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BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 16, 2019

Tom Izzo

United Center - Chicago, Illinois

Michigan State - 67, Wisconsin - 55

TOM IZZO: You know, it was a grind of a game. I say that every time I play Wisconsin, it hasn't changed. It's part of the culture they have that started with Dick and Bo, and Greg has done an unbelievable job, too. I thought the difference in the game early, we made all our shots and they missed some wide-open shots. I mean, they ran some good stuff, missed some good shots, and then as we got going, I thought we played pretty well. The turnovers that still haunt us still haunt us. We had some very unforced turnovers. I thought we got something out of Henry rebounding the ball. That was big. He gets 11 rebounds. The rebounding in general was big for us, out-rebounding them like that. The assists to the baskets was really big for us. Whenever you get 18 assists on 23 baskets, that means your guys are moving the ball, and that's the kind of team I have. Cassius, I guess, hurt another ankle or a different one, and that's why he was kind of hobbling around before halftime. You know, when I just asked him if he could grit out the second half, and you know what? He gritted it out. I thought we missed some shots in the second half. McQuaid, I didn't realize it, they said Tillman is afraid of heights, so every time he gets up there he's missing some of those dunks, so hopefully we'll work on that this week. But all in all, gritty performance by us. I thought a gritty performance by them. They never quit. They came back. And we're going to have to somehow get ready to get back up tomorrow.

Q. As long as this team continues to play, do they remind you of some of your old-school Michigan State teams with that grit, maybe not pretty but gritty?
TOM IZZO: You know, we've been pretty, not as gritty. I mean, we're gritty, but we're not like smash-mouth tough like some of those old teams. But we do it in a different way, and yet it's -- you know, I thought the way we started out, we were upset with the way we started yesterday, as everybody knows, and the first 10 minutes were great and then we kind of died, and then we played better after halftime. One of these days we're going to put the whole thing together, and when we do, we'll take another step. But I think the biggest thing I've got to do tomorrow and next week is got to come up with some better substitution patterns. Every time I do, Arnie just couldn't get back in, so that screws that up. During the week we work with him and not Gabe as much. So the way -- and then Nick got in so much foul trouble, we could not keep a steady rotation there. But I think besides the assists, the job Cassius did. You know, when Nick Ward made those three or four plays in a row that kept the ball with us, probably the -- most people wouldn't look at that as anything. That was about two minutes' worth of game-winning situations for us. I'm pleased where Nick is coming. I really was hoping to play him 16, 18 minutes today. But he'll get his chance. There will be another game to play.

Q. Can you assess the Wisconsin rivalry? How is this rivalry different with you guys?
TOM IZZO: You know, I have great respect for Dick Bennett. I worked his camp when I was in college. I was at Stevens Point. It was a war with Bo for a few years. Then we got on the board together, and by the end, we were pulling for each other, and I really mean that, and still talk to him once in a while. You know, there's not always love sometimes, but there's respect that's probably more valuable. With those guys, it's both love and respect because we've played in a lot of big games together. You know, for Greg, I came up the same way. And so I taught him a lot those first couple months and even first year. I think he's done an incredible job under some tough -- how would you like to replace Bo? You know, they had just gone to two Final Fours. His team has got some youth to it and they've got some veterans, but I thought he's done a hell of a job with them and he's done a hell of a job, so the respect factor hasn't changed. Wisconsin, when you grow up in Iron Mountain, I think we're one mile from the border, so I'm kind of a Yooper Wisconsinite more than I am a Yooper downstater down here. I know none of you know what that means. But Iron Mountain is in the finals right now as we speak; that's all that matters to me.

Q. How important is what Kenny Goins can do to you guys' ability to shoot, rebound and even made a good pass for a dunk today at a key point?
TOM IZZO: Well, Kenny has probably been the guy that's changed our team throughout the last two and a half months. He is one of our best defenders. He is our best rebounder. He is maybe our best-conditioned guy, and he has really figured out how to shoot the ball and does it with a high percentage. Kenny deserves a lot more than I've probably given him, but I think Kenny is putting himself in a position where there's going to be some basketball for Kenny after college.

Q. At the Breslin Center last Sunday after the game, I don't know if you saw John Beilein's comments, but he talked about Michigan, Michigan State playing for a championship, what it meant to the state, how excited he was about you and both programs. Obviously you don't know who's going to win the next game, but for those two schools, same state, such a high level to be possibly playing again, how special is it for the state of Michigan?
TOM IZZO: Well, I think we both agree, and people used to laugh at me when I said, of course I hate my rival. Who wants to hug and kiss the guy that took your girlfriend, you know? It doesn't make any sense. But I have great respect for them, and I do agree with him. I think we're on the exact same page, that if we can make this into a Duke-Carolina, you know -- and I'm not trying to say we've gotten there yet because some of that is over a test of time. But whenever you're playing in games that matters in the state, that's big. Matters in the conference, that's big. When it starts to matter nationally, then you've got yourselves something special. When both teams -- early on in my career when we were ranked I think 250th or whatever and they were good, then we were ranked in the top and they weren't very good, it's hard to have a rivalry. So we got what the media wants, what the fans want, and believe it or not, what the coaches want, because it is important that big games matter, and big games that matter nationally are even bigger games.

Q. When the game got close there in the second half, they went seven minutes and 24 seconds without a point. How would you assess your defense, or were they just missing shots?
TOM IZZO: I thought we played better defense in the second half. I thought the first half they missed some good shots. But I think in general, Greg wasn't happy with how they shot it. They've been a little bit up and down shooting, guys like Trice and Davidson, those guys can shoot it, and they haven't shot it quite as well. I think the other thing that was a key is Reuvers. We did a pretty good job on him. We were going to switch. We were going to do some things not to give him any open looks. So I think in the second half it was a little bit us. I thought the first half it was a little bit them.

Q. A little bit about the journey because there's steps along the way every year, but what does this one mean tomorrow? There's another one coming up after that, obviously, but the Big Ten Championship and what you guys are playing for tomorrow.
TOM IZZO: I must watch more TV, and I make my guys watch the NFL when they're in the Super Bowl, the NBA, I make them watch hockey, because whenever you're playing for championships, the human interest stories, the things that go on are really good. You realize a lot of kids have sacrificed or done some things or coaches or programs, and that's what's great about playing for a championship. I mean, it is -- people don't say "let's go finish second." You know, that's not the Knute Rockne locker room speech. It's "let's try to win a championship." And when you're working in the summer, you always talk about championship effort. Some thing that will separate you from the rest. You know, no matter who we play, we have a chance to play for a championship, and it's going to be very, very important, and then find a way to get right back up. You know, concerning a little bit with our group? Yeah. We're wearing down a little bit, to be very blunt and honest with you. And yet, as I told them after, boy, if you learn how to play through things, a lot of people would kind of fold the table on, that's going to help you in life because life is filled, as we all know, with things a lot bigger than a damn game.

Q. How differently do you have to control your practices knowing the condition of your team and physically where they are?
TOM IZZO: Well, we have a walk-through room at the hotel, and we've been walking through. Tonight I'm just going to put like 10 beds in there, and I'm going to kind of move them around like chess and say, okay, you should be here. It's hard. Now, the advantage is if we play Minnesota, we haven't played them so well. If we play Michigan, we've played them. Things change, but they don't change drastically. My big thing is I've got to get Ward more and more in there if I can keep him out of foul trouble because I think he can help us, plus I want to get him ready for the big dance. So there won't be a lot of gym time tonight. I told my doctors and trainers that coaches are going to work hard tonight, but not as hard as the doctors and trainers. I'm bringing dinner in for them because they're going to pull an all-nighter for us tonight.

Q. To follow up on all you guys have been through, does pretty much adrenaline taking over playing for what you guys are playing for tomorrow?
TOM IZZO: You know, I think it does to a certain extent, but Cassius has been on adrenaline for a while. At halftime, you know, I really didn't know what was going to happen. So adrenaline kicked in, and it got him through parts of another half. I'm not complaining about it, I'm just being honest with you. I think everybody hides one thing or hides the other. You know, by tomorrow, we'll be ready to play, and whoever plays will play. We're going to play as hard as we can play and see where that puts us.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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