Winning in the Big Ten is hard, and Tom Izzo should know, given he's been at the helm of Michigan State basketball for over 30 years now.
Izzo's Spartans were able to grab their seventh straight victory and 12th overall on the season on Friday night over Ohio State. The win also improved MSU to a 3-0 Big Ten record so far this season. It certainly has fans happy.
Then again Izzo doesn't seem to be all that thrilled, especially with how his team performed. Was it pretty? No, it wasn't as the Spartans turned the ball over 16 times. Not to mention they blew a 12-point lead during the second half that felt like the game was over once it reached that point given how well Szymon Zapala, Jaxon Kohler, and Coen Carr were playing.
In fact Izzo didn't hold back when talking during the post-game press conference.
An ugly win is better than a pretty loss 🙌 pic.twitter.com/gmgaRmh9DB
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 4, 2025
"Give Ohio State credit, we were up 12 and looked like, we were in control of the game," Izzo said. "They put pressure on us, we did not handle it very well. The turnovers were an absolute joke, so don't give any credit on the turnovers. If we don't stop doing that, it's going to get us."
Coach is right, and turnovers mixed with the team going cold could really hindered this team.
One major takeaway that Izzo seemed very happy about was the play of point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. Sure he wasn't blowing off the doors in the scoring column, but he certainly made a difference with seven assists, six points, and six rebounds. Izzo was happy for Fears.
"Jeremy Fears did an unbelievable job running my team," Izzo said.
Fears is starting to come into his own, and this team is only going to benefit from it. It's good to see Michigan State has its first true point guard since Cassius.
Finally, Michigan State basketball is back to where it belongs, amongst the best.