Tom Izzo hints at differences between last year’s team and this year’s

If you’ve ever watched a Tom Izzo post-game press conference, you’d know that he always speaks his mind.

Sometimes when he speaks openly after games, he can get into some trouble by saying some things that probably should’ve been kept to himself but that’s the great thing about the Hall of Fame head coach — he’s never going to sugarcoat anything.

It’s rare to find a head coach these days who speaks his mind fully and doesn’t just use coachspeak to spare feelings.

So you can imagine how refreshing it’s been to hear him hint at the night-and-day differences between last year’s Michigan State basketball team and this year’s version.

Following the 37-point win over Nebraska, Izzo spoke to the media about how he really likes this team and he said sometimes that’s coachspeak but this year it’s not. He mentioned the Spain trip, the visit to Northern Michigan, and Maui as prime examples of how this team has just gelled. He went on to say that they’re “making progress together” which didn’t feel like the case last year.

Izzo: "I don't know if anybody knows where anybody is, but what I do know is this team at Michigan State is making some progress and they're making some progress together."

— Spartans Illustrated (@SpartansRivals) December 7, 2024

A year ago, it felt like they were all working at different paces. When Tyson Walker was playing well, AJ Hoggard and Jaden Akins weren’t, and vice versa. And when Mady Sissoko struggled, all the bigs seemed to struggle. This year, it feels like everyone is on the same page and that quote is kind of Izzo’s way of saying that the morale is much higher. These guys actually want to see each other succeed.

Izzo on the team's depth: "We're still going to see some guys emerge."

As for keeping every one in the rotation happy, the solution is simple: winning.

"Winning makes them happy."

— Spartans Illustrated (@SpartansRivals) December 7, 2024

I just don’t believe that he could say this a year ago.

Earlier in the season, he kind of slipped and said that he got his locker room back which may have alluded to it not being in a good spot over the past couple of years. That may have led to those struggles and very non-Izzo-like teams.

In Izzo verbiage, he has essentially said two things about this year’s team in comparison to last year’s:

Izzo has now said, in regards to last season, that:

– he once again has control of the locker room
– his team once again cares about winning

hmm, wonder what could have changed from the previous year? 🤔

— MSE (@MSE_in_EL) December 8, 2024

Tom Izzo has a team that has incredible chemistry, likes seeing each other succeed, and is growing and getting better together. The difference between this year and last is becoming clearer.