Tom Izzo is March is back! College basketball fans know Tom Izzo as an all-time great coach. He has a reputation for being successful in March, even when his team hasn’t been great throughout the year. This year is no different. His Michigan State Spartans defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs by a score of 69-51.
The Spartans got out to an early lead and never looked back. They controlled the game from start to finish. They were led by senior guard Tyson Walker, who scored 19 points. The Spartans are an older team, having many returning players from previous years. This experience proved to be the difference, as they faced a younger Mississippi State team.
Mississippi State relied on their freshman guard Josh Hubbard to lead the way with 15 points, but this wasn’t enough. The Bulldogs have a reputation as a great defensive team that struggles to score. This was clear today. Hubbard, while talented, can’t outscore the other team himself.
While their season ends here, there’s plenty of hope moving forward for this program. They’ll likely keep Hubbard and will try to recruit a transfer scorer to pair with him. With their defensive prowess, adding another offensive piece can change this team into a contender.
Michigan State Rebounding From a Rough Start
For Michigan State, the season was not what they anticipated. They came into the season ranked highly, but an early loss to James Madison seemingly derailed national title hopes. Tom Izzo brought the veteran team together, however, and as always, they looked good in March.
The team’s next game will face the winner of one seed-North Carolina and sixteen seed-Wagner. Assuming they face North Carolina, it’ll be a matchup of two historic, veteran programs. Could this be the start of another Tom Izzo run in March?
