790 the Zone in Atlanta interview
Izzo discusses losing to Duke in a close contest:
You think he’s a hell of a player, that’s for sure. Irving is a great player and we made him even greater than he is. I say that only because … he got 13 [points] at the free throw line. You can’t let that happen, that’s for sure. On that night, he played very well against a very good player and I think it was maybe more him than us. … I was actually quite pleased with our defense other than our turnovers which led to poor defense.
‘It was beautiful’
After the 60-54 win over Virginia by MSU’s basketball team, Johnson speaks to the entire team.
I just want to say, when you’re in a battle, your seniors gotta step up, all right?…See, you stepped up. And even when [Denzel] Valentine got in foul trouble, you didn’t waver. You kept going…And I think Coach was right: the defense, helping each other, talking — talking. It was beautiful. It was beautiful to watch. And even when they came back and made their run, you stuck to the game plan, you executed and you stuck together.