Michigan State passed its second quiz (test may be too heavy of a word for Toledo) of the season on Thursday night, handling Toledo for a second straight 30-plus point win, and Tom Izzo was pleased with several aspects of his team’s play.
While the cameras flashed to him on the bench late in the game with his head buried in his hands after some missed free throws, he was fairly complimentary of his guys in the post-game presser.
Izzo was specifically glowing with praise over a couple of underclassmen: Jasiah Jervis and Jordan Scott.
Scott and Jervis both played really well against Toledo in the 30-point win and they combined for 28 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a block, and both looked like future pros.
The one word that fits Scott the most is “consistent”, and Izzo agrees. He also praised his freshman guard for playing “well above where he’s supposed to”.
The praise that Izzo had after the Toledo game for the two underclassmen was unprecedented. You don’t often hear Izzo glow about a couple of younger guys like this, especially this early in the season.
Tom Izzo: "I have to go back to way way way way way back to find someone that plays that hard consistently," talking about Jordan Scott. "That kid works so damn hard it's scary. He's playing well above where he's supposed to be. So does Jasiah (Jervis)."
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) November 6, 2026
Has Izzo gone soft on us? Obviously kidding, but he lit up when talking about Scott and Jervis and went on to say that he can’t wait to see his true freshman guard (Jervis) play against Duke. He dominated lesser competition on Thursday and played well against Marquette and UConn, but Duke will be the first true test.
Izzo does compliment Scott often, but saying that the sophomore plays hard consistently more than anyone he has coached in recent memory is massive praise. If you play hard, you’re going to see the floor, and that’s exactly why Scott led the team in minutes. Actually, he was tied for the team lead in minutes (26) with Jervis. Coincidence?
If you play hard, you’re going to see the floor at Michigan State.
Jordan Scott, Jasiah Jervis may not be here much longer
We’ve talked about this before, but Scott is looking like a top NBA prospect and that stock continues to rise. Through two games, he’s averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, and that’s with him shooting under 30 percent from deep. Scott is shooting 45 percent from the floor, so he’s clearly efficient.
What he does best is bring the energy and make smart plays. He’s always in the right place at the right time — rarely is he making mistakes or turning the ball over.
Scott’s a future pro — sooner rather than later.
As for Jervis, it’s clear that he just has it — whatever it is, he has it. He has confidence, an elite shooting touch, and he plays at a high level at both ends of the floor. Rarely is a true freshman this confident, but there’s a reason he’s starting for a top-10 team.
Despite struggling in Game 1 against Quinnipiac, Jervis wasn’t negatively affected and he dropped 16 points and five boards against Toledo. He didn’t let the one bad game snowball into 2-3 and immediately bounced back by leading all scorers on over 50 percent shooting.
Jervis, too, is a pro — sooner rather than later.
Enjoy these two while they’re still wearing the green and white, folks. We know Izzo is.
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