Michigan State’s Tom Izzo still adapting, still hunting for first title since 2000

But when his Spartans (29-6) take the court for their Sweet 16 matchup against Ole Miss (24-11) at State Farm Arena (TV: 7:09 p.m., CBS), Izzo insists the core of his program isn’t too much different from the 2000 group that won the national title.

“I think at some time I’ve adapted too much to not realizing still what it takes to win championships,” Izzo said in a self-deprecating manner.

Izzo’s NCAA Tournament success is on par with his iconic presence. Michigan State is making his 16th Sweet 16 appearance in the nation-long 27 consecutive NCAA tourneys his Spartans have played in.

“You’ve still got to defend, rebound and run, football, you’ve still got to block and tackle,” said Izzo, whose 2000 NCAA tournament championship represents the most recent national title won by a Big Ten team.

“We always make it more difficult than it really is because everybody wants to hear some new dance phrase, but it’s still the meat and potatoes.”

And Izzo is still Izzo, which is to say, he makes every practice more difficult, more physical and more intense than it needs to be — 70 years old, or 70 years young, however you look at it.

“Coach is still a fiery individual,” Michigan State’s Jaden Akins said. “I feel like he still has a really young spirit at heart. Every day in practice, he always brings the energy.”

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

It’s what Izzo’s current roster of Spartans, who won the Big Ten regular-season championship by an eye-popping three games, knew they were signing up for.

Which is to say, a basketball version of fire and brimstone, Izzo rushing into the middle of drills and scrimmages, his coaching instruction absolute and unwavering.

“Just how Coach coached, he got on players when they made a mistake, but at the end of the day, it was just to learn and get better,” said Jeremy Fears Jr., recalling his observations while on his recruiting visits Michigan State practices.

“That was really big,” said Fears, a former No. 1 prep recruit who fielded offers from several national powerhouse programs. “For me, I had seen somewhere I could call home.”

Indeed, for beneath Izzo’s rough exterior and tough talk lies a coach with undeniable loyalty to his players and the spirit of the game.

Izzo made recent headlines with his tirade on the controversial timing of the current NCAA transfer portal window, which began Monday and runs through April 22.

“I’m not ready to move on (to the offseason). I’m going to worry today about the guys I’ve got in my program that have done an incredible job this year, and that’s it,” Izzo defiantly stated.

“If that costs me later, so be it, but Tom Izzo isn’t cheating the people he has that has been loyal to him for this chaos that is going on out there.”

Chaos, in the sense that, as players prepare with teammates to complete season journeys in the NCAA tournament, their agents, middlemen and relatives are taking calls and fielding offers from programs interested in their services next season.

“I loved Tom Izzo’s response, I loved it, it was authentic, it was real,” said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, whose Tigers face Michigan in the other NCAA South Regional game Friday at State Farm Arena (TV: 9:39 p.m., CBS).

“He is laser focused right now on giving his team a chance for the best opportunity to reach the Final Four.”

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Izzo rejected any discussion of how NIL affects the current college basketball landscape in his Thursday news conference at State Farm Arena.

“There will be no talk of NIL or transfer portal here,” Izzo said. “I apologize, I’m not going to talk about that the day before the opportunity to play a game that could lead to another game that could lead to going to a Final Four, which is better than any NIL, it’s better than my contract, it’s better than the money I make, it’s better than anything I do.”

Michigan State’s recent success, winning 10 of its past 11 games to earn a No. 2 seed, certainly suggests Izzo’s team is as focused as its head coach.

The Spartans roster indicates the buy-in goes both ways, with eight of the 10 players playing 10 minutes per game in the Michigan State rotation being original signees.

“We had seven, eight different leading scorers,” Izzo said. “This team appreciated that, and most teams are so selfish they don’t appreciate that. … I don’t think it’s what I did, I think it’s what they’ve done.”

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Rotations for Sweet 16 teams

Player - Transferred from or signees

SOUTH REGION

Auburn

Johni Broome – Morehead State

Chad Baker-Mazara – NW Florida State (juco)

Miles Kelly – Georgia Tech

Tahaad Pettiford – signee

Denver Jones – FIU

Chaney Johnson - Alabama-Huntsville (DII)

Dylan Cardwell – signee

Ole Miss

Sean Pedulla – Virginia Tech

Jaemyn Brakefield – Duke

Malik Dia – Belmont

Matthew Murrell – signee

Dre Davis – Seton Hall

Davon Barnes – Sam Houston State

Eduardo Klafke – signee

Michigan

Vlad Golden – Florida Atlantic

Danny Wolf – Yale

Tre Donaldson – Auburn

Roddy Gayle – Ohio State

Nimari Burnett – signee

Will Tschetter – signee

Rubin Jones – North Texas

Michigan State

Jaden Akins – signee

Jase Richardson – signee

Tre Holloman – signee

Coen Carr – signee

Jason Kohler – signee

Jeremy Fears Jr. – signee

Frankie Fidler – Omaha

Carson Cooper – signee

Xavier Booker – signee

Szymon Sapała – Longwood

WEST REGION

Florida

Walter Clayton Jr. – Iona

Alijah Martin – Florida Atlantic

Will Richard – Belmont

Alex Condon - signee

Thomas Haugh - signee

Denzel Aberdeen – signee

Rueben Chinyelu – Washington State

Micah Handlogten – Marshall

Maryland

Derik Queen – signee

Ja’Kobi Gillespie – Belmont

Rodney Rice – Virginia Tech

Julian Reese – signee

Selton Miguel – South Florida

Tafara Gapare – Georgia Tech

DeShawn Harris-Smith – signee

Jay Young – Memphis

Texas Tech

JT Toppin – New Mexico

Darrion Williams – Nevada

Chance McMillan – Grand Canyon

Christian Anderson – signee

Elijah Hawkins – Minnesota

Kevin Overton – Drake

Kerwin Walton – N. Carolina

Federiko Federiko – Pitt

Arkansas

Thiero Ado – Kentucky

Boogie Land – signee

Johnell Davis – Florida Atlantic

D.J. Wagner – Kentucky

Z Ivisic – Kentucky

Karter Knox – signee

Jonas Aidoo – Tennessee

Trevon Brazile – Missouri

Billy Richmond – signee

EAST REGION

Duke

Cooper Flagg – signee

Kon Knuppel – signee

Tyrese Proctor – signee

Khaman Maluach – signee

Sion James – Tulane

Isaiah Evans – signee

Caleb Foster – signee

Mason Gillis – Purdue

Patrick Ngongba – signee

Maliq Brown – Syracuse

Arizona

Caleb Love – N. Carolina

Jaden Bradley – Alabama

KJ Lewis – signee

Henri Veesaar – signee

Trey Townsend – Oakland

Tobe Awaka – Tennessee

Anthony Dell’Orso – Campbell

Carter Bryant – signee

BYU

Richie Saunders – signee

Egor Demin – signee

Trevin Knell – signee

Fousseyni Traore – signee

Dawson Baker – UC Irvine

Kanon Catchings – signee

Kebe Keita – Utah

Dallin Hall – signee

Mawot Mag – Rutgers

Alabama

Mark Sears – Ohio

Grant Nelson – North Dakota State

Latrell Wrightsell – Cal State Fullerton

Aden Holloway – Auburn

Labaron Philon – signee

Chris Youngblood – South Florida

Clifford Omoruyi – Rutgers

Mouhamed Dioubate – signee

Derrion Reid – signee

Jarin Stevenson – signee

Aiden Sherrell – signee

MIDWEST REGION

Houston

L.J. Cryer – Baylor

Emanuel Sharp – signee

Milos Uzan – Oklahoma

J’Wan Roberts – signee

Terrance Arceneaux – signee

Mylik Wilson – Louisiana-Lafayette

Joseph Tugler – signee

Ja’Vier Francis – signee

Purdue

Trey Kaufman-Renn – signee

Braden Smith – signee

Fletcher Loyer – signee

C.J. Cox – signee

Myles Colvin – signee

Camden Heide – signee

Caleb Furst – signee

Gicarri Harris – signee

Kentucky

Otega Oweh – Oklahoma

Jaxson Robinson – BYU

Koby Brea – Dayton

Lamont Butler – San Diego State

Amari Williams – Drexel

Andrew Carr – Wake Forest

Brandon Garrison – Oklahoma State

Trent Noah – signee

Travis Perry – signee

Collin Chandler – signee

Tennessee

Chaz Lanier – North Florida

Sakai Zeigler – signee

Jordan Gainey – South Carolina-Upstate

Igor Milicic – Virginia

Felix Okpara – Ohio State

Jamai Mashack – signee

Cade Phillips – signee