Tom Izzo takes responsibility for Michigan State’s recent struggles

While it’d be easy to blame anyone and everyone, Tom Izzo is taking the blame for Michigan State’s recent struggles.

It’s no secret that Michigan State has been struggling recently. The Spartans have lost three straight games now, and even though they held up pretty well at Purdue, a loss is still never good enough. Tom Izzo addressed his team’s struggles in his press conference on Monday.

And in typical Izzo fashion, he is not passing the blame on anyone else.

Tom Izzo takes the blame for the team’s recent struggles

During his press conference on Monday, Izzo had this to share about his team’s recent struggles.

Izzo: "I have to take responsibility if my team doesn't play as good as they can play. And I have. I don't hide behind that elephant. And that is a big, big white elephant bc there's 600,000 small elephants kind of putting it to me & I really wouldn't want it any other way."

— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) March 4, 2024

I know you wouldn’t expect a different response from a coach like Izzo. He knows it’s not right to blame his players, so he typically avoids doing that. However, he previously may have indirectly blamed his players for the Ohio State loss. So it’s definitely a good thing that he’s making it very clear that he’s only blaming himself.

The second half of this quote though is what I like the most. When Izzo said “And that is a big, big white elephant because there’s 600,000 small elephants kind of putting it to me and I really wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Izzo knows Spartan Nation has been very vocal about their displeasure this season, but he doesn’t seem to mind that. I know I’ve probably been one of the most vocal this season about his coaching decisions, especially as it pertains to Xavier Booker, but I’m glad Izzo doesn’t care about any outside noise. And why should he? He is a Hall of Fame coach, so it’d be insane for him to listen to someone like me.

The Spartans have a chance to get their season back on track Wednesday as they take on Northwestern. They need some help with their NCAA Tournament resume, and a win against a solid Northwestern team would help immensely.