Tom Izzo Quotes (298 Quotes)

It's a big loss for us in games coming up. It's disappointing because he was playing better. We're not the most physical team, and he brings a little physicality to us. He's a versatile guy who can guard on the perimeter and guard big guys inside.

He's definitely the most tenacious defender we've ever had here. He needs to continue to improve his shooting, but he's tougher than nails.

He is a product of staying four years. He is having an incredible senior year. He's under control more. He deserves a ton of credit for changing his game. I hardly see him forcing his shot anymore. I think he's more of a team guy this year. I think that's one of the reasons they're better.

I said 'Oh, it's gonna be a charge,' and then he jumped, I think, over him. I would normally joke and take credit for that, but that was so good I can't even joke and take credit. That will rank right up with the best I've seen.

This is the greatest time of the year. For nine, 10 years, we've gotten better over Christmas.

The really sad part is, I thought this team had enough talent to go a long way. We had three really good players, but we just didn't have enough depth and we were never as consistent or tough as we needed to be.

I did not feel that we were in sync. I think you have to give Illinois some credit for that but I also think you have to give us some blame.

Normally the guys who are successful as freshmen are playing on average teams. The proof's in the pudding the last six, seven years. The problem in athletics is we tend to take that one exception Anthony and make it the norm. I think everybody's got to be careful.

Shannon Brown does have a knack for rising to the occasion in big games. He kind of thrives on the pressure. When I told him he had to take over a little bit, he did it in such a controlled way - even with that dunk he had, one of the best I've ever seen here.

I told them their most important job now is the locker room, the dorm room, the hotel room. What they spread, what kind of message they spread, might be as critical as anything.

Sometimes there's only so much you can do. I think Matt would play if it was just the pain. They're worried that if your jaw is broke and you get hit again, what can happen.

It was perfectly legal, but it was odd. I just remember seeing Bruce on the plane. I was mad at him, but I still love those guys.

It's kind of out of my hands and kind of out of his hands, for the most part. That puts a lot of pressure on the doctors. ... To medical people, three or four or five days makes a big difference.

I look at the stats and kind of see a different game than I watched. I didn't really like the game I watched, to be honest with you. But the stats say we did some things well. And I was very proud of Maurice Ager and Paul Davis at halftime. They vowed we'd be better defensively in the second half, and we were.

It's better today. I really thought when it happened when they carried him off that it was either broke or torn and all the (tests) came back positive.

Iowa's good enough to win the Big Ten title. They've helped themselves this week by beating Indiana (Saturday) and us.

Give Paul credit because he went back in and played with those fouls.

I feel all of the responsibility for that. I did not get as much out of these guys as they had to give.

I think it was the biggest disappointment of all the NCAA games we played in. We didn't have the season we wanted to have. We didn't perform to what I think our capabilities were. I think this is one of the few times in my career here as a head coach that we didn't get done what I think we were capable of getting done, culminating with the lack of a very good performance on that last night.

What I think a successful program is, is not the one who wins it every year, but the one that is truly knocking at the door and everyone knows every year. They are a threat to do something.

I think I got kind of a worn-out team right now. I can come up with a lot of different reasons, excuses, but we were just flat-out beat. And I did not think we played with the energy we needed to play. We still hung in there, and then we had the knockout punch of that three-minute span, and Illinois deserves a lot of credit for that.

I was thinking about that as every game went by. I feel better in one way, but I feel worse that it kind of makes you madder (because of) where you could have gone. Maybe we're not quite the dogs we think we are up here.

Our biggest problem was there was no spacing between those tough games. We kept losing and having to play another great team right away. I still think good schedules make you better in the long run. I don't mind losing because that's how you figure out what's wrong, but you have to do it within reason.

I think he's done some good things. He made a couple great passes, then he made a couple bad ones, but he's getting better.

I think Shannon Brown deserves a lot of credit. ... I thought he did a great job on Taylor and that was the difference in the game.

I look at our record and eight losses is more than I'd like to see, but I also look at it like, I haven't lost any confidence in this team. I'm disappointed maybe in the consistency of a couple guys, but I haven't lost confidence in what I think we can still do. ... There's nobody I'm afraid to play, and I just want to start playing better, consistently, ourselves.

I'll say it like this -- there's a current under the water that I don't know where it's going sometimes with this team. But I do think it's capable of making a very good run, and I don't think that's a dream. We have proven we can play with anybody.

That was a bizarre game. I thought Wisconsin played very well in the first half, and we just sort of hung in the game. I thought it hurt them when Tucker went out, and I thought we did some good things, too.

I still think we've got a lot to play for. The problem is the games aren't going to get any easier.

It was a game that slipped away. Give credit to them, they deserved to win.

We found a way to win that's what you've got to do in one-and-done time.

He played like a warrior. ... Making those free throws and all, he played his tail off. And there's just a comfort level with the guys and ... ah, it was big.

They are valuable guys. It is a critical injury. But people have had more injuries than we've had.

We want to get back to running and wearing people down. This might be our most athletic team ever.

This is still a very good Indiana team. They can do well in the Big Ten tournament and be a NCAA tourney team.

Well, I'm happiest for Maurice (Ager). To his credit he had some tough games. He came up and talked to me after the Iowa game and said he was working hard and getting his rest, and he really needed to have a good game. I thought he was excellent.

What we haven't been is a very consistent team in all those areas. At least we don't have to reinvent the wheel. Somewhere throughout the season, we've done those things. Now it's a matter of putting them together.

We did a pretty good job on a lot of guys, just free throws, free throws, free throws.

They're playing for a Big Ten championship. They haven't done that for a few years now, and they're playing a team that beat them handily. The schedule is somewhat in their favor, somewhat in Ohio State's favor.

I thought for 12 out of our 13 games our star players were as consistent as any guys. Tonight, for some reason, we just weren't as consistent. We looked like a team that came off a four-day break.

It's a nice honor to have three players recognized. I think it speaks not only to the talent of those players but also their unselfishness to be willing to share awards with their teammates, much like the Detroit Pistons had four all-stars, but no one who started in the all-star game.

I love the way Maurice handled himself as far as encouraging guys he was awesome in the huddles. He's probably the most even-keel guy on our team.

I was very disappointed in our execution and some of our guard play. Maybe we were a little fatigued. We were short on a lot of shots.

They've had moments when they've been real good and not as good, and so have we. They still have some vulnerability just like everybody in this league does. It was just two games ago that Iowa lost to Northwestern.

That was a difficult game to coach and difficult game to play in.

I don't feel great about it because destiny's not in our total hands. But I feel good that we're going to be difference-makers.

I think we were too aggressive. Every time we touched a guy, there was a foul.

He had someone close to him die over in Iraq. It was something that bothered him. He didn't let us know about it until after the game. I felt for him a lot more Saturday night than I did Saturday afternoon (before knowing). I felt for him that he tried to hold it all in.

He kind of thrives on pressure, he kind of thrives on big moments. He took control of the game, under control. And that speaks volumes of a player when he can take control of game and do it under control. I think that means the guy's really growing up and becoming a special player.

It's kind of apropos for the year. It was a rough start and it will be a rough ending. At the same time, if you can win a game and you've got Senior Day, I don't see it being a major factor.