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Tom Izzo gives blunt take on how Michigan State handled emotions of Michigan rivalry: 'Not very well'

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko01/31/26nickkosko59

Tom Izzo and Michigan State went through a rollercoaster of emotions in an 83-71 loss to Michigan. But according to the head coach, the Spartans didn’t handle that well.

Michigan led 42-26 at halftime and while Michigan State battled back, it wasn’t enough. Izzo said there were some positives from the game, but his squad wasn’t consistent enough to mount a comeback.

The loss at home dropped No. 7 Michigan State to 19-3 on the season while the No. 3 Wolverines improved to 20-1. For Izzo, it was about his team’s personal competitiveness.

“Not very well,” Izzo said when asked how his team handled emotions during the game. “I didn’t think we handled it very well. I mean, Jeremy let their talking get to him and his talking get to them. I didn’t think we handled it very well. I did not think that some of those new guys that didn’t, you know, didn’t compete like I think they need to compete to play the game at that level. 

“I don’t know how to look at the game. We get off to a bad start, and then we cut the lead, and then that play in the first half, and then all of a sudden, it’s a 20 point game, and we cut that down. And I said, let’s get it down, at the 12 minute mark, let’s get it to 10. I think at the 15 minute mark it was down to five. And because we just started guarding, and we started digging in the post and getting some rebounds and getting our break going, but we didn’t do enough of that, so I didn’t think we handled it well.”

Jeremy Fears, despite the emotional battles, put up 31 points, five rebounds and seven assists in the loss. Jaxon Kohler had 12 points, five rebounds and one assist.

As Izzo pointed out, there was a bad stretch in the first half. A 20-point deficit, or so, is tough to get over.

“I’m not going to panic over getting beat in a game that we had that one stretch where, just a bad stretch there in that first half,” Izzo said. “And then the second half, battle all the way back, and then don’t quite get it done at the end. We gave up, I think, three rebounds at one time, and they hit a three. Those are daggers, and give them credit. They did it, and they got them.”