MSU's Izzo Shows Displeasure with Poor Second Half vs. Toledo
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EAST LANSING, Mich. --- Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo is always going to find something to be displeased with, and the Spartans gave him plenty of material during the second half on Tuesday night.
No. 9 MSU cruised past Toledo, 92-69, but the Spartans were outscored by seven in the second half. Michigan State had a dream first half that earned it a 30-point cushion into the break, but Izzo is looking for 40-minute performances, not 20-minute ones.
"When you're up 25, 30 points, it takes a real self-driven human being to stay focused on the task at hand and realize you're trying to make yourself better, and you're playing for games down the road," Izzo said postgame. "We still showed some immaturity that we did not do that, and we gotta get better at it."
Video of Izzo's entire postgame press conference has been provided by Spartan Nation below.
Watch Tom Izzo here:
More from Izzo
This game for Michigan State felt similar in ways to the Spartans' game against San Jose State back on Nov. 13. Just like Tuesday's result, MSU completely dominated the first half of the game, leading by 23 at halftime, but was outscored by four in the final 20 minutes.
"We had a good first half," Izzo said. "And the second half, I guess we didn't learn from the San Jose State game."
This seems to be an area of concern where Michigan State seems to differ from last season's squad that won the Big Ten and reached the Elite Eight. More will be learned about this year's team once the Big Ten schedule gets into full swing, but the 2024-25 team won several games in the final moments and put together comebacks.
The Duke loss is one example of this. MSU led that game by three at halftime, but ended up losing by six after being outscored 14-7 over the final five minutes. Michigan State made the plays it needed to beat Penn State this past Saturday, but the Nittany Lions are not a team near the Spartans' caliber.
MSU also has that close win over Arkansas, but it felt like neither team executed very well at the end of that game, and there's a good chance the Spartans lose that game if it's on a neutral floor and not in East Lansing.
With Christmas break nearing, there is a need for Michigan State to put together a strong performance that lasts from tip-off until the final buzzer. Its next chance will be against Oakland at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit this coming Saturday (noon ET, BTN).
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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