“There’s no surprises”: Tom Izzo reveals he does not leave MSU players hanging after an unimpressive game

Despite an 85-67 win over Ferris State in an exhibition game last Tuesday, Tom Izzo was not impressed. The Michigan State coach hinted at possible "lineup changes" for Monday's season opener against Monmouth following a less-than-stellar performance.

After practice on Friday, the coach shared with the media that he lets players know whether they are doing something wrong.

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“Yeah, that’s one thing these guys are lucky about, if you want the truth -- they get communicated to,” Izzo said, per SI.

To address the team’s shortcomings, Izzo meets individually with players and discusses their performance and expectations moving forward.

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“There’s no surprises. I talk to them, I bring them in. I had six guys in yesterday, just meeting with them about all kinds of things,” Izzo said.

He also said, “No guy’s going to leave here... saying, ‘I don’t know where I’m at right now.’ They know where they’re at, and they know what they got to improve on. There’s a couple of guys that have to make big improvements, and that will determine who starts on Monday.”

The lineup in the Ferris State exhibition game saw guards Jeremy Fears Jr. and Jaden Akins, forwards Frankie Fidler and Xavier Booker, and center Szymon Zapala start the game.

Senior forward Frankie Fidler led the team with 14 points against Ferris State. The team shot just under 44% from the field and committed 14 turnovers.

Xavier Brooks on Tom Izzo’s coaching style

Michigan State sophomore forward Xavier Booker is one of those players who has come to understand Tom Izzo’s coaching style.

Reflecting on his journey with Izzo, Booker thought the coach was hard on him when he first got to the team, and he wasn't taking it the right way at the beginning. However, he eventually realized Izzo's style and adapted to it.

"As I’ve grown as a player and as a person, I’ve kind of taken it as like, he’s on me a lot, that means he really cares and he sees the potential in me and sees the player I can become. So, I’ve kind of learned to just take whatever he says in a positive way, and it’s helped me,” Booker said per SI.

Booker was one of three Spartans in double figures against Ferris State. He had 10 points but went just 2 of 8 from the field. As a freshman last season, Booker averaged 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds.

The Spartans' official season opener is scheduled for Monday, where they’ll face Monmouth in a home game. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET. It remains to be seen whether Tom Izzo will make any major changes to his starting lineup.

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