Last March, Michigan State faced North Carolina in the NCAA tournament.
It was a de facto home game for the Tar Heels in Charlotte, NC, but this is Michigan State. The Spartans are led by what can be argued to be the best coach of a generation. Yes, Tom Izzo’s name should be discussed with Coach K and others as long as you’re having an intelligent conversation about something other than counting titles.
The Spartans raced to an early 12-point lead over Hubert Davis’ crew, but that would be the game’s highlight. The Tar Heels would go on a 17-0 run as part of a 23-3 explosion that saw North Carolina take over the game. It was the seventh time in the last eight games that Izzo saw his Spartans lose to North Carolina, including twice in Detroit.
At the postgame press conference after the loss, Izzo made a statement for the program, and all the people out here were talking about retirement: “Somehow I got to do a better job. I’ve got to figure that out. And I promise you between now and October, I will.”
The defiant nature of the statement was classic Izzo. It’s what has made him great. So, what did Izzo figure out? It lies in the 2025 recruiting class.
