MSU's Tom Izzo Recaps Team's Massive Victory over Illinois

EAST LANSING, Mich. --- Michigan State entered Saturday night in a must-win spot. It got that needed victory.

The 10th-ranked Spartans trailed most of the game, but MSU found a way to pull out an 86-83 victory over No. 5 Illinois at the Breslin Center. It's the team's biggest resume win of the year, also snapping the Fighting Illini's 12-game win streak and Michigan State's two-game losing streak.

MSU's Tom Izzo knows what this one meant for his team that hadn't put together a complete performance in a bit. This one wasn't perfect, but it was enough to take down a team that Izzo think is better than his own.

Spartan Nation was there to capture Izzo's press conference. A full video of it has been provided below.

Watch Tom Izzo here:

More on the Game, Presser

Players Take Steps

There were two guys that Izzo really thought took a step in the right direction during this game. He singled out both of his true freshman: Jordan Scott and Cam Ward.

Scott got the toughest defensive assignment he might get this offseason. He was assigned on Illinois star Keaton Wagler, who very well might end up becoming the Big Ten Player of the Year. Wagler was stifled nearly all night, shooting just 2-for-16 from the field, going 0-for-8 when he was inside the arc.

Ward also came up clutch a couple of times. He had a big 2-for-2 trip at the free-throw line in the second half, but he came up big during one sequence in overtime. With less than two minutes remaining in overtime, Michigan State had a two-point lead. Ward finished off a crucial defensive stop with a nice rebound. Then, on the other end, he cleaned up the offensive glass for a successful put-back that put MSU up five.

"Cam Ward, he brought energy, he's a phenomenal defender --- that's why we had him in there at the end," Izzo said. "Not a great free-throw shooter, and when he knocked those two down... I think if anybody needed a game like this, it was him, because he's a good player, and he's going to be a really good player, and he's a good kid.

"I was happy. Maybe as happy for Cam as anybody, because it has been a struggle for him coming back off the [wrist] injury."

Michigan State's (20-4 overall, 10-3 Big Ten) next game is at Wisconsin on Friday.

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