have holes, he must not see any glaring ones.
However, I would say that the half-court offense is one of the few holes, and the 3-point shooting could be a little better (although 36 percent isn’t bad at all) as well as the backup point guard spot.
Other than nitpicky things, I think Valentine has a point. This team might not have any glaring holes, and that should have fans excited about the potential March Madness run this year.
There are holes, but they aren’t as big as in years past.