It was a frustrating night for the Spartans, as Michigan State basketball yet again suffers a tough loss this year after going on a nice run.
Two steps forward, one step back seems to be the theme of this year, and that was very much the case on Tuesday night, when MSU lost to Iowa 78-71 after they just won two straight road games and beat a good Illinois team at home.
After the game, MSU head coach Tom Izzo spoke to the media about the loss and his thoughts on the game, and you can find the notable quotes from that session below.
Tom Izzo: MSU 'looked like we were in quicksand'
MSU coach Tom Izzo says the Spartans "looked like we were in quicksand from the get-go" against Iowa. Points to giving up "layup after layup" in the post and the ones MSU missed. Box score says Spartans had 8 missed layups, which doesn't count short jumpers.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 21, 2024
Izzo on the poor defense from the centers
Izzo says "our bigs didn't guard." Adds that MSU "didn't deserve to win it."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 21, 2024
Izzo points to one center who Iowa 'killed'
Izzo: Iowa "absolutely killed every one of our post guys. I have to come up with something better on that. We haven't had that happen. And it was just layup after layup."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 21, 2024
On Xavier Booker
Izzo on Xavier Booker: "I'm not disappointed in Book, I just gotta find the right matchup for him."
— Spartans Illustrated (@SpartansRivals) February 21, 2024
Izzo on the energy tonight
Izzo said that the energy level wasn't there tonight.
"We flat out didn't bring it."
— Spartans Illustrated (@SpartansRivals) February 21, 2024