Tom Izzo Says Michigan State 'Fortunate' to Beat Purdue: 'They've Owned Us'

Beating Purdue had been a rarity for Michigan State over the past several seasons. Entering Tuesday night's game the Boilermakers had won nine of the last 10 meetings with the Spartans. So, yeah, Tom Izzo felt fortunate to get a win at the Breslin Center.

Michigan State defeated Purdue 75-66 in a pivotal Big Ten clash on Tuesday night. The Spartans got balanced scoring for the game, led by Jase Richardson, who scored 12 points. Three others from Michigan State reached double figures, with Frankie Fidler getting 11 and Coen Carr and Jaden Akins each scoring 10.

The Spartans also finished the game with just eight turnovers and outscored the Boilermakers 21-7 in fastbreak points. Those were two key components to Tuesday night's victory in East Lansing.

After the game, Izzo compared the contest to one of the battles between Jud Heathcote and Gene Keady — a hard-fought battle from start to finish. He also said his team was "fortunate" to be on the right side of the scoreboard.

"Understand this: This team has owned us. They really have," Izzo said. "The last few years they've owned us and it's because they're well-coached, they've got a good team. Those guys were classy after the game. I feel like these two programs mirror each other in a lot of ways. It felt fortunate and good to win a game like that."

Purdue got production from its two biggest stars: Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn. Smith finished the night with 17 points, eight assists and five rebounds. But one of the problems for the Boilers? He ended the game with six turnovers.

It wasn't the amount the hurt Purdue, but rather the timeliness.

Still, Izzo considers Smith as one of the top players in the country. Even though he finished with a solid stat line, the Michigan State coach was happy with how his team defended the elite guard.

"Smith is — pound for pound he might be the best player in the country," Izzo said. "He got 17, but we made him earn every one of them. But he had a couple of turnovers, I think some of it was us, some of it was the help. I thought we flew around defensively pretty well."

Kaufman-Renn had another 20-point outing for the Boilers, finishing with a game-high 24 points. He was nine-of-13 from the floor and connected on six-of-seven free throw attempts.

Izzo has been impressed by his growth over the last season.

"The job (Matt Painter) has done with Kaufman-Renn is unbelievable," Izzo said. "He's taken his game to another level."

Thanks to Tuesday's win, Michigan State finds itself in a favorable position in the Big Ten down the final stretch of the season. The Spartans are just a half-game behind Michigan in the standings, with two matchups against the Wolverines still ahead on the schedule.

Michigan State still has Maryland, Wisconsin and Iowa on the slate, as well.

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