One might think Tom Izzo would offer glowing praise of his players amid No. 8 Michigan State’s 12-game winning streak.
But Izzo spotted some bad habits in the Spartans’ most recent performance, an 81-74 victory at Rutgers on Saturday.
Izzo will look for improvement when Michigan State (17-2, 8-0 Big Ten Conference) tips off against Minnesota (11-9, 3-6) on Tuesday night in East Lansing, Mich.
Izzo’s message to his team is clear: Don’t get too comfortable with how you are playing.
“I thought for the first time, we looked a little more entitled,” Izzo said. “We looked like we were reading our own press clippings. We did not move the ball smoothly. We looked a little selfish.
“This is a new thing for these guys, too. Learning how to deal with failure is hard. Learning how to deal with success is sometimes harder.”
Minnesota will try to play the role of spoiler — something it has grown accustomed to in the past couple of weeks. The Golden Gophers have beaten a ranked opponent two times in their last three games, and they will try to keep the trend alive when they take on the Spartans.
On Saturday afternoon, Minnesota held strong for a 77-69 win over No. 15 Oregon. It marked the third win in a row for the Golden Gophers, who also have toppled No. 20 Michigan and Iowa during their recent hot streak.
Dawson Garcia will look to lead the way for Minnesota again. He is averaging 19.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 49.8 percent from the field.
“(He’s the) ultimate competitor,” Golden Gophers coach Ben Johnson said. “He’s brought everybody up to his level. That’s been a huge part to what we’re doing here. He’s forced with his play for everybody to elevate and have a new standard.”
Michigan State relies on a balanced scoring attack, with nine players averaging more than 5 points per game. Jaden Akins leads the way with a 13.8 average, and Jase Richardson ranks second at 9.8.
The Spartans will try to maintain their dominance at home, where they are 10-0 this season. Minnesota is 1-3 on the road, but the victory came in its most recent trip away from home as it knocked off neighboring Iowa.
Izzo said he was confident his team could continue to make progress heading toward March.
“We’re just trying to stay the course, but it’s hard,” Izzo said. “It’s hard on coaches and it’s hard on players. Because a lot of times — you see it in the NBA, you see it in the NFL — the best players don’t always win games. You’ve got to have that (set of intangibles), and the only way you can get it — the chemistry, the camaraderie — is to play together. I think they’ve done a pretty (darn) good job.
“… I think this team is going to get better. This team will be a tough out by the end of the season.”
–Field Level Media
