"They deserve to maybe get half a meal tonight": Tom Izzo acknowledges his reserve hoopers' case for playing minutes
Michigan State has made a stellar start in coach Tom Izzo's 30th season. The Spartans have suffered only two losses in their opening 12 games of the season, and are emerging as a dark horse in the Big Ten conference.
A positive sign for the Spartans is the impressive depth in their roster. They have dependable options to ensure they consistently score points, seen in the team's scoring average of 82.2 points. While he has seen some solid performances off the bench, there are three reserve players he hopes to see more from.
Those three players are freshman guard Kur Teng, redshirt freshman Gehrig Normand and walk-on shooting guard Nick Sanders, who is currently in his junior year.
Following the Spartans' game against the Florida Atlantic Owls on Dec. 21, Tom Izzo revealed his intention to give the trio more game time in the near future so that the entire roster will maintain its sharpness for the majority of the season.
"Last year, I gave guys another chance and we lost five games down the stretch," Izzo was quoted as saying by Sports Illustrated.
"Nick [Sanders], Gehrig [Normand] and Kur [Teng] deserve to play more and I was mad at my team for that because they know how much those guys help them and the only thing they get is some crumbs. They deserve to maybe get half a meal tonight instead of some crumbs."
Izzo was also appreciative of the Spartans' recruitment team, admitting their current setup has improved from previous years.
"Getting a really good scout team is important and we really haven’t had that [in the past]," added Izzo.
Michigan State continues ascent in AP Top 25 under Tom Izzo
The Spartans first broke into the AP Top 25 this season in Week 6, coming in at No. 21 in the Dec. 9 update of the weekly poll. They gained a place to move to No. 20 last week, and gained two places in the latest update, indicating they could be a dark horse to make March Madness.
Tom Izzo's side has won its last five games, a streak that started with an impressive 94-91 victory over former No. 12 North Carolina in overtime, its first ranked win of the season. They will be keen to extend that streak on Dec. 30, when they face the Western Michigan Broncos.