NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - MICHIGAN STATE VS MARQUETTE

March 19, 2023

Tom Izzo

A.J. Hoggard

Joey Hauser

Tyson Walker

Nationwide Arena

Michigan State Spartans

Media Conference

Michigan State - 69, Marquette - 60

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Michigan State.

COACH IZZO: I think we beat a damn good team. They were tough. I mean, it started with that first one where they kind of stole the ball from him, and they came at him all day. To A.J.'s credit, that's where I think he's grown, because I said to him, he could have just died then. Then he made two great plays in a row. And I think he made some big steps and was the key.

Joey, it's so fun to hear people chanting. When people weren't chanting a couple years ago. And I think he's deserved every bit of it.

The whole team did a lot of things but these three guys were special. And Tyson got his first collegiate dunk in the Big Ten --

TYSON WALKER: I ain't never dunked.

COACH IZZO: Never dunked?

TYSON WALKER: Nah, I went for it today, though.

COACH IZZO: If you don't think that was hard to coach him to be able to dunk, you're crazy. That was a tough job. He made some big free throws. He made some big free throws. Joey's big three.

We made some mistakes. We had some problems with their ball-screen stuff. Our bigs, we were playing those freshmen at times and Mady came back -- Mady beat himself to death in that huddle. He was mad about some of the things he didn't do.

I think that's where this whole team has grown. That kind of tells it all. He was so down and these guys all rallied around him. And he went out and made big play after big play, got big rebounds. And that's the difference in the team now than maybe a month ago.

So we beat a good team. But I am so proud of these guys for withstanding that, because that was -- I've been in Elite Eight games; I've been in Final Four -- that was as intense and tough a game as I've been in my career. And a lot of credit goes to Marquette and Shaka and how they played, too.

Q. Joey, how did it feel to hit that 3 in the corner, especially given the struggles you guys had had from downtown? It really seemed to ignite you guys down the stretch?

JOEY HAUSER: Yeah, it was a big shot. A.J. made a play and found me there. It felt good to see one go in finally. And it was what we needed there. I think it might have given us a five-point lead, whatever it was.

But it was a timely shot. It felt good. Felt good when it left my fingers. It was a big shot.

Q. Tyson, let's talk about you. 23 points, big plays, first dunk ever. The best stat I saw in your line is zero turnovers. Could you talk about what you did in your game to make sure that you protected the ball?

TYSON WALKER: I think this whole year I've been doing a good job just not taking chances with my passes, staying under control. And down the stretch, Joey, everybody just said to give me the ball at key times. And I made big plays.

Q. A.J., seemed like your guys' size and strength helped whether it was you and Malik getting to the rim or offensive glass. Was that something you were trying to exploit against Marquette today?

A.J. HOGGARD: We were just trying to play our game, play aggressive, make officials make decisions when we're at the rim. Just play our game. Coach told us to be aggressive, put pressure on those guys to make it harder for them when they get on offense, make them have to guard as well. I think we did a good job of that tonight.

Q. You guys did a really good job of limiting them to nothing basically inside the 3-point line. Could you just talk about how that defense was making everything tough with them close to the basket?

JOEY HAUSER: Yeah, I mean, we worked on it for 48 hours. We scouted them hard. It helps when we have Mady Sissoko down there, shot-blocker presence. We just did our job. We knew our matchups. We knew personnel. We knew what they were running. We weren't surprised by much. And credit goes to our coaches on that one.

Q. Away from the ball they were giving a lot of attention to you. Prosper is a great defender. He shut down a lot of players. Could you talk about how difficult it was to come off, when your teammates were trying to set screens for you and how effective they were holding or clutching, the defense you faced today?

JOEY HAUSER: Give them credit, it was a good physical defensive team. It was physical out there. We had guys make plays. If you take away me there will be opportunities for other guys. Tyson made the most of his opportunities today. We just did a good job going elsewhere.

Q. Tyson, you're from New York. What does it mean to come up big in this game and take your team back there for the Sweet 16?

TYSON WALKER: It means everything. Just growing up, seeing everything, playing at the Garden. It means a lot. Just to make those shots look over see my dad, see how excited he was. That means everything. And I just owe Coach some pizza now. And a cab ride.

Q. In the last three or four minutes, Tyson and A.J., you hit a couple of medium-range jumpers. Tyson, you had that scooping, left-handed glasser there when the game was one point. Talk about what was going through your mind when you created that. And, A.J., the big shot right after that.

TYSON WALKER: Just getting to the basket. Before that I took some difficult pull-up shots. Coach told me to drive them. When the clock was going down, I just drove for it and finished with my left hand, kind of finish better that way. I just dropped. I put it up high enough so he couldn't block it.

A.J. HOGGARD: They did a good job of taking away some of our actions that we always talk about the play after the play. And it was just trying to make plays after they took away our action with the shot clock running down. I just attacked the rim, got a good look at the rim and made a basket.

Q. A.J., playing with four fouls, I believe you had one or two offensive fouls. You're someone who uses your size to be aggressive. Late in that crunch time how hard was it to still do that and be aggressive and not pick up that last foul?

A.J. HOGGARD: It's really hard. You've got to be cognizant of the things you do out there. But I was just -- last year versus Duke I had four fouls. This year I just wanted to be smarter. Coach trusts me more to play with four fouls. Had to be smart back there for our guys and help will us to the win.

Q. Mady, 10 rebounds, I think he had -- 10 rebounds, eight points, those swats at the end. What was it about him that made him so successful in your eyes?

COACH IZZO: We put a lot with (indiscernible) Mady our anchor. Doug Wojcik just kept saying to him he's got to be key because of those ball screens they run. This is a good basketball team. We took some things away. They took some things away, as you say Joey in that.

But that was a war, that was a 2000 game. I felt like Mateen Cleaves. It was a physical game. And I thought Mady, after he made a couple of mistakes stepping up on ball screens and they hit two big 3s, he was really upset in the huddle -- upset like I've never seen Mady.

And I think the coolest thing is he went out and did something about it. And that's growth. That's growth as a person, growth as a teammate. And the team rallied around him. They did. And he came up big when it counted. Made his free throws.

Mady, like Joey, he takes a little bit of abuse. But he's got a heart about this big. And I roll with guys with hearts that big.

Q. You said you hadn't seen a game as intense and physical as this maybe ever. Was that your defense just continue to go grow and blossom and be more physical, as it has the last couple of games?

COACH IZZO: I think that's part of it. But I think you give them some credit, too. I thought they got into us worse than we got into them. We played our defense, was more gap defense; they played their defense, which is more in-your-face defense.

That's where Shaka has grown as a coach. He used to be a press all over the court. Now he picks and chooses his spots. And he really did a good job of that. We had some trouble with the pressure.

But our defense was phenomenal most of the first half. And I thought we did a great job. But both teams played hard. Us winning the rebound battle was important. We thought getting offensive rebounds was a thing we could do. We didn't run quite as good as I'd like to. At times we did but not consistently.

That was an NCAA game for the -- I promise you that, that was a damn good game.

Q. A two-point game with the under-4:00 timeout. What did you tell this team? That's a pretty emphatic response on both sides that they came in at closing time?

COACH IZZO: I did tell them something in that huddle. I said, have you guys been talking it? We've had a heck of the last couple of weeks. We've learned. We've spent time together. I said you're two up; it's your game to win.

And, by the way, we haven't made many 3s. That's why your defense matters. And if you hold them without scoring, we win. Now, it didn't quite go that way, but that was the message.

And we were going to keep the ball in the middle of the court because they did a great job of trapping us and we got it off to the middle. So we kept it in that middle third, and A.J. and Tyson did a phenomenal job. Joey hitting that big 3. We did some good things. We made some mistakes. I'm sure they made some. But it was a great game for us. Probably not as much for Shaka. But class guy that's done it the right way. And those kids are young. He's going to be a team to be reckoned with in the near future.

Q. Marquette had 16 turnovers. What did you do to force them, give them so much trouble, specifically Colette?

COACH IZZO: I thought they turned it over more than they would. Couple times they drove. We worked hard on getting our gap defense back. They drove in the middle and they've been able to finish. And they didn't finish and sometimes they fumbled. That's where they lost some balls. And so I guess we get a little credit for that. But it wasn't like we were pressing him and turned it over that way. We just tried to be solid, be in our gaps and do what we do.

Q. You talked about how intensive of a game this was for you. And about a minute and a half left, timeout's called and you kind of celebrate. Was that a point of okay we've got this or is it one of those things it was just raw emotion?

COACH IZZO: You know, it must have been raw emotion because I'm one of those half-empty guys. So that glass is about this full, you know, when there's 10 seconds left I asked is there a way we could lose this game if it was a minute and a half if I did that maybe you read me wrong or I had an out-of-body experience but I definitely didn't feel comfortable until there was about 15 seconds left.

You're looking at the guy that in 45 seconds and the team erased 10 points -- been there, done that. But you know what? It was fun to watch the players in the huddle. When we were about eight up with about a minute left they started saying, don't double the ball; if they drive it, don't help in there and give open 3s. They, too, learned from the Iowa mistake.

And that's all you ask as a coach. You ask that you grow, they grow. But it's kind of fun when players -- I always said the best teams are the player-coached teams. And when those guys took over Mady when he was -- Mady was going crazy for Mady. He's very reserved, very calm.

And the way they all rallied to him and what he did, I think it's one of those moments that who knows how far this team can go, but that will be a moment that we'll all remember and maybe even take in the next year. Whatever that means.

But we've still got some dancing to do. And we're going to New York. I couldn't be more excited for Tyson and even A.J. being a Philly guy. And I don't even know who we play. Who won that game? Kansas State or Kentucky? Kansas State.

After watching the tournament, it doesn't matter who we play, when we play, where we play, or how, it's going to be a hell of a game. And I'm looking forward to it. I appreciate you. Unbelievable crowd here for a game like that. Congratulations to Columbus.