Michigan State HC Tom Izzo calls out negative media amid 1-2 start

For all intents and purposes, the beginning of the 2023-24 college basketball season could not have gone worse for the Michigan State Spartans.

Starting the year ranked No. 4 in the country, they opened the season with an overtime loss to James Madison, in what was a massive upset. After a bounce-back win against Southern Indiana, the Spartans took the court against No. 9 Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic and came away with another loss, 74-65.

MSU now finds itself with two early losses and a 3-0 Butler team on the horizon.

Again, it's been a pretty terrible start for the Spartans, but after the loss to Duke, head coach Tom Izzo didn't see the need for negativity. In fact, he called the media out on it.

“If I listen to you guys, I may as well just call it a year,” Izzo said (h/t On3). “Level of concern, level of concern, level of concern. I mean, we lost the game, you know? The last game that we lost we had some problems shooting the ball, but that was also the game that we were in a lot of foul trouble, and Malik [Hall] and A.J. [Hoggard] were cramping up the whole second half.”

It sounds like excuse-making, but per Izzo, he's just trying to find the silver lining in these two losses. After all, the season has just started and it's not like Michigan State's going to pack it in after two tough games.

“It’s funny how everybody just picks out the negative things. I mean, I’m really good at that, and if I’m not — but you guys are beating me out tonight. You guys are doing a better job than me. So, all I can tell you is I like the fact we didn’t quit. I like the fact we walked in the locker room and the first thing A.J. says is, ‘If I don’t play better, you should bench me. This is ridiculous,'” Izzo said.

Izzo was referencing senior guard A.J. Hoggard, who scored just two points on 1-of-8 shooting.

At the end of the day what's MSU to do? The Spartans have got to keep fighting because the season is still young. For MSU, it's only three games old.

For what it's worth, Izzo seems to believe his team will bounce back.

“I think we got a damn good team,” Izzo said, per ESPN. “I really do. We haven’t played very good. We haven’t played very good. We’re going to play good."