Tom Izzo was not a happy camper on Tuesday night as he watched his Michigan State basketball team play one of its worst games of the season and still find a way to beat Oregon by 16.
Dana Altman had a great game plan in place that focused heavily on playing zone defense to disrupt Michigan State in the half court, and it worked for about 32 minutes. Michigan State eventually figured it out and pulled away in the final eight minutes, but it wasn’t pretty.
Speaking of defense, Michigan State had yet another solid defensive performance. KenPom’s No. 1 defense in the country held the Ducks to just 52 points and gave up just 26 each half.
It was an impressive effort from a team that was really struggling offensively.
One player, however, wasn’t playing defense to the level that Izzo demands, apparently. Kur Teng got called for a bit of a ticky-tack foul in the first half, and during a timeout shortly after, Izzo was caught on camera telling his sophomore shooting guard that he can’t even guard his 99-year-old mother.
Izzo was asked about that interaction after the game, and he said he wasn’t joking. He truly believed that Teng wouldn’t be able to guard his mother, and he was hoping to light a fire under him.
"We're all flying back to East Lansing and [Kur Teng] is flying to Appleton. Check USA Today tomorrow him and my mom will be going at it in a nursing home gym..."
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 21, 2026
Tom Izzo on telling Kur Teng he couldn't guard his mother during MSU's game at Oregon. pic.twitter.com/WAoMTjJxY8
The quote in the tweet above that he gave during that post-game presser is diabolical. While Izzo is making us laugh with a quote like that, he’s not smiling. He was not pleased with how his team played, and how Teng has been playing defensively.
That might be a reason as to why Trey Fort earned more run on Tuesday night.
MIchigan State needs Kur Teng to step it up defensively
Teng’s defense hasn’t really cost Michigan State yet this year, but if he continues to struggle on that end, he’s going to see fewer and fewer minutes. Izzo prioritizes guys who give their all on defense, and if he’s not out there, he can’t be that sharpshooting spark off the bench that MSU needs.
The sophomore guard played his fewest minutes since Nov. 8, and his second-fewest of the season, seeing the floor for just eight minutes and scoring zero points.
Let’s hope this interaction with Izzo doesn’t crush his confidence, but rather fire him up to work harder on the defensive end. Michigan State is going to need Teng if it wants to win the Big Ten.