Tom Izzo Says He Was 'Disappointed' in Officiating After Loss to Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines picked up a huge road victory at Michigan State on Friday night to move into first place in the conference by themselves for the time being.

After the game, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, who was assessed a technical foul in the final minute of the contest and was reported to be frustrated with the officiating at halftime per the FOX broadcast, said he was disappointed on both the way the game was called by the referees and his team's performance.

"I was disappointed in the officiating, but I was more disappointed in my team," Izzo said in his postgame press conference. "I just did not think we played well enough—I thought there was some bizarre calls and I thought they (Michigan) made the plays."

Izzo did give some credit to Michigan for the victory, but with what seemed to be with some reluctance.

Dusty May Tom Izzo — Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo, left, shakes hands with Michigan's head coach Dusty May after the game on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"To say I would be disappointed would be an understatement," said Izzo. "I don't like the way we played, I'll give Michigan credit. They played well—I guess."

Does Izzo have a gripe about the officiating?

In total, Michigan State was whistled for 23 fouls compared to Michigan's 21, but the Spartans committed a number of intentional fouls late to inflate that number. Without those, MSU would have had an advantage in the foul count, but it wouldn't have been a drastic difference either way.

On top of that, the Spartans shot 27 free throws compared to Michigan's 26, but again, that disparity would have been even larger in MSU's favor without the intentional fouling at the end.

Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo argues a call with a referee during the first half in the game against Michigan on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In reality, Michigan won this game because the Wolverines outplayed the Spartans in every phase.

Michigan led for over 90% of the game, shot better than the Spartans from the floor and turned it over one less time.

In every game, there are missed calls that occur, but it's not as if the officiating in this game favored one team over the other, and the numbers support that.

Michigan's size and strength down low was just too much for the Spartans to overcome and the Wolverines made more plays down the stretch.

Izzo and the Spartans will have to figure out a way to regroup and try to beat their rival in Ann Arbor when the two teams play again on March 8 in the final game of the regular season.

— Sign up for the Michigan Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage fromMichigan Wolverines on SI —

Takeaways From Michigan's Big Win Over Michigan State

Michigan Basketball to Receive Official Visit From Top Ranked Player in Illinois