Tom Izzo Good Quotations

We still played good defense and pretty good offense. We shot 50%, 40-something from three.

Whenever you lose a few games, especially when you have a pretty good team, you're concerned about how fast things can slide.

Shannon (Brown) was very unselfish today and Maurice (Ager) came to me at halftime and said, 'I made some good shots in the first half and in the second half I'm going to go out there and put them down.' That to me is a great feeling knowing that the relationship between the coaches and the players is that confident.

Now that we've got our lineup straightened out the last month, our rotation may be similar to some of our real good teams, ... We're not as good defensively, we're not as good a rebounding team, but we're a much better shooting team. It's different, but it's got some similarities in areas that are key to winning championships.

If we can execute defensively as well as we do offensively, we have a chance to be a really good team.

If this place isn't Duke and North Carolina with the number of good players in the state, it's the coaches' fault.

I don't feel great about it because destiny's not in our total hands. But I feel good that we're going to be difference-makers.

I felt good only because it gives you a chance. It's definitely still not in our own hands but it does give you a chance.

I can't make any excuses up. As a coaching staff, we have not done a good enough job of adjusting to the things we need to adjust to, whether it be the schedule, whether it be an injury, whether it be end-of-the game situations with guys tired or not tired. We've got to find a way to do a better job, because we're a good enough team to get it done.

I don't think it's a concussion, but I do think it was a pretty good blow and he lost some blood.

He has that ability to raise a crowd off its feet. He's done a good job for them bringing that alone. ... You always have to be a little more concerned about a lob they might throw into the rafters that he can go get. That makes it more difficult.

We looked like a team that came off a four-day break and weren't very sharp or efficient offensively. Hopefully, we'll get better in the next few days because we're not good enough right now.

He was good. That's what he can do: He can shoot it. And I think it was good for him to get a little a confidence, some shots up and a little playing time.

I think it's a shame, as good as our league is.

I think it was the biggest disappointment of all the NCAA games we played in. We didn't have the season we wanted to have. We didn't perform to what I think our capabilities were. I think this is one of the few times in my career here as a head coach that we didn't get done what I think we were capable of getting done, culminating with the lack of a very good performance on that last night.

I think that was a great sign. Maurice looked like he wanted the ball. He took pretty good shots; he was confident. He exploded with the ball on one drive, it was unbelievable. ... Maurice Ager played like the All-American player he is.

I said 'Oh, it's gonna be a charge,' and then he jumped, I think, over him. I would normally joke and take credit for that, but that was so good I can't even joke and take credit. That will rank right up with the best I've seen.

Our biggest problem was there was no spacing between those tough games. We kept losing and having to play another great team right away. I still think good schedules make you better in the long run. I don't mind losing because that's how you figure out what's wrong, but you have to do it within reason.

It doesn't feel as good (playing the first day) as we were the only team left that had never played on Thursday. I'm disappointed that we didn't finish higher but I understand how good the league is and somebody had to finish sixth or seventh.

I think he's done some good things. He made a couple great passes, then he made a couple bad ones, but he's getting better.

I still think this team is good enough to win some big games. This is a talented basketball team with good guys that has had a horrendous schedule and it's taken its toll.

I was proud of my team, staff and assistant coaches, it was a heck of a job. They were a good basketball team and put more pressure on us than Wisconsin. Our shooting and rebounding was very good, and it helps when we only turn the ball over three times in the second half.

Well, I'm happiest for Maurice (Ager). To his credit he had some tough games. He came up and talked to me after the Iowa game and said he was working hard and getting his rest, and he really needed to have a good game. I thought he was excellent.

We've gotten such a good system down, my managers can get a lot of stuff done. It was unbelievable around here (Sunday) night. If you open the door in that room it was Santa's elves working on Christmas Day. They were going at it. There were sparks coming out of that room. They all take some ownership.

We have a long way to go but we are still in the race. I'm not giving up on the Big Ten, but we just aren't in control so we just have to let it play out and focus on getting better every day until the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament. We have lots of big games we need to focus on, but it feels good to be home.

We didn't execute as well in the last three minutes. We were shooting almost 50% against a good team, we just couldn't get it done down the stretch.

We have not had three guys as prolific as those three. They've been pretty special, and they're good guys that are going to graduate, making them the total package.

You do have to have good teams, let's not kid ourselves. And I think Bruce Weber has done a phenomenal job there.

We're a very good offensive team. And that'll get us about fourth place in our league.

The really sad part is, I thought this team had enough talent to go a long way. We had three really good players, but we just didn't have enough depth and we were never as consistent or tough as we needed to be.

We didn't play great but we played good enough to win. This was a step. How big a step? It's too early to tell.

We did a pretty good job on a lot of guys, just free throws, free throws, free throws.

To do it in front of his family, that was exciting. I thought he made a couple of big plays at clutch times. ... We have pretty good players, and I think it means we've got guys who've stuck around. Those two things are good.

We've got a good enough team to win the next six games and we've got a good enough team to lose the next six games and I think a lot of teams are in that boat in this league.

Those two statistics are ridiculous. But as down as I am and as our fans are, this season wasn't a total disaster. We won 22 games and had some good wins playing maybe the toughest schedule in the country.

This team has been a good free throw-shooting team for years. It wins games for you, it really does.

You have to look at the first game, and it's hard to look past it in this tournament, especially now when you see some of the eight, nine and 10 seeds. Kentucky and Wisconsin as eight and nine seeds, that tells you the 11 seeds are going to be pretty good basketball teams.

What are they best at? They seem to be a very, very good defensive team, which concerns me because that's usually what wins at this time of the year.

What are they best at? They seem to be a good defensive team, which concerns me because that's usually what wins at this time of year. Not a lot of pressing, but just solid, get-after-you-a-little-bit defense. Maybe a poor man's Illinois in that respect.

We have destiny in our hands. If we take care of our business, we don't need any help. That's what makes it, on the positive side, a good game. We don't need anybody else to do anything.

Fatigue had zero to do with the loss. We did not do a good job of handling our lead in that situation.

I see this being a good enough basketball team to win a lot of games yet.

I've been in his shoes and know what he went through. They did a good job in the first half.

I've never had a real good team have so little depth. There's nothing we can do to change it. We've just got to deal with it a little better.

I've never had a real good team have so little depth. Strategically I don't know what you can do.

Our defense was very, very good against a very complex offense at times. A week prep for that offense helped us.

As good as the league is, I'm disappointed that we didn't finish higher. I'm disappointed, but I understand how good the league is.

The Big Ten's going to miss Dee Brown. He's good for this league. He doesn't talk it, he walks it.

That was a bizarre game. I thought Wisconsin played very well in the first half, and we just sort of hung in the game. I thought it hurt them when Tucker went out, and I thought we did some good things, too.

That's what you're supposed to do with good players that have been around for four years.

This is still a very good Indiana team. They can do well in the Big Ten tournament and be a NCAA tourney team.

They played as good a last four (minutes) as you could play.

This is a very, very good basketball team. And it was a big win because we had to win it the defensive way.

It's just a pretty good crack in the head. And I guess it'll take a few days to settle down. ... I'm not reading into anything that there's anything seriously wrong.

It was good for him to get a little confidence, get some shots up, get a little playing time in.

It was a total mistake on both parties. Our student wasn't in the right position, and he wasn't under the right mentality. And Amadou, who's a good kid, probably made a mistake pushing him. You want your fans to be crazy, but I really think this was a mistake.

It's back to the drawing board on defense. We have good enough athletes and good enough players to get it done. But they're going to be coached harder in the next three-and-a-half days.

It's not the end of the world when you're 0-2, but who's kidding who? Everybody was down. It wasn't a monstrous step, but we beat a good team. That's the fifth Top Ten team we've played, and the third we've beaten.

It's great to have our league being talked about and see that we're making some strides. It's an exciting time, yet it's a tough time because so many good teams are coming up. You can get on a heck of a run in a negative way pretty quick if you lose a few games.

It sure feel good to be home. I can't tell you how much that helped some of our players.

The nice thing for us with George Mason is we did play them last year and it wasn't like we ran through them. We just did a good job at times and we struggled at times.

It was pretty good after the game ? swelled up a hair. We didn't practice yesterday just for that reason.

I wanted to make a point to Paul that he has to take the ball to the basket instead of shooting those fade shots. I guess I haven't done a very good job of that this year, and so I reverted back to a way I know best.

I wanted to make a point to Paul that he has to take the ball to the basket and he's got to quit taking those fade shots. I guess I haven't done a very good job of that this year, so I reverted back to a way I know best.

They've had moments when they've been real good and not as good, and so have we. They still have some vulnerability just like everybody in this league does. It was just two games ago that Iowa lost to Northwestern.

I'm not a record guy. I don't need to win 700 games, I don't need to have 20 straight 20-win seasons ... and I don't need to get in the NCAA tournament every year if we're not worthy of being in it. If we're not playing good enough or we can't win a game, it just doesn't turn me on.

If there's one area I'm probably not very good at it, it's taking the foot off the throttle. I'm gonna do that a little bit. We just have to get them fresh again.

If Shannon Brown goes out early (for the NBA), and with (senior) Maurice Ager not coming back, because of need Isaiah could be forced to play earlier. That's good news and bad news.

Iowa's good enough to win the Big Ten title. They've helped themselves this week by beating Indiana (Saturday) and us.

If you play hard, good things happen to you. And that kid plays hard.

I really do feel ? knock on wood ? confident that the right decision will be made. What is the right decision? Well, it's different for every kid. But I don't think he'll make a bad decision. I don't think he'll be taking chances. I think he'll have to feel pretty good about himself to make that decision.

Illinois and Michigan State are both going to play pretty good defense. They're playing a little better than we are defensively right now, and I guarantee you both teams are going to run.

I'll say it like this -- there's a current under the water that I don't know where it's going sometimes with this team. But I do think it's capable of making a very good run, and I don't think that's a dream. We have proven we can play with anybody.

I didn't sleep very well. We got into the flow better and I feel fortunate to win. It wasn't good enough to pat ourselves on the back.

I don't think there's any question that was our best performance of the year, against a really good team. That was our best basketball in a couple of years.

I appreciate Matt getting physical and not losing his cool. I don't know if I would have done as good a job as he did.

This is a good basketball team, and when I say good, I don't mean just average good, I mean good enough to beat anybody in this league, good enough to make any run that we can make. But there's not a lot of margin for error.

A good job is not good enough here. A good job is 18, 19 wins. Twenty-two wins is a very good job. But we're looking for championships and Final Fours and that didn't change, and that's not going to change until the day I get thrown out of here. Good is not good enough.