MSU's Izzo's 'You Can't Guard My Mother' Line to Teng Goes Viral

Tom Izzo definitely was not pleased with Kur Teng's defense on Tuesday night.

During the first half of 10th-ranked Michigan State's eventual 68-52 victory over Oregon, the FS1 broadcast had a mic near one MSU huddle. It caught a pretty humorous line from Izzo, at least to the audience.

"Kur you can't guard my mother. My mother!"

Inside the @MSU_Basketball huddle with Tom Izzo. pic.twitter.com/HETzQFA8UX
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 21, 2026

"Kur, you couldn't guard my mother," Izzo said, which went over the air. "My mother!"

FOX has posted two videos relating to the moment on Instagram as of Wednesday afternoon. Those two videos alone have already accumulated over 750,000 views online. Many other people have posted the video on other platforms, including Twitter/X.

Izzo Expands on Comment

Jan 20, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo watches warmups before the game against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Izzo's mother is 99 years old, by the way. He was sure to make it clear when somebody asked him about it during his postgame press conference. The reporter had jokingly asked if Izzo's mother still "had some game."

"No, that's the sad part," Izzo said. "She doesn't have game, and he [Teng] still couldn't guard her."

Playing defense is one of the prerequisites for playing for Izzo, after all. That's been especially so this year, as Michigan State has the No. 1 defense in the country on KenPom. The team's adjusted defensive efficiency --- a fancy way of the number of points MSU would be expected to allow in 100 possessions to an average Division I team --- is just 89.9. That would be the Spartans' best mark on KenPom since 2012-13 (88.5).

Because Teng wasn't playing defense up to Izzo's standards, he didn't play much. Sometimes, it's as simple as that. Teng only played eight minutes during Tuesday's matchup against the Ducks. That was the least amount of playing time he's received since the second game of the season versus Arkansas, when he only played six minutes.

Michigan State's Kur Teng makes a 3-pointer against Indiana during the first half on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Izzo wasn't necessarily joking when he said that Teng couldn't guard his elderly mother. He says it wasn't to let him relax a bit and let him play loose, but to light a bit of a fire.

"I'm hoping he's --- the word starts with a 'p off,'" Izzo said about it. "I'm hoping that it ticks him off, and maybe he'll play better angry. Because some of it was unstomachable. And I haven't said that much this whole year."

Izzo then made one more joke about it. The Spartans are set to return to East Lansing soon from their long road trip out to the West Coast, but he said Teng might be on a different flight.

"We're all flying back to East Lansing," Izzo said, "He's flying to Appleton [, Wisconsin]. Check USA Today tomorrow. He and my mom will be going at it in a nursing home in a gym, and we'll see how he does."

Michigan State's Tom Izzo yells at a referee about a call made during a game against Northwestern at the Breslin Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

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