Tom Izzo was fired up on Saturday night. The Hall of Fame head coach was pumping his fists, getting in players’ faces, and screaming at refs. Basically, he was in midseason form.
Izzo’s Spartans held on to beat No. 14 Arkansas in one of the best games of the early season, 69-66. The win was also his 84 non-conference November home win in his career, improving his record to 84-1 in the opening month at the Breslin Center.
The win also put the nation on notice that Michigan State may have lost some key players from last year’s Big Ten title squad, but it’s not going anywhere.
Izzo, though, isn’t content with where his team is through two games.
During his weekly media session on Tuesday, he told reporters that he didn’t put a ton of stock into the Arkansas win, and he “saw some poor things, to be honest.”
Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo:
— Kenny Jordan (@Kenny_Jordan5) November 11, 2025
“I put stock in the game (vs Arkansas) but not a lot of stock, just too early. I saw some good things, and I saw some poor things, to be honest.”
This is the type of mindset that will have Michigan State improving throughout the season, and it’s this type of take following a big win that gets players to buy in. Sure, it’d be nice to hear that your head coach was happy with the way you played, but the fact that he “saw some poor things” in a top-15 win shows that he believes the ceiling of the team is high.
How could you not love that as a player?
Izzo has admitted that he’s never going to truly be happy until he accomplishes what he thinks Michigan State can accomplish: winning more national titles.
The Hall of Fame head coach has a national title mindset, and it’s only Week 2.