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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 12, 2007

Tom Izzo

COACH IZZO: Well, after last night, we got a chance to crunch a lot of film, and, you know, this is a good basketball team. I mean, they are a guard-oriented team in some ways, losing McNeal I think hurts them some. But just as we said that the two guys kind of replaced them each get 20 in back-to-back games, especially Fitzgerald, he gives them another dimension where he extends the defense.
But I think the big key to them is they are such a about penetrating team. I mean, Tom's done a great job with their fast break. They blitz, they break, they run constantly, and James is as good of a guy pushing it up the floor as I've seen. He's athletic, he's strong, he can jump hard at the gym, and he really does push the ball very well. They have multiple hands letters, cube January can handle the ball well, so can Matthews. So they create some problems there.
And what it really creates I think is some of the keys to the game and some of the keys are they get to the free throw line 23 times a game. They drive and kick and take a lot of 3s. They are a very good offensive-rebounding team and they all kind of go hand in hand. If you penetrate well, I always said that that's why you could be a good offensive rebounding team, that's how you get to the free throw line, and that's how you get open 3s on kick outs.
So stopping penetration is going to be a -- you know, a major part of the game plan. Handling their pick-and-rolls, they do a great job of running a number of them, and yet all in all, I think it's two teams that mirror each other in a lot of ways, not just because of -- that we maybe help build this program, and set a blueprint for how we wanted it done, and I do think he took that with him as I said last night.
But as I look at, you know, whether it was good or bad, to play a team against your former assistant, I never did like it. Still don't like it. But the only other people I feel a little sorry for is your team. You know, it was kind of funny, I was thinking about it after, and the first thing the guy said to me after the Wisconsin game, "Boy, it's going to be nice to play someone who doesn't know all of our stuff." And we've played probably the only team in the country who is going to know most of our stuff. So that's a little hard.
But for me, the disappointment of playing against a friend and a situation like that, is far underscored compared to getting in the tournament. I'm just happy we're in, I'm happy we got the opportunity to play a good team. If we win, we get a chance of a lifetime to play Carolina in Carolina, which would be, you know, just a perfect setting for this year's team with the things that have gone on, a little more adversity down there. I talked to some guys down there, so that place has been sold out for months and months because everybody anticipated North Carolina would be there.
So I just think that in the film we've watched and the things we've gone through, they meet everything I saw during the year. They are good in a lot of areas. They have some depth. They have been a little streaky shooting the ball at times; so have we.
They are pretty athletic. Maybe more athletic than we are, and yet I think it should be a great match-up. So I'm looking forward to it. Questions.

Q. You talked to Tom, how much did it help to maybe voice to you some concerns about his team and maybe now you know what to exploit?
COACH IZZO: It's funny you bring that up, because we did talk. He talked to me when McNeal went down. We talked -- you know, we exchanged some plays during the year just three weeks ago. (Laughter) That ticks me off. And then we talked last night about his wife was shorter than he and I were because she predicted it. Now he says he predicted it. I guess everybody predicts it. I didn't predict it. I just was hoping to get in.
But I don't know how much that's going to matter because our programs are so similar, I mean, anyway. We do a few things different, but the meat and potatoes of it, we're not the same team they are this year. But our styles have been very similar for five, six years, you know, when they had their little drop-off after the Final Four, they didn't run as much and do that, and then last year he got back to doing that. You know, we haven't run as much and hope to get back to doing that.
But for the most part, the staples of the programs are very similar, the styles are very similar, the personnel is a little different.

Q. Three weeks ago, did he give you some plays, too?
COACH IZZO: Oh, he gave me some.

Q. Which ones are better, the ones you gave him or the ones he gave you?
COACH IZZO: You know what I learned? It comes down to personnel. If you give a guy an open shot and he doesn't make it, it doesn't matter.
We just talked about some different things, zone and man and he saw some things I ran that he liked and I saw some things that he ran that I liked. Probably neither one of us will run those this weekend.
But you know, you do have to execute. When you get right down to it in the end, if we were would have played Kentucky or Villanova, by the time we had the game, we would know all their plays and we would have been prepared for them. That really -- it doesn't change as much as you think. It's just the little things about each one, maybe somebody like I would have of his or he would have of mine are a little different.
Other than that, it's one-day news and the players play the game. I've said that all along. The coaches will be a little side-bar just because of the uniqueness of it, and the SC never plans those things but it happens.

Q. The other Big-10 times, any surprise or disappointment or it really doesn't matter?
COACH IZZO: You know, it doesn't matter. Surprises with Big-10, I guess I was a hair surprised, six in when you hear all the talk. I was a hair surprised Syracuse didn't get in.
Surprises in the Big-10, the seedings, I said last night, all I want to always know is just like the referees, what is the criteria, what are the calls going to be. And I think the same thing with the committee, because I think as coaches, we have to understand, you know, it's interesting, Jim Boeheim (ph) told me when I scheduled those seven monster games that one year, you know, and his was the last one and I had a meeting with him that summer. He told me I was on dial-aclue (ph), in different words that I would not repeat here.
And then I saw him at half-court shaking hands before the game and he said, "I told you." I looked at it differently, I think he might have looked at it differently, because the Drexel team was going to be good, but Wichita State, Oklahoma State, you kind of look back now and you say, what would two more wins have done.
It's a little confusing knowing which way to go. That's the only thing that's hard about it. These conference schedules, the way they work, with three and four-game swings, and in their conference, maybe even more, maybe even more, because some of those teams play some of those teams not at all.
And for some reason, and it was brought up on one of the shows today nationally, that all of a sudden the conference tournaments became a bigger part and I still say, well, what goes on during the year and those schedules helps create the picture, the puzzle for the conference tournaments. We just have to make sure we keep knowing what the criteria is, because I think it does make a difference in how and what you schedule and who you schedule and all those things.
My only reasoning for maybe being in favor of the expansion is personally I'd like to schedule the Celtics and the Lakers, personally. If I had my druthers and I knew I had a good chance to get in, that's what I would do. And I think that's what you would like and I think that's what our fans would like and I think that's what everybody would like.
So I have no disappointments because I'm happy that we're in, I really am. And as I look at some of the teams that weren't in, I'm even happier that we're in. As I said it's a milestone for this program and that's good.

Q. In your terminology -- inaudible -- jumping plays?
COACH IZZO: I don't think so. No, we changed our play calls a little bit last year when Jimmy came and tried to get some consistency in different sets in how we were going to do things. He's changed some of his stuff. I'm paranoid; he's off the charts, he's probably checking up on his bleachers right now to make sure there's no Michigan State people around there. He's probably worked all night to change every play call he has, and of 120 plays, that's a hell of a job he's got right now.

Q. Can you talk a little about the progress of the big men throughout the season and as a collective group right now?
COACH IZZO: You know, I think I'm feeling better about them as a collective group than an individual group sometimes. I think collectively, if you look at what they have accomplished and what we needed done defensively, in Suton scoring at times, Gray's athletic ability at times, and ID's shot-blocking ability at times, and if you looked at it collectively, what have they scored, how many rebounds do they get. It's a pretty good deal.
If you look at it individually, I think we've got a lot more we can give, you know. And Gray had a better offensive night against Wisconsin, and Suton in those first few minutes looked like the guy that I still think he can be.
And so I think a little bit of it's been unfair on my part, maybe yours, but definitely mine. When Morgan went down, you know, we needed so much more of our bigs that now you're just crying for it. And that's unfair, too, because in some ways, they may not have more to give and in other ways, if you look at some of our best teams, I always compare them to the Hudsons of the world, stat-wise, it's similar.
And so never satisfied, I think they have made some progress. I think if we are going to be able to make any kind of a run at all, whether it's a one-game, two-game, three-game, five-game or six-game, they have to get better but they are making some progress.

Q. Would you not adjust your play calling at this time of year anyway?
COACH IZZO: I normally do and I will add a couple of things today, just a couple.
But the Thursday quick turnaround makes it a little more difficult. One day is big this time of year. We don't put in a lot of different things. We'll just try to execute them a little better, do a little better job of that.
We have a lot to cover, because they do play more of a variety of defenses. You know, they are still pretty much man, but they have played box-on-one, and they have played triangle-in-two, they have played zone, they have pressed a little bit.
Unlike preparing for Wisconsin, you know exactly what they are going to do or probably them for us for the most part. They probably won't throw a lot of new things in, probably one or two out-of-bounds plays or one or two things we've been saving, but that won't be the difference in the game probably.

Q. The expectations and demands on him, and also you talk about -- inaudible -- you've got a shot, how much of that is because of him and guard play in the tournament where, you know --
COACH IZZO: A lot of it has to do with him. If you look at some stats, believe it or not, Suton is involved with some of that, keeping Raymar on the floor is some of that. But you're right, there's no secrets. We're not going to win if Drew Neitzel doesn't play well. But I'm not sure Marquette will play well if James doesn't play well. And I'm not sure Duke would have won if what's-his-name didn't play well; Gonzaga.
When you have a dominant player like that that scores a lot of points, and we have to rely on ours on both ends, he has to play well, there's no question about that. But he's made for that. He's made for these tournaments. This is who he is, what he is. He's been that way since high school. I know he's excited.
I do think we're -- I think we feel good, we're healthy. I think the guys are excited to have this opportunity, and really that's important this time of year, that you are really looking forward to playing and you feel like maybe you're -- even though we lost three out of four, everybody says, well, what is that. It's all who you play and where you play them and what the situations are.
So I don't look at that as any anything. I think Drew is really looking forward to this game, and I think he'll play well.

Q. What are your expectations for this team if everything breaks well, just the right way?
COACH IZZO: You know, I'm probably not a good guy to ask that right now because I'm too real to figure that, you know, what are the chances of -- you've got a tough opener, and if you get by that, you're playing North Carolina right at home. They sleep in their beds and buzz over after breakfast. That doesn't bode well. But I remember not boding well at Florida and playing a 2-seed in their backyard and coming away.
I've been part of some incredible things that have happened, and this is one of those teams that if Cinderella's slipper could fit anybody, it's one of these kind of teams that's kind of earned its keep. I think it's incredible the number of games we've won, but what I think is more incredible is the number of games we've been right there with a chance to win. Not many times we haven't been at least knocking on the door. If you keep knocking, sooner or later it opens.
So I don't know. Realistically, I know none of you are betting the house on us, and I can't say that I would bet my own house. But I like the fact that if you win a game, a big game, and it would be a big game against Marquette, and then you get to just kind of throw it all on the floor. And this team has done one thing; they have defended well enough that they can be a pain in somebody's side, and I think, you know, if you got by that game, of course, then you've already accomplished something where you've beaten a couple No. 1 teams in a way, and then who knows what the rest of the schedule -- I can't say I've looked beyond this weekend, but I have looked at the entire weekend, I can honestly say that, and that's important, too.

Q. Inaudible -- he was known as whacky -- what do you remember about that? What do you remember about him in general?
COACH IZZO: Oh, he was famous for putting the milk carton in Morris Peterson's locker of a missing person has not rebounded in a week and a half or two weeks. He did some whacky things. The good news is, I was more whacky then, so between the two of us, it was like a laboratory up there, one of those weird laboratories.
I think Tom still motivates guys in different ways. I think he's tough on his players, but he's a guy that reads a lot and gets a lot of info, so someone of you write anything bad, would you, because he'll have it plastered up all over.
I think he is -- I think that's one of his strengths. He's a good recruiter and he's a good motivator and I think he's a good bench coach, and I think he always has been. When I said last night that we built this together, I meant that. I really do. We spent a lot of time at nights talking about what we wanted this program to be from the academic structure to the recruiting to the facilities to the crowds to the -- I mean, you know what, we just kind of took every aspect of a program and he was extremely helpful.
So I never think that I built this and he's building Marquette. I look at it as we built this, and I guess in some ways, then I can say we built Marquette, because I think there were a lot of things that were taken from here and what we learned together. And that's kind of neat in a way.

Q. Inaudible?
COACH IZZO: I think it's probably going to take a tournament game. It's hard. It's no fun even in the regular season, it just doesn't. You don't want to play your good buddies and sometimes it happens and I really have no interest in playing Stan Heath who I'm really excited about, too, getting in that tournament. I would not enjoy playing Ryan Gregory or Joplin, right on down the road. But in Crean's situation, of all the guys, we built this thing into a Final Four program and then I watched him in five years build that into one.
He's not only been a good friend, but I think he's been very helpful in my success and I hope I've been very helpful in his success. And as these other guys get that, you know, that will be pretty neat, too.
But I don't think we would have scheduled each other. I don't think it's anything either one of us had any interest in doing. So we let the committee do it.

Q. Inaudible?
COACH IZZO: That's what I don't like about it, I really don't. I think if there's one big negative -- the tournament is a time for the players, it really is, especially this team. This team has earned that the spotlight should be on them. I would hope -- all of those things are neat, but it's not like the NCAA Tournament needs something to sell. I think it sells itself no problem. If it happens down the road, it happens because of the way it is.
To happen in the first round, you're right, I really don't even want to talk about it any more because this is a tournament for the players. I don't think there will be any trickle-down. The only thing my players said was, "It would be nice to play somebody that doesn't know us." I was interested reading their comments on how important this tenth straight year was to me. Players know what's going on, they know, but they also know that I've preached so many times, it's been on a billboard in my locker rooms; it's been on a ring, everywhere: A coach-coach team is not as good as a players-coach team; and players play the game, coaches don't play the game. We can make money, have advertisements, sit in our nice suits, but never get to shoot a free throw, rebound, play defense. Come to think of it, I wish I could shoot a few free throws for a few guys, but other than that, we don't get to do any of that.

Q. Inaudible?
COACH IZZO: You always like to go into games almost disliking the opponent. I think the nature of the beast and the profession we're in, in your own way, I'm sure each one of you are competitive -- I know for a fact each one of you wanted to be the first to have some scoop, so you're competitive against your own people you're sitting in the same room with. That's just the nature of the beast.
But when it comes to an NCAA Tournament where it's one-and-done, there's pretty high stakes at it; it makes it harder. That was about, you know, an hour or two situation, and once I get back from the press conference and started watching film, I've got a job to do, too. If we get beat, then there will be no bigger fan than Tom Izzo for Marquette. But while we're playing, I'm not a fan of anybody's. I'm a fan of Michigan State.
It makes it uncomfortable to talk about and to be a story line, but it really will have no effect on the game, it really won't. I don't think it will -- it will only matter because we know each other so well. It won't matter in any other way.

Q. Does it tighten the competitiveness?
COACH IZZO: I can't say I feel that way, I really don't. I don't look at it as a teacher/mentor/pupil -- I don't look at that, because as I said, I thought we co-got-it-done here together. And I don't think it -- we're not two brothers that are fighting over something. It's two good friends that have a common goal to get something accomplished, and we're in each other's way.
So we have to deal with that. But I can promise you, after this press conference even, it will be a done issue, and I'm sure I'll get asked it down there. But really this thing is really about is Drew Neitzel going to play better than Dominick James and how are we going to cope with what they do well and how are they going to cope with what we do well.

Q. Inaudible?
COACH IZZO: A couple interesting stats, when he gets to the foul line, if he does some things like that, we're a much better team. We've won more games and there's always things at this time of year where you statistically look at a bunch of different things and think about how we can get a little bit of an edge. I think Naymick has done a great job defensively. He has at times given a little better offensively, and I think he has the skills to get better. He's got a nice jump-hook, he's still a very good shooter and I would like to get him to the free throw line more because he's a very good free throw shooter. So Drew has made some progress. I think basketball this year has become a priority, a priority to him and I think it's showing on the floor. That bodes well for hopefully the spring, summer and fall.

Q. Have you used up all of the buttons to motivate guys or do you still have a couple?
COACH IZZO: No, I have a couple in my hip pocket. I never want to use them all up. You never know when you want to pull out something.
It is true, and it's not phoney, there are certain but tons that each guy -- and if there's one thing I've tried to do, is I've met with a lot of guys in the last day or two even, even driving back on the bus and try to figure out where they think they are. The hardest thing for any of us to do is evaluate ourselves. You know, we're great. You guys are great at evaluating me and I'm great at evaluating you. That's the way it works, let's face it. But to really look in the mirror and evaluate yourself is very difficult to do. I always say the guys that can do that are the superstars.
I said Formeclees (ph) was the best. He never would he say he played even average, unless he played great because his standards were so high in what he felt he could do. And I bet other guys that are still pros, they felt they played great every night.
So what I try to do is find a happy medium. It was interesting I was riding back on the bus and Alan Anderson called -- (phone rings in room) -- there he is. (Laughter).
So anyway --

Q. I did use the quote about jump defenses, I just want to let you know that.
COACH IZZO: Oh, that will be up on his bulletin board. I know him well enough, if he needs a little fuel, I can help him, I can still add a little fuel to that fire.
But as far as the things you do right now, it's making guys kind of realize, you know, I think every player thinks he has played harder than he plays. I think every player -- you know, as I told them and one of my big speeches this week was, you know, I understand that it's hard to evaluate your own game and hear some things you can improve on. But you've got to understand, why would I tell you something that I didn't think would benefit you and me?
You know, when you say it like that, everybody goes, well, I know you wouldn't do that. Well, then I've watched hours ask hours of practice film and game film on you and I've checked out stats and I've figured this out, and here is where we are. So sometimes motivating things are not the rah-rah Knute Rockne stuff. It's just making the guy see some things that maybe, just maybe could give him a little bit of help to maybe -- I think we all feel sorry for ourselves, and a coach's job is to make you feel good.
But if you're phoney and you're phoney with yourself or you're phoney with your players, I've always said this: Players are a lot smarter than we all give them credit for, they really are. They know if they are conning you or getting conned. It's just my job to make sure I understand, I know when you're conning me but I'm not going to con you back.
That's why I think it's been good that our goals have been what they were all year and we've adjusted them and now we're going to adjust a little bit more. But I was honest with them when the year started that if we don't do this, this and this, we don't have a chance to get in the NCAA Tournament. If we don't do this, this and this, we don't have a chance to compete in the Big-10. If we don't do this, this and this, we are not going to win most of our non-conference games.
When that starts to happen, there gets to be that trust level that, let's face it, the great teams -- Charlie Bell was at the game and came in and spent an hour with us after. It was interesting to hear him talk about his own team and relate things. Coach Anderson called and said, is there anybody you need me to call to explain to them what I don't do my first three years. That's pretty cool when those things happen, No. 1, they still care about the program, but number two, they get it.
I think a coach's job is to try to -- one of the local high school coaches gave me a great line the other day. He said, you know, make sure you don't say hello when it's time to say good-bye. You're not just saying hello when it's time to say good-bye, and that's a pretty good line. I think that's what my real job. Is let's make sure as a freshman and sophomore you're getting it and not getting it as a senior or a rookie. Let's make sure we are saying hello a little earlier so it's not the same time we're saying good-bye.
I thought that was a great statement and that's what I try to tell my guys.

Q. Inaudible?
COACH IZZO: If I had any, I'd have all of these cheeseheads mad at me for another six years. Write that, Larry, that will be another, ticked off at me.
You know, why did I call the time-out, a couple coaches called me and said I should have, but I called a time-out honestly, honestly because I just felt like our players did not understand what one and done time meant. I just wanted to make sure they knew on the court, they did not play our best game, they played better than we did, but guys, can you not start out 14-4, you can't do this and that. If we don't learn from this next week, you know, then we're not going to pick up on it.
And so -- and after we scored, I almost called another one and that would have been taken like I was trying to show them up or something. That wasn't the case at all. Just happens they hit a 3 at the end. Maybe some day we will get to do that.
But really that had nothing to do with it this time. You know me, I would sure tell you if it did.

Q. Inaudible?
COACH IZZO: I think some of it is. I think some of it is in our preparation. Our one-day prep is really good. Some of it is being there enough times where we have another blueprint to tell us what we're going to do from the minute that game ends on Thursday night to the minute the game starts on Saturday. I feel very comfortable and good about that. Maybe some of it is luck. Maybe some of it is having good players.
But we do have a good record in that, and that's why you would like to win on Thursday, because that would be a big statement we use Friday.
You know, and it was interesting, too, because a couple of players on the bus as we were coming home, I got these kind of comments and these are kind of neat comments like, "Hey, Coach, whatever you want to do, we'll do."
What does that mean, do you want to practice today, twice tomorrow, four times on Monday -- oh, since we're getting near tournament time now, we're going to do whatever we want to do. And it was kind of a good learning lesson and made me realize this team is young yet. Those kind of comments are good comments. You would hope they would come a little earlier because they should not come earlier because these guys are just learning how to go through these kind of things in a way.
Like today we had a little 7:00 walk-through, and I mean, man, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, no complaints, no this, that and the other thing. I think that could help us down the road, not just this year, but in the future, and that's kind of what growing is all about.

Q. Is part of that because everyone is healthy?
COACH IZZO: Well, I think the illness is definitely -- we are the healthiest we've been in months, but especially the last three weeks. There's no question that it's something to do with it.
But I think more than that, I think if they were sick, they would have felt the same way. Because I think they understand the sense of urgency a little bit more now, and like I said, maybe losing in a game -- that Wisconsin loss was a big game for our guys, because not losing it, just like not winning all of those games was the most important thing, but they knew they did not play as well. And what Travis said after, we were not ready to play and I disagreed with that, and usually players are saying we're ready to play and I disagree with that.
But I did think we are ready. I was happy with our prep for that thing. I just don't think we were maybe focused in on those first couple of minutes as hard. In college basketball, especially at this level, boy, like that, things can -- now you're playing ten points down and that's kind of the way the game really ended when you really look at it.
So I think it's more that they are starting to understand that there is one and done time and that's a little different than the regular season, and if you want to play for a championship, the my bads, the my mistake, well, it just happens once, I think they are starting to realize, that is okay. And basketball is a game of mistakes.
But the teams that make the fewest of those are the teams that are hanging banners, and that's the other thing we are trying to teach this team.

Q. The Wisconsin game, do you think was that just an aberration?
COACH IZZO: Yeah, I really do, I really do. We did some things and Tucker hit some shots again with his legs kicking up and God bless him, he made some good shots. But the couple of breakdowns underneath were more -- and we've talked about that a lot, too.
Communication is still a big key that I don't think this team is good enough at, and we're trying to get better at that, not that it's going to happen overnight. But it's got to happen in the future, or this team will not get to where I think it can get later on.

End of FastScripts

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