Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo: Illinois Is the Best Team in the Big Ten

Even after the Spartans' 80-78 win Sunday, Tom Izzo called the Illini the conference's current team to beat
Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo, right, signals Spartans ball after a scrum for possession during the first half in the game against Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo, right, signals Spartans ball after a scrum for possession during the first half in the game against Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

To be fair to Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, there aren't as many Alan Andersons and Shannon Browns across college basketball as there once were.

So when Izzo butchered the names of Kasparas Jakucionis, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Ben Humrichous in his press conference following the Spartans' 80-78 win over Illinois on Sunday, he clearly meant no disrespect. In fact, he was doing all he could to express the opposite:

"I said it before the game, and now I'll say it after the game: I really do believe they're the best team in the league right now," Izzo said of his take on Illinois' standing in the Big Ten. "I'm not slighting us, I'm not slighting Purdue, I'm not slighting Michigan or anyone else. I just think right now that was a tough team to play."

No one could dispute that. Against Illinois, MSU was outrebounded for only the second time this season, saw its NCAA-leading fastbreak slowed to half-speed and – if not for a few missed free throws or a too-spicy pass that sailed through the hands of center Tomislav Ivisic – the Illini likely would have pulled off the upset.

"I mean, they play hard ... they play hard. But we did a helluva job on Hum-rich-iss ... house. Just going to say No. 13, No. 11. You know, this U.P. vocabulary isn't ready for some of these names."

And Illinois' chances would have almost certainly improved by degrees of magnitude if not for the chorus of whistles that held freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis to just nine minutes on Sunday. Izzo agreed wholeheartedly – but can we all agree not to force the poor guy into taking any more stabs at the young Lithuanian's name?

"The scary part is, they did that without ... Jock-uh-chone-us," Izzo said with a pause. "Is that how you say it? Close? No. 32 is a little more Northern Michigan-ish."

Izzo will have little time for pronunciation exercises given the quick turnaround for the Spartans' next meeting, on Feb. 15 in Champaign. The young Illini seem to take steps toward improvement with every game, and chances are the circumstances next month when they welcome MSU to the State Farm Center will be more favorable than those they faced in East Lansing on Sunday.

"They're good – and they're going to get better," Izzo said. "But we're going to get better, too."

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Basketball Makes a (Surprise?) Move in Latest AP Poll

Illinois' Tomislav Ivisic Battled Through Illness at Michigan State

Illinois Coach Brad Underwood Won't Blame Refs for Michigan State Loss


Published
Jason Langendorf
JASON LANGENDORF

Jason Langendorf has covered Illinois basketball, football and more for Illinois on SI since October 2024, and has covered Illini sports – among other subjects – for 30 years. A veteran of ESPN and Sporting News, he has published work in The Guardian, Vice, Chicago Sun-Times and many other outlets. He is currently also the U.S. editor at BoxingScene and a judge for the annual BWAA writing awards. He can be followed and reached on X and Bluesky @JasonLangendorf.