Tom Izzo's 5-word message after Michigan State's Maui upset over North Carolina
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Michigan basketball rebounded from an upset loss to Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers last Tuesday with a huge victory over the No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels on Wednesday to secure third place in the Maui Invitational Presented by Novavax.
The game needed overtime to be settled, and fortunately for the Michigan State Spartans, they had more gas left in the tank than Hubert Davis’ squad. In a way, this was a successful revenge for Michigan State against the team that eliminated the Spartans from 2024 March Madness.
In the words of Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, “Maui’s been good to us,” (h/t Spartans Illustrated).
The Spartans entered the North Carolina game as the underdogs and their backs were pressed harder against the wall with the news of star freshman guard Jase Richardson getting ruled out ahead of the contest due to an elbow hit he took to the head in the meeting with Memphis. Richardson was a big loss for Michigan State, as he had 18 points against the Tigers. But Michigan State basketball also saw its players step up against North Carolina.
Six players chipped in at least 12 points for the Spartans, with Tre Holloman pacing the team with 19 points on the strength of a 3-for-6 shooting from deep. Holloman and Xavier Booker scored eight points together in overtime. Booker finished the game with 12 points off the bench while Coen Carr and Frankie Fidler had 14 and 13 points, also as part of the Spartans’ bench mob.
Michigan State basketball survives North Carolina in epic Maui Invitational showdown
Michigan State looked poised to secure the win after ending the first half with a nine-point lead but the Tar Heels fought back and forced overtime. Following the game, Izzo shared what he told his players amid North Carolina’s fightback.
“I told them in the huddle, we deserve to win this game,” Izzo said to NCAA.com correspondent Andy Katz.
“We’ve outplayed them most of the game. We deserve to win. We made some mistakes, but we deserve to win. That was kind of the MO we said. We said we got to get it right back. So wipe the frown off your face and let’s go. And for me, that’s because I was upset the way we lost it. You know, we just made some dumb turnovers at the end, miss a free throw. But give our guys credit, man. It’s not easy, especially without Jase. I mean, Jase, you know, the other night was the best player on the floor, you know, so that was critical, especially as good as their guards were,” the 69-year-old Izzo added.
Tom Izzo on the win over @UNC_Basketball and the 2-1 record for @MSU_Basketball in @MauiInv@MarchMadnessMBB: pic.twitter.com/p8HdhESZ9Y
— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) November 28, 2024
Michigan State, which went 1-2 in the tournament, will look to build on its momentum, with the Spartans scheduled to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers next Wednesday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
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