Izzo praises toughness, leadership, and connectivity in MSU’s commanding win over Iowa
Michigan State shook off a slow start and dominated Iowa with a 19-point conference-opener, improving to 8-0 on the season. Izzo broke down the win afterwards, emphasising his pride in his players' connectivity and the toughness he is seeing in a game he described as “a football game on hardwood.”
If the Spartans wanted to prove that toughness defines their identity, their 71-52 Big Ten opening win was that definition. Michigan State muscled its way past Iowa in a game that head coach Tom Izzo described as “a football game on hardwood.”
MSU still didn’t shoot the best, and for several minutes early in the first half, Iowa had MSU playing catch-up. However, the Spartans took the lead and never gave it back due to their force and grit. They drew fouls, getting to the line 25 times, and converted on 22 attempts, bullying the Hawkeyes on the glass, out-rebounding them by 19, and leaned on their depth to continue their sharpness throughout the game.
“We feel fortunate to win the game,” Izzo said after the victory. “We bounced back, got a little tougher. We out-rebounded them by almost 20. I thought we defended really, really well. The ball screen defense, they're really good at it, and I thought we did a great job.”
Overall, Izzo was proud of his team in many aspects of the match-up. The Spartans move to 8-0 on the season and 1-0 in league play. That record comes after defeating numerous ranked opponents through the non-conference schedule to date.
As for the Spartans against the Hawkeyes, Ker Teng got got MSU on the board to start with a three after Iowa jumped out to an early 5-0 lead. The Hawkeyes' physical defense made it hard for MSU to get settled early.
Izzo admitted that the Hawkeyes “beat the hell out of [them] the first six or seven minutes.”
Just as quickly as they started losing, the Spartans regained the lead and dominated the game. Jeremy Fears Jr. put up four straight free throws that steadied the Spartans, and Jesse McCulloch further added to MSU's lead with a layup. From there, Michigan State started winning 50-50 balls and getting Iowa into early foul trouble.
By the time the horn sounded for halftime, MSU led 35-21, and it was clear its physical identity had arrived. Though there was no true star of the matchup, Izzo expressed praise for his point guard, Jeremy Fears Jr.
“I've been really proud of Jeremy,” Izzo said. “Not a great shooting night, he didn't take enough shots..but all in all, when he was in that pregame, those huddles, when we were I think getting our butts kicked, I thought Jeremy Fears was really, really good, and that's what good leaders do, so I feel fortunate about that.”
Although Fears is averaging a double-double and leading the nation in assists, Tuesday night's game wasn’t about that for him, but rather his role as a leader and his command in huddles that set the tone for the team.
“He should be becoming one of the best defenders in this league,” Izzo said of Fears. “And when he's doing that, it just energizes our whole team.”
In addition to Fears’ energy and defensive energy, Jaxon Kohler proved to be a key element to this Spartan team and its aggressive identity. Kohler was all over the court with 12 points, but mainly all over the backboards with 11 rebounds to pick up a double-double. Izzo praised this level of grit.
