Following Michigan State’s loss to UConn, Tom Izzo expected to see a locker room much like the other 27 post-NCAA Tournament loss locker rooms that he’s been head coach for.
Izzo expected a teary-eyed farewell to the seniors and to a season that had a ton of promise but fell short in excruciating fashion after a 19-point comeback fell short in the final minutes. Michigan State took a lead late in the second half after being down nearly 20, and almost pulled off the comeback.
Emotion is expected after a loss like that, and Izzo’s locker room had plenty of that — just not the type of emotion that he expected.
Izzo spoke to the media following the loss and after his post-game locker room meeting with his players and coaches. He said that he had never seen anything like the locker room scene after the UConn loss, claiming that it was the most impressive one he’s ever been in after the season’s final defeat.
"In losing that last game, I've never been in a more impressive locker room."
— Ben Shockley (@BenShockley_) March 28, 2026
Tom Izzo on what made this year's Michigan State team special, right to the final moments of the season.@wilxTV https://t.co/T8tYsnmttU pic.twitter.com/9rZOrFrdyi
Suprisingly, Izzo had a pretty good attitude after the loss, and I think that has a lot to do with the locker room picking him and each other up. He said that he told his video guys to film the locker room which will hopefully make its way to social media, joking that watching it when he’s “dying” in bed will add a couple of years to his life.
Izzo said that Jeremy Fears Jr. spoke “as eloquently as I’ve heard him speak” and Coen Carr, Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, assistant coaches, and a couple of managers addressed the team as well.
”There were some tough (locker rooms). But no more cool one than this.”
Izzo went on to say that they were talking from the heart and not talking about other things like superstars who were going pro the next week.
Michigan State’s team chemistry has been special
You can tell by the way Izzo talks about his team now compared to maybe 3-4 years ago, but he’s been rejuvenated by his locker room over the past two seasons.
Last year, Izzo said that it was one of the closest locker rooms that he’s had at Michigan State, and even after losing half the roster to the transfer portal, graduation, and the NBA draft, there was an expected drop-off in chemistry, especially with six new guys coming in via the portal and the 2025 class. That never happened.
It took a minute to get the chemistry all lined up, but the Spartans were on the same page when the regular season tipped off and that was obvious against Arkansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina.
I’m expecting yet another tight-knit locker room next year.