"Went old school on them": Tom Izzo takes a shot at Kansas City Chiefs after threatening Michigan State players over turnovers
Tom Izzo did not like how his team was performing against their rivals, the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans head coach saw his players turn over the ball numerous times as the Wolverines looked set to pull off an upset. However, he wasn't having it.
According to On3 Sports, Izzo issued a stern warning to his players at halftime. The experienced head coach said at the postgame press conference:
"I went old school on them and threatened them at halftime."
He continued:
"Turnovers, I give them credit for some of them; I issued the blame for a lot of them. We just spoke; we were trying to go too fast. As the saying goes, we wanted to be quick but not in a hurry. We were not quick and did not hurry, and we turned the ball over. It was turnovers that did lead to touchdowns. Those are bad turnovers. Just ask the Kansas City Chiefs. Those do not work in sports.”
The beaten Super Bowl LIX finalists, the Kansas City Chiefs, took a stray after their blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this month. The Chiefs' loss was peppered with turnovers, and Tom Izzo wasn't expecting a repeat with his team.
His halftime talk worked as the Spartans rallied to defeat the Wolverines, 75-62.
What's next for Tom Izzo and the Spartans?
The Michigan State Spartans are enjoying a three-game winning streak and a 22-5 record heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Their last loss was against the Indiana Hoosiers.
Next up for the Spartans is a game against the Maryland Terrapins. The Terrapins will represent a tough test for the resilient Spartans, as they are fresh off a four-game winning streak and have a 21-6 record entering the final stretch of the regular season.
Hence, Tom Izzo must psych up his players, as that has the potential to be a tricky game in Maryland. It's never easy going against a Top 25 team, and the Maryland game will not be a walk in the park as they look to prepare for March Madness.