Why Izzo Called Out Players After West Coast Trip
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No. 10 Michigan State survived its dreaded West Coast road trip with two wins over the last week, but head coach Tom Izzo was less than thrilled with his team following Tuesday's win at Oregon.
While the Spartans won the game by double digits, their slow start and a lack of ability to lock in and truly concentrate from some of Izzo's most trusted and experienced players loomed over the scene, particularly after a good string of practices throughout the week.
"I really believed that we practiced well, we [had] meetings well, and we didn't burn them out," Izzo said postgame. "We did everything we could do, and we were ready to play. As soon as things went awry, my leadership did not lead. That falls on the four juniors and seniors and the head coach. So, I'm going to rip all five of us -- me in the mirror and those four in person."
MSU Basketball's Leadership
Izzo, of course, refers to the four team captains: Coen Carr, Carson Cooper, Jeremy Fears Jr., and Jaxon Kohler. All have been productive players for MSU this season, but it never seems to happen at the same time.
Carr has taken some heat for his offense this season, and he was challenged by Izzo after a few recent lackluster performances. On Tuesday, however, the junior was one of the best Spartans on the floor, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds.
"He was probably the best of my leaders tonight, of my four captains," Izzo said. "Consequently, he played as hard as anybody, and good things happened to him. I was happy to see him hit a couple of threes because it's been a rough go for him."
Fears Jr. has also been challenged by Izzo this season. The head coach believes he has the makings of an incredible leader but struggles to assert himself at times with his play, which was evident early against the Ducks.
"I just didn't think Jeremy took control like he did in the second half," Izzo explained. "He's got to do that, so if that's a negative, so be it. It's a negative. He's got to get better at that. He's been our most consistent guy lately. The second half, you saw a different guy than the first half, but we've got to make sure he plays both halves."
The leaders might be taking the brunt of the criticism after the win, but it's on the entire team to build on the lessons from the experience. Several other players have been called out throughout the season for not playing well, and even through a couple of victories, their lapses on defense and in other areas, which the Spartans consider staples, showed.
"I'm going to write it off to good offense by them," Izzo said. "I'm going to write it off to the trip because it was different a little bit, and I'm going to write it off to a couple of guys have got to grit their teeth and guard somebody because that's what we do here. When we guard better, we rebound better. When we rebound better, we run better. When we run better, we're a better team."
Becoming a better team is always the goal throughout each season. The West Coast road trip gave Michigan State a glimpse of what it needs to improve without sacrificing its record. Now, it's on Izzo, his leaders, and the rest of the program to make those adjustments and turn in another memorable season.
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-ac9f01ae65e71c7320d1c61247b2ecac.jpg "Travis Tyler")
Travis Tyler joined On SI as a writer in January 2026. He has experience contributing to FanSided’s NFL, college football, and college basketball coverage, in addition to freelance work throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including high school, college, and professional sports for the Dallas Express and contributions to the College Football Dawgs, Last Word on Sports/Hockey, and The Dallas Morning News. In addition to his writing, Travis contributes video and podcasting content to Fanatics View and regularly appears as a guest analyst. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and SMU and is an avid Detroit sports fan with a deep knowledge and appreciation of sports history. Follow Travis Tyler on Twitter at @TTyler_Sports.