Despite giving up 97 points to Cornell, Tom Izzo believes that his team is ahead of schedule

The Michigan State basketball team did not have a good first half against the visitors from Cornell.

That is clear.

The Spartans trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half and did not take their first lead until there was less than six minutes remaining in the first stanza.

At the half, Michigan State led by two points, but the Spartans had surrendered 53 points on the defensive end.

Yes, Michigan State seized control of the game in the first few minutes of the second half and cruised to a 17-point victory, but the first 20 minutes of the game were rough. 

In situations such as this, Tom Izzo will frequently lay into his team in his post game comments - but Monday night was a little different. Instead of the expected fire and brimstone litany of complaints about his team's performance in the first half, Izzo was surprisingly positive. 

"We did come out after halftime discussing what we did wrong," Izzo said. "After doing a miserable job most of the first half, I thought we did a phenomenal job most of the second half."

"Phenomenal" is not a word that Tom Izzo has usually ever used in December to describe a win over a team from the Ivy League. But Monday night he used it five times to praise his team and once to praise the Breslin Center crowd that braved the weather to watch the game - and cheer on his team - in person.

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What followed was not a coach glossing over problems — but a revealing breakdown of why Michigan State’s response mattered, what still concerns him, and why this game may prove more useful than the score suggests.

Past the Paywall: Izzo’s detailed praise of Jeremy Fears’ growth, why Cornell’s physicality was a gift, the defensive lapses that still bother him, and what he believes this team is becoming as Big Ten play approaches.