While Tom Izzo was quick to downplay the performance of the game, emphasizing that he believes a lot of it comes down to one team making shots and the other not, Tuesday night's win was a significant moment in the modern Tom Izzo era. Personally, I can't remember the last time Izzo had something like this. dominant of victory over a top 25 team.
It was also a referendum on how Tom Izzo coaches. While Kentucky has been known to spend over $20 million on its star-studded roster of 5-star recruits and big-time transfers, Tom Izzo has doggedly insisted on staying with his guys, developing through the transfer portal, paying his stars impressive but relatively modest salaries for college basketball players in the NIL era, and outscoring every team his team faces.
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It all paid off Tuesday night as his Spartans defeated Kentucky 83-66, with the lead only in doubt for a few minutes into the game. After the game, Izzo took a moment to talk about loyalty and, of course, downplay the victory in classic Izzo fashion:
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“Kentucky didn’t play as well as they played. I hope we get some credit for this, but I think they just missed a few shots and did some things early. I don't think we played well in the beginning.”
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“We're not that good because we don't shoot the ball that well. They're not that bad because they don't hit that bad.”
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“Homegrown people who play for the name on the front of their jersey because they know the name on the front of their jersey. People who care about the place they are in.”
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“Their loyalty to me should be my loyalty to them. And loyalty is still damn important… I don't give up on the people I have. This is called development.”
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: What Tom Izzo Had to Say About Michigan State's Big Win Over Kentucky
