Tom Izzo Last Quotations

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.

I feel for that kid. He's only been in six or seven practices in the last two months so we can't even do what we want to do with him yet.

We took more threes in this game than in the last two combined.

It is a great feeling. It is such an awesome feeling. I won it last year, and I won it again. I spent quite a few hours in the weight room. All the hard practices, it all paid off.

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 Ohio State deserves a lot of credit. The last four minutes of the game, they played extremely well. I didn't think I'd have to go with a four-guard lineup as much as we did.

We played George Mason last year; they played us to a very tough game out there.

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.

As far as my confidence in the team, as crazy as it sounds, I still think we have a chance to win our last two games. If we do that, I think we go into the Big Ten Tournament on a high and have every bit a chance to win as anybody else.

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

Do I feel as confident as last year? Last year, I really was confident. I'd say it like this. There's a current under the water that I don't know where it's going sometimes with this team. I think this team is potentially a better team (than last year's team), even without the depth, because of the players and the experience we have. Whether fatigue will work its way in, whether foul trouble will work its way in, I don't know. But I like the chances for us to play for a while.

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.

I'm really proud of the effort these guys gave coming off last night. We weren't the prettiest. Illinois pressured us and it bothered us some.

I loved the fact that they showed the grit. We went to different guys at different times. Whether it be Paul and Mo with the free throws or Shannon with the big shot and the step-back, I think each one of them did some different things. They can play better, but please don't underestimate what they've gone through in the last five days.

I'm more disappointed how we played in the first half. It kind of set the tone for the game. In the second half, we probably outplayed them in every facet of the game. ... We just didn't execute in the last three minutes.

I feel better that our key people are very confident, very stable. I feel worse that we definitely don't have the depth. We have more depth inside than we had last year, but no experience. And we have no experience or depth inside or outside in comparison to what we lost.

You know me, I don't feel like we're ready, but I do think we can get ready in four days. Illinois is playing awfully well, they haven't lost many games in the last couple years, but we're gonna be ready on Thursday, I can promise you that.