Tom Izzo weighs in on post-game altercation between Michigan and Wisconsin

The Spartans head coach shared his thoughts on what happened between Michigan's Juwan Howard, Wisconsin's Greg Gard

On Monday, previewing Michigan State's upcoming game against Iowa, Spartan head coach Tom Izzo was asked about Sunday's altercation between Michigan head coach Juwan Howard and Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard.

"It was bad for college basketball,” Izzo said. “It was a scary situation. The reason for it all, what I saw, I have no idea. I just hope everybody learns from it and gets better."

Izzo expressed concern for the players from both programs, noting that he was more worried about potential injuries than he was concerned about what suspensions would be handed down by the Big Ten Conference and/or the universities.

He said he would not pass judgment on anyone involved in the incident without knowing the full context of what happened.

“If it was just what happened, what you saw, I’d think it was totally wrong,” he said. “But if there were things that brought that on, then I’d be willing to listen and see before [passing judgement].”

Izzo did, however, express remorse for everyone who was involved in the incident.

“What instigated it, I don’t know,” he said. “I feel bad for Juwan. I feel bad for Gard. I feel bad for all of them that are involved in it, because nothing good comes of it. … More than the punishment that’s dealt, I hope the lessons have been learned and we move forward.”

Izzo said it can be difficult for coaches and players to deescalate after competition, and noted the extraordinary pressures that both are under in the modern era of sports, but the head coach also expressed there was “still and a right and a wrong” way to go about things.

“It didn’t look good but, unlike a lot of people in the world, I’m not going to comment on something I don’t know anything about, which is pretty common nowadays, both in the media and in the general public,” Izzo said. “And I’m not going to be one of those guys. Maybe I’ll call both coaches and try to find out what the hell happened, or maybe I’ll just coach my team and do it after the fact.”

Izzo was then asked about suggestions that have emerged across social media and the national media about doing away with handshake lines following games. The head coach made very clear his disdain for that idea.

“That, to me, would be the biggest farce, joke, ridiculous nature of anything I’ve ever heard of,” Izzo said. “We’ve already taught these poor 18-year-olds that when you’re told to go to class and you don’t like it, you can leave. We’ve already told these kids, if you’re not happy you can do something else. We’ve already told these kids that it’s hard to hold them accountable, and now we’re going to tell them to not man up, and walk down a line, when someone has kicked your butt and have enough class to shake their hand. It’s utterly ridiculous.”

Izzo noted conversations that he’s had with Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and Illinois’ Trent Frazier following games, saying those interactions would be lost if handshake lines were removed.

“Those are the moments when you learn most about people,” Izzo said. “So, the people that are saying that are the same people that don’t want to teach players accountability, respect or anything else.”

Izzo said this issue concerning the removal of handshake lines was more of a sore spot with him than the actual incident that took place in Madison, Wisc.

“Maybe we should teach people how to shake hands,” he said. “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous, if that’s what we’ve come to. Shame on whoever said it. …In my opinion, that is asinine.

“Not shaking hands, that's typical of our country right now. Instead of solving the problem, let's make an excuse. Instead of confronting and demanding that it change, let’s eliminate it so that we don’t have those problems.”