Tom Izzo, postgame, Minnesota 011824
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00:00 Two things, you gotta win games and you gotta be progressing every game.
00:04 You gotta be getting better every game.
00:05 We won a game, we did not progress.
00:08 And I was disappointed.
00:10 I was very complimentary and I said this to our team,
00:14 it's a tough situation when you find out right before a game somebody's not playing.
00:19 That you had put a lot into.
00:21 And last time that happened was Sensabide, Ohio State.
00:25 And we did not, we relaxed.
00:27 I thought we relaxed.
00:28 Got off to a good start, 13 to 5.
00:30 I thought our wings didn't guard anybody.
00:32 When you have a game and you have five turnovers and the opponent has 19,
00:36 you have 20 assists and 29 baskets.
00:39 There was some incredible things we did.
00:41 But we missed wide open threes, we missed a bunch of free throws,
00:44 which we haven't done in a long time.
00:46 Which means we just weren't there.
00:48 The last ten minutes, Tyson Walker was a different player.
00:51 And it bothers me.
00:54 So we won a game.
01:00 That's what you gotta do at this time of year, you gotta win a game.
01:02 But if you're gonna really do something.
01:07 We had, when you've been in it as long as I have, you go to bed at night and
01:12 you say, God, we had a good practice.
01:13 I feel better, I sleep good.
01:15 Good practice night before a game, that's great.
01:17 And when you've been as long as I have, I said to Wojcik on the bench,
01:21 there's times you have good practice and you play bad.
01:26 And there's times you have a bad practice and you play good.
01:28 I like the odds the other way.
01:31 It sounds like I'm taking a lot of weight from Minnesota, so
01:34 I wanna make sure I don't do that.
01:35 I think Ben has done a phenomenal job.
01:38 I think in some ways the bigger line gave us more trouble.
01:40 Their guards were bigger, stronger.
01:43 As you know, we're not the biggest team in America.
01:46 I don't wanna downplay, I thought AJ played pretty good most of the game.
01:51 The pass at the end is just things that you can't do.
01:56 And they get that one stolen.
01:57 My God, I could have stole that one.
02:00 And yet I thought, hooray for Malik Hall.
02:06 Gets his thousandth point on maybe one of the better dunks I've seen in our building.
02:11 Gets a double-double, plays good defense.
02:14 I thought all in all, he did a hell of a job.
02:18 Garcia's a hell of a player.
02:21 He can get you inside, he can get you outside.
02:24 It's a shame what happened to Cam Christie.
02:26 Getting in foul trouble, I think he's done a hell of a job too.
02:30 And he's gonna be a very good player for him.
02:32 And yet the guys that came in for him played pretty well also.
02:36 So all in all, we're just gonna take that as a win.
02:39 And I'm going right to work on Maryland, big road game that we have next.
02:46 >> Tom, you said something after the Reckless game I found really intriguing.
02:49 You said, you were genuine when you said you think effort should really be
02:52 a stat line.
02:53 So if you had your legacy to be that, would be that,
02:57 what would be some of the elements and how would you rate the team's effort tonight?
03:00 Did I pick the wrong day to ask you that?
03:03 >> No, no, no, no, you mixed up the quarter.
03:07 >> Okay, cool.
03:08 >> Effort is a skill.
03:09 >> It's a skill, excuse me.
03:10 >> It's a skill, and nobody makes effort a skill anymore.
03:15 Coaches don't look at that,
03:16 NBA guys never look at that if you ask me personally.
03:19 But it is a skill.
03:22 And there were times their effort was pretty good.
03:24 I mean, they were beasts on boards.
03:26 I mean, because they played the bigger lineup, all of a sudden they moved up.
03:30 They started a bigger lineup with Payne, and he had ten boards.
03:36 And then they come in there with Enan played a lot more minutes, he's 6'10".
03:44 And then they come in with Fox, he played a little bit more than he normally plays.
03:48 And then they came in with Ola Joseph, who I think is a hell of a player.
03:54 He didn't do as much tonight, but hard to guard.
03:57 And we had a guard in with one of our wing guys, and
04:00 I think that hurt us a little bit.
04:01 So, I mean, there was some effort there, there was some effort at the end.
04:04 I thought the last seven, eight minutes, I thought we played with a lot more effort.
04:09 But we didn't do some things early, and it's just disappointing.
04:12 So I'm gonna stay disappointed in it, and be happy about the win.
04:16 >> Thank you.
04:17 >> John, this wasn't the first time Tyson's taken over in the last eight minutes.
04:20 How do you get him to be more assertive in the first 32?
04:23 >> I don't know, ask him.
04:24 I love him too, I mean, he was great, his attitude was great.
04:27 Couple guys I thought, but he was just like existing out there.
04:31 And I just said, what are we doing?
04:34 I said, remember I told you a couple weeks ago, I thought defensively,
04:39 he's got a whole nother notch.
04:40 You saw it in the last seven minutes.
04:43 And why, I don't know, I don't know if he's saving himself, I don't know,
04:46 whatever, whatever.
04:47 But I gotta meet with him on that,
04:50 cuz he's just too good a player on both ends.
04:52 And I thought that, I don't even know, did he take two shots the first half?
04:56 >> He only had one shot up until that last stretch, too, in the second half.
05:00 >> Good job, poor coachy.
05:02 We gotta give him some shots, but he's gotta give himself some shots.
05:06 And I just thought when you look at it, fast break points, 21 to 6.
05:12 Points in the paint, 44 to 12.
05:16 Or 17 to 2 on fast break, points up turnovers, 21 to 6.
05:21 Bench points, the only one that got us in the second chance, and
05:23 I mean, they are really good on the boards.
05:25 This is a good team, and he is a good coach, and has done a great job with them.
05:29 I mean, Mitchell, number two, is that Mitchell?
05:32 >> Yeah.
05:34 >> I mean, he had a couple of big threes, and yet his percentages weren't great.
05:38 But he had a couple big threes, Cam had a couple.
05:41 Garcia hit one, I mean, he's one for 15 for the year.
05:48 And that's what happens, and then really what was disappointing is the free throw
05:54 line, cuz I know we missed at least two, maybe three.
05:56 We've been shooting really well from the line.
05:58 Marty's been shooting really well, goes three for eight.
06:01 I feel for him, cuz I mean, he's worked at it hard, and he's been shooting it well.
06:06 But just gotta get better, get better.
06:11 >> What about the- >> A little bit about the first half,
06:14 the guards taking the ball off dribble and kinda getting in deep and
06:18 initiating kinda like that a little bit.
06:21 And then maybe the last sequence, it looked like that last sequence,
06:25 you had a chance to maybe push it back over to double digits.
06:28 And a couple of the guys- >> Four and a half.
06:30 >> Yeah, right.
06:31 Yeah, poor job, really poor job.
06:33 What were you, six or eight up?
06:35 We had the ball right, and then it ends up five.
06:38 We had to get the first five, and second half, poor job.
06:41 Poor job of coaching.
06:42 And I'm gonna use the time out.
06:44 I mean, I thought we were in a position.
06:46 We did not do a very good job, and they did a good job.
06:48 They played well, they mixed up their zone.
06:51 Man, I thought we attacked the zone pretty good.
06:53 I mean, we had good enough shots to shoot better than we did.
06:59 But not many teams shoot 30s against us on the three, and
07:04 they shot 35, and it was 50 half the night.
07:07 So, Gotta get better defensively, and
07:12 yet we must have been doing something with our effort to turn the ball over 19 times.
07:16 I mean, we got some steals, we did dig down, we did some things there.
07:21 But that team was three and three coming in.
07:25 They had some good wins.
07:26 I mean, you start thinking, well, Penn State didn't look very good here today,
07:30 and then they go beat Wisconsin.
07:32 I mean, I wish I could figure out the league in my own team, but I can't.
07:36 So I'll just give credit to Minnesota that they played well tonight,
07:40 they made some plays, and yet we did a lot of good things, just not enough of them.
07:45 >> Because they didn't turn it over five times.
07:47 >> Yes, that's ridiculous, and it was two forever.
07:49 I mean, I couldn't believe it.
07:51 And that just shouldn't happen.
07:57 >> Tom, the league has had games like this in this season, and
08:01 he's had some quieter times.
08:02 I'm just wondering if you think back, are there common threads to when he's able to
08:06 have games like this, whether it's his preparation, his mindset coming in, or
08:10 anything you notice from him that tends to lead to these type of performances from him?
08:13 >> I'm a coach, that's his job.
08:18 If I knew that, I'd be in a different profession.
08:25 I mean, I give him credit, though.
08:27 I mean, the last six games, he's been really good in four of them,
08:30 decent in one of them, and then poor in one of them, to be very honest.
08:36 But we are getting more consistency out of him.
08:38 I do think he had great practices.
08:41 I do think he was dialed in coming here.
08:43 He was really good in the huddles, and that was early.
08:45 But he did a lot of things, because what you didn't see here, yeah,
08:50 Dawson got 22 points, but he didn't get most of them at the free throw line.
08:55 And I thought when I had Malik on him, he did a phenomenal job.
09:00 So if we can keep Malik going like that,
09:05 I know Jaden and Tyson will play better.
09:08 I think they both, I mean, Jaden had four of his five threes were, I thought,
09:13 wide open, and he made two that got not counted on.
09:17 And so, all in all, it was a physical game.
09:23 It was physical.
09:26 >> You've got some good teams where things got nervy in the second half,
09:30 though sometimes it went the other way.
09:32 This team for a while now, it's down by five in Indiana State, 62-62.
09:36 There does seem to be a calmness and grit in those.
09:39 Is that something you're starting to trust with this group?
09:41 >> I don't like calmness, by the way.
09:44 I'm not like some of those coaches, they want everybody to be calm.
09:47 I don't like calmness.
09:50 But what you're saying, there was a confidence,
09:54 there was a players a little bit getting on players, but we gotta get some stops.
10:00 And so they were saying the right things in the huddle.
10:03 And you are right.
10:04 I mean, a couple of times we had it to six and five and
10:08 just couldn't get over the hump.
10:10 I don't know why.
10:12 I mean, we were up there and then Marty misses that two inch shot.
10:16 I mean, now we miss those free throws.
10:18 I mean, so beginning of the year, we shot like that from the line and
10:22 lost the game.
10:23 So maybe we are getting a little better.
10:25 I mean, I was pleased with most of the effort other than a couple of guys.
10:30 For a lot of that game, I didn't think checked as well as they did.
10:34 And I think they took their foot off the gas.
10:36 We had prepared hard for the cat quick guy.
10:41 These guys shoot it better than you.
10:43 And so and they got size and they defend probably a little better.
10:49 So what helped them, I mean, what hurt them, I think helped them in some ways.
10:55 And hurt us in some ways.
10:59 But on those drives that you're talking about,
11:01 one of you guys said driving to the basket.
11:04 Some of our bigs didn't step up on those two.
11:06 So I mean, we play some ball screen coverages where
11:10 both parties have to be engaged.
11:12 If we're gonna go over and the center isn't up, we're inviting a penetration.
11:18 If we go under, cuz the center doesn't wanna do his job,
11:21 we're gonna shoot some threes.
11:23 So I'd say that both parties, we gotta do a better job,
11:28 which means we gotta coach it better.
11:30 Cuz I thought there were some mistakes there.
11:32 And again, I don't know, what were they shooting in the big ten, 27%?
11:37 23, I think, 27.
11:40 And probably made some shots early, and they were four for five early.
11:44 And give them credit, I mean, this is a good basketball team.
11:53 The problem we have in our league right now is we've had teams like Nebraska,
11:56 Northwestern, well, not Northwestern, but Nebraska, Penn State, Minnesota.
12:00 They've been down for a few years.
12:03 And so people, just like people think,
12:05 we're the same team that would get 50 offensive rebounds.
12:09 We're not that team.
12:10 But those teams that weren't that way are a lot better.
12:13 I mean, he's got a good team, and he's done a good job with them.
12:17 And I think they're gonna win some games, I guarantee you, yes.
12:24 >> Coach, you mentioned earlier that Dawson Garcia is one heck of a player.
12:27 How do you feel that your bigs, Carson, Motty, and Malik, fared against them?
12:32 >> I really think they did a pretty good job.
12:35 I complained about verticality, because verticality,
12:38 one day they call it one way, and one day they call it another way.
12:43 But when he did such a great job, when he missed the shot, he went right after it.
12:46 I thought Malik did a pretty good job, he's a little smaller.
12:51 I thought Carson Cooper did a great job, had some blocks, and a couple got called.
12:55 But I was pleased, because what we said is we're not gonna dig as much off him
13:00 like we did the first half.
13:01 We got some steals, but they got some threes.
13:03 So then we eliminated the threes, but they also got some buckets in there.
13:09 And good player, he's a really good player.
13:12 There's a reason that he was at North Carolina and transferred.
13:14 And he's a very good player.
13:17 Seems like a great kid, seems like a worker.
13:20 Love Carson, I mean Garcia, just don't like playing against him.
13:25 >> Coach, four of Minnesota's five stars ended the game with four or five fouls.
13:29 How much does getting guys in foul trouble and
13:32 what you're doing out there in foul trouble affect what you're trying to do?
13:35 >> I don't know if we did that on purpose.
13:37 I think in Cam's case, he was mad at himself.
13:42 He was yelling at himself on a couple of them,
13:44 because they were probably not the fouls he normally commits.
13:47 He's a very smart kid, very smart player.
13:50 And but it was a meat market in there, both ways.
13:54 I mean, it was a physical game.
13:55 I mean, that pain is, I mean, he's a bull in the china closet.
14:01 He can spin, he can do some things, and he just throws people out.
14:06 And Garcia, I think, is a lot stronger than people give him credit for.
14:09 So I was impressed with the team.
14:12 And then to bring Wilson in, I'd like to get into a fight with him.
14:20 Maybe on my side, I want him on my side.
14:23 Monster, they were really big, and that may create some problems.
14:28 I thought our guys hung in there pretty well.
14:31 I mean, Marty has five rebounds, he has four offensives.
14:34 That means he didn't get as many defensive.
14:36 Cooper only gets two rebounds, but I thought he battled.
14:39 And sometimes it doesn't always come up.
14:42 Our other guys gotta clean it up, which we didn't do as good a job of as I would
14:46 have liked to have seen.
14:47 In all honesty, I didn't think our wings, our wings didn't play as good, so.
14:54 >> Tommy, you wanna address the technical foul?
14:57 >> Sure, I told the guy that happy new year, and he didn't think it was funny.
15:03 No, I mean, the problem, there were some calls that I thought were questionable
15:06 both ways, and it's verticality thing drives me up the wall.
15:10 And we missed one right before the half that I know they missed on a layup.
15:15 You can miss something, but not on layups, and
15:17 then they call the same thing down the other end.
15:19 And I said something, in my mind, he laughed at me, and
15:22 I told him what I thought of it.
15:25 And yet I walked away, I didn't appreciate the other guy giving me a T,
15:29 but I probably deserved the T, and he deserved what I said.
15:34 So that's even, except in those even and odd things,
15:39 we lose, because they have the final say, so my mistake.
15:43 >> We have one final one here.
15:45 >> Near the end of the game, we saw Carson Cooper and
15:48 Matty play together on court.
15:50 Was that a plan to defend the big from Minnesota?
15:54 >> Yeah, we decided to go with two bigs, which we don't do very often, but
15:59 they were so big because they were going 6'10", 6'9", 6'11", 6'9",
16:05 and then they were coming in with either Inman or
16:08 the Ola Joseph, who are big wings, and we're just not very big on our wings.
16:16 And if Jaden doesn't, he's gotta play tremendous defensively, and Tyson,
16:23 even though he's small, he's a very good defender, and I've been saying for
16:26 two weeks, I gotta get more out of him.
16:30 And the good thing about Tyson, he agrees, he knows it.
16:33 Why, I don't know.
16:36 I think sometimes I think he is saving himself a little bit, so
16:40 that falls on the coaches.
16:41 We gotta do a better job on our rotation.
16:43 I didn't get Cone Carr enough minutes tonight at the wing.
16:47 I think we need to get him a little more.
16:48 I thought Trey Altman played pretty good.
16:51 He did some good things, and that'll help us,
16:55 cuz Trey's been playing really well, and he's playing really well defensively.
16:59 One thing he does is he never turns the ball.
17:02 It was just a turnover thing.
17:03 It's incredible.
17:04 Anything else?
17:06 >> All good.
17:08 >> Thank you.