Post-Game Quotes: Ohio State

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo

Opening statement…
We apologize for keeping you here. I think I have to semi-apologize to Chris, the kissing of the 'S' is a big deal to us and I hope it doesn't offend other people because we've done it when we've lost, but there's memories. I've been involved in some great memories. Coming back from where we were, the way the season was going and what everyone was going through. This has to go down as one of the great memory making moments. I thought our guys played very well for 75 percent of the game. I thought we got a little sloppy, a little crazy with threes. I mean Rocket (Watts) starts banking them and he thinks he can bounce them in from anywhere but got to love him because the way he played in the second half, I thought he played really under control and I didn't think we did a very good job of getting Cassius (Winston) any shots the first half and that was a problem. I think he had five and that was one of the things we talked about at halftime, but when we defended well and didn't take bad shots, we were really playing well and, in that stretch, once we got that 12, 13-point lead in the first half I thought we did both those things poorly. I thought all-in-all to rebound with them; that's a very good team, a very well-coached team. When you win nine of out 11 games in this league it speaks volumes. I'd like to finish by saying I want to thank our fans. I've been involved in a lot of great senior nights since I've started doing it after the game, been involved with a couple sad ones when we lost, but for the people to stay like they did tonight… I mean I just don't think we lost anybody but the OSU fans and for that I'm greatly appreciative to our fans. It was a special moment for all their families, especially Cassius' and he sure did come through in the second half. Xavier (Tillman)'s been a rock the entire time. Aaron Henry come through with some big plays late. We've still got some work to do. We turned it over a little bit early then we didn't turn it over much after that, but I'm just going to enjoy this win until tomorrow morning.

On Cassius being able to celebrate senior night on a game like this…
Well it means the world to me because like I said I thought maybe he'd force shots and do things and at halftime I was on him about, 'you have to get more involved, you have to get the ball back in your hands, we've got to play through you a little bit more' and that's when I told Rocket and Aaron they've got to get Cassius some shots which they did a little better job of in the second half. I mean that team is a good team and Wesson's a load down low. (Duane) Washington, he can be a hell of a player there, he's done a great job. We put a lot in trying to stop him and didn't really stop him, but some neutralized him. The little guard he played really well too, CJ Walker, I thought he played really well and gave us some fits at times.

On the team's development through Cassius…
That's a good question, some of it is because of what they've done, but some of it is because Cassius is getting more and more people involved. I thought early on our break was dynamite. He was getting guys shots and he was getting guys baskets and he was spreading the court. I just thought Cassius, he had a little hip in his hop and he really did. I told you he's been practicing better for a couple weeks but can finally say now that the year is over I couldn't do what he did and yet it's my job to push him to do more, but I could not have done what he did and tribute to his mom, his dad and him.

On taking a miracle to win the Big Ten title…
I think it was a little bit of both. It was a miracle; you know, me getting this job was a miracle, so miracles do happen. I do think we earned the right to have Maryland lose a game which opened the door for us and the reason I say that, I said it to you then and I say it to you now, when you beat Iowa at home and you go on the road and beat Maryland and Penn State you've earned the right for something good to happen. That doesn't mean it would and I didn't think we did earn the right up until then and I said it publicly. Just one of those funny years that if you ask me how good we are I still don't know. I think we're getting better and we're really solid defensively, but I still say the whole country is kind of like us. I'm not scared of anybody we could play but I'm not feeling good about anybody we could play, if that makes sense. I think that's the way it is and the Big Ten tournament could be as big as the Final Four when you look at the teams that could be in there and who you're going to have to beat to move on. We've got a lot of work ahead of us but the miracle was, yeah we were good defensively all year then we got back to running a little bit better, we rebounded a little better in those games, started shooting the ball a little better. We shot 48 percent today, only 30 percent from the three and that was all because of that stretch. We took five or six that I thought were bad threes but that's the way it is.

On where this game ranks for him…
When I sit back and look at them, ten is an awesome number. It's an awesome number and as I think about it now and how awesome it is, 11 would be an even nicer number so we'll just kind of look to next year and try to keep things rolling, but because of everything it's got to rank right up there as one of the greatest achievements by a team. That's the players, that's not me. The players did their job, the players put up with some things, the players rallied behind and I said today that it was funny have Steve Smith and DJ back in a meeting this morning and 30 years ago Steve and DJ christened this place with a championship in '89-'90. Now you just try to keep the dreams alive, keep the footprints getting printed and that's what we're trying to do. I don't know if you can ever rate them, but I mean I've been lucky. When you have Mateen Cleaves and Winston as your two point guards on teams that win three in a row, a coach doesn't have to do much work.

On the final embrace with Cassius as he walked off the court…
I think back to Mateen and Morris and those guys because those are the guys that started this whole thing for me, but I think all that Cassius has been through and what even Xavier and I got Josh down there sitting, he didn't miss a practice, a meeting, a film session all year. It was ridiculous I started telling him don't come. It was embarrassing I mean 7 o'clock in the morning he's hopping along on his scooter in the winter, but I think that's what this team became. They're a bunch of good guys, a bunch of good students. I didn't think the toughest group I ever had, and I think they started to get tougher. Rocket brings a little bit of that, I thought Malik brought a little bit of that and Xavier brought a lot of that. There was a lot of things going through my mind in that last two minutes. So much so that I almost screwed up and didn't get Cassius in there. Thank god for Jack Hoiberg, no wonder he's a 3.8 student, but I wanted Cassius to enjoy every second he could be on that court.

On team circumstances and growth as a person and coach…
You know, that's what I said. Listen, it's hard to understand me because I'm a guy that wears his emotions on his sleeve. But, I love my players. I love them so much that I'm willing to take some heat for them. I had to grow this year. I mean, I didn't do a very good job the first three months, in my humble opinion. Just because I didn't know how to handle certain situations. But I didn't quit trying to learn. I didn't quit trying to talk to people. I didn't quit trying to call friends around the country. I think the greatest thing though is, somehow, some way Cassius' parents reached down and helped me to understand some things. It's not been easy. It's the most difficult year I've had. But probably, when it's all said and done, the most rewarding for me as a coach, for me as a father, for me as a friend. Hopefully, I'll do a better job at certain things if those things every happen again.

On the second time winning three back-to-back championships and being the only coach to do that…
Wow. Well, unfortunately, I keep saying that damn NCAA and those damn officials. I didn't get to win anything. I didn't get to make a shot or do anything. I've had some malicious teams that fought through some things. It's not easy to win one. But what's really difficult is to sustain some kind of excellence of championship level play. It's an honor to win it with Maryland and Wisconsin. Maryland was the front-runner, and they lost a few and bounced back. And Wisconsin went through some things of their own, and I give those guys credit, too. There's so many good teams. But to win three of them back-to-back-to-back is special because there's pressure on you. Everybody is hunting you. It was shirt night everywhere we went. Everywhere we went… My poor kid… he kept robbing shirts. He thought he was collecting them at those places. I said, "No, no, no, those are for those people." I'm sure I'm going to sit down and feel pretty proud of that, because I know how difficult it is to sustain a level that 23 NCAA (tournament) things this year. That will be something to sustain at a level that a few programs get to do. I'm appreciative of the players I've had that have helped me do that.

On level of concern over emotional exhaustion…
It was the most emotional year I've ever gone through. I really do believe I slept less this year than any year. It was nobody's fault. It was just the things that happened. I learned that mental exhaustion is a factor, and will probably do a better job with myself, my kids and everyone else because I think we're mentally exhausted some nights. More so than physically. I'm becoming a bigger fan of learning more about that. I have to learn to be a great coach, and that's what I plan on doing in the offseason. There were times where I didn't know if we had enough left in us… I really did. I didn't know where Cash would be. We were so young. That's another adjustment I had to make. We started having more meetings. I kept telling my staff, 'You don't understand. We don't usually play this many freshmen.' Including some of those sophomores as freshmen, and guys that had no experience. And yet, to still keep it at that level I think speaks volumes of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman because Arnie (Kyle Ahrens) wasn't even a part of some of that. Those young guys. That Rocket man. He defended like nobody's tomorrow. So, he banked that one in. I said, 'Anyone can bank one in, you know.' He banked the second one in, and then he I thought hurried a couple. He gets so excited. I said to him, 'If those didn't bank in, you'd be 1-for-7.' He goes, 'I got ya coach; I got ya.' You can laugh, and I'd laugh myself, but that kid is learning. That kid wants to learn. He is competitive. That's what I love about kids like that. The competitiveness reminds me of the Cleaves' of the world… the Appling's of the world. The guys that are just… Travis Walton's… that are just dogs on defense. Then, he's finding a way to get his offense going. His future, he's just going to get better and better and better. He'll learn. He'll get frustrated sometimes. I'll get frustrated sometimes, but I ain't trading him. He's not in the portal.

On Kyle Ahrens matching up with his brother at the end of the game…
It would've been cool if he would've went by him and dunked it or made the three. It was pretty cool. The players all said, 'Hey, I think his brother's going to guard him. Just let them go at it.' You know what, that's exactly what I did. Kyle deserves a lot. He's five years. What he's been through. I feel bad for normal fans or media that really don't get to see the rehab or some of the things that these guys have gone through. It's been different than most years. I mean, you always have some injury, but his injuries have been five or six years worth. The kid is tougher than nails. Once he started playing again, it was because we couldn't practice him. We couldn't practice him. Then we just said, 'Kyle, this is it man.' There's no more tomorrows. If you play good, you'll be able to play some more. If you don't play good, your career is over anyway. I don't think he missed another practice, and he's been a very… He has done so much for Rocket Watts, it's amazing. I look at those two as the banker and the Beverly Hillbillies and Judd. They're from opposite ends of the world. A city guy in Rocket, and a farmer in Arnie. The bond that those guys have got has been amazing. It's been one of the neater things that I've dealt with. I'm sure Rock would say that, and I'm sure Arnie would say that. I appreciate Kyle Ahrens for not quitting on me and not quitting on himself, because he's won some games for us. He's won a lot in practice for us, and that's the part that's so impressive. Guys, gals, ladies, it's been a hell of a year. I look forward to seeing you in Indy. I'm going to have some pizza.

Michigan State senior forward Kyle Ahrens

On what it was like to kiss the Spartan helmet…
It took so many hours of work for that, everything I've been through was worth it. The hard work and dedication, the amazing teammates I have, it's all worth it.

On Cassius Winston's play…
He's the best player in the country, I'll say that right now. He's the best teammate in the country, that's the reason why we're so connected, because of him. He's so unselfish, he finds plays that makes everyone else better. I'm just thankful I was able to cross paths with him, let alone four years. That dude is phenomenal.

On Rocket Watt's play…
He's an absolute elite scorer. I mean he can score on so many different levels: three's, layups, floaters. He gets the team going; he gets the guys going. Just having him as a facilitator helps a lot.

Michigan State freshman guard Rocket Watts

On how tonight helps them with momentum going into the Big Ten Tournament…
It helps us a lot, we're going to keep working hard and practicing hard. Keep watching film on our opponents and go from there.

On what he's been seeing to score at least 16 points the last four games…
I've just been trying to step up. Cassius needs that second and third guy. I've just been trying to play hard for my whole team and try to give it my all every game and let the game come to me. That's all I can do to be consistent.

On what needs to be done to win the Big Ten Tournament…
We just need to have toughness. The Big Ten is real streaky right now, there's a lot of good teams that we've beat. We have to keep playing hard and win.

Michigan State senior guard Conner George

On what it felt like to kiss the Spartan helmet…
It was awesome just because it's such a tradition here. It's been passed down for so long, just to continue to do that and to have my guys Cash, Josh and Kyle do it too was awesome. It got emotional because you realize it's your last time doing this and being a part of a game here at the Breslin, which makes it all sweeter because we won it and got another Big Ten Championship. It was a perfect way to go out.

On how the team must have a short memory and change the focus to the Big Ten Tournament…
We're going to enjoy it tonight and hopefully have a day off tomorrow and then we'll get back to work. We'll start practicing and watching film and play hard in the Big Ten Tournament and take it day-by-day.

Michigan State senior guard Cassius Winston

On winning a Big Ten Championship on senior night…
There's no better feeling, on senior night in your last game here and win a championship. It doesn't get better than that.

On what it was like when all the seniors kissed the Spartan helmet…
It was very emotional; we've been through a lot as a team this year and to have that final moment here was great. We concurred everything and we finished on top, it's an amazing feeling.

On the mentality the past four games…
We've been putting work in; we took care of business on our end. We've been working hard and not making any excuses. We've been grinding and a couple things happened in our favor to play for a championship.

On when Ohio State tied it up in the second half…
They're a good team, they're going to make their runs. We played extremely hot early and they pulled back, but we made some plays and were able to stretch it back open.

Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann

Opening statement…
Give Michigan State credit; thought they played well, were physical, made shots. Congratulations to them obviously for sharing part of the Big Ten Title. We had some really good moments, and had some good fight to us. I just didn't think overall we were able to sustain enough of a defense presence. So give credit to them for that.

On depth issues and how they played today through that with only six players…
It's probably that and a good team. On the road, on senior day - I think all of those things play a part. I thought we had our chances; we just couldn't get enough stops when we needed to. We have won games with a short bench, but I thought we looked a little fatigued, more in the half court defensively. Michigan State requires so much energy defensively too. Again, give them credit.

On the second half Michigan State run…
I'd have to go back and look at it. I don't remember that stretch exactly. I think they were able to make some three's in that stretch and we had a couple fouls on and ones. One on a three, and the other one was just a foul. That is what I remember from that.

On being on a roll before tournament play, besides this game…
I think we will go back and look at this one, figure out some things we can do better. You know how it is when you get to tournament play. It's really just how you play in that 40 minute stretch and I haven't looked at who we play. It could be a road environment like tonight. I think just look at things. We have obviously had a very good last five or six weeks to finish 9-3 in that stretch. Tremendous credit to our guys down the stretch. It would have been nice to get this one but just weren't able to do it.

On rebounding issues today…
I thought we weren't quick enough to loose balls; they were quicker than us. That was the biggest thing. Obviously you are playing a team at home that is already a good rebounding team, we just needed to be better than that. Really for the first 30 minutes that really hurt us.

On playing Michigan State on Cassius' senior night…
Senior day doesn't change the dynamic outside, other than the fact then they will be more engaged as they have ever been, with a guy that has had as an incredible career as he has had. I thought that they were all engaged, a great environment as well. Tremendous environment for the fans. I thought they just expected a great job from them and they got it. Tillman was terrific, Cassius was terrific, and they had some other guys make some shots as well.

On seeing Justin (Ahrens) playing defense on his brother Kyle…
It's odd that it happened there with those two guys. It's probably something they have done in the backyard a million times. I thought Justin did well and made a stop that is what I took from that. I thought he took the challenge, had fun, and stayed engaged.

On Kyle Young's injury and his return for the tournament…
I'm hopeful for that. He 100 percent would not have been able to play today. This was not a case of holding him out for precautionary reasons, he would not have been able to play today.

On E.J. Liddell stepping up in Kyle's spot…
He obviously went against a really good front line, but he really competed and battled again. He was able to make some shots, and also had a couple right around the basket that went in and out, but he did a really good job competing today.

On how important CJ Walker has been…
CJ has been great, and really gave us some lift. They were just not leaving Kaleb (Wesson). They have, I think, the best interior defender in the country when you combine his ability to play in the interior and also be able to play pick and pop situations. I don't think there is anybody better in the country than Tillman. He did a great job, they just didn't leave his body. So that opened up some things for other guys and I thought CJ benefited from some of that.

On preparing for Tillman…
With Kaleb we were trying to move him around a little bit, trying to get him deeper post ups, more physical where he can get deeper positioning. He was able to do that a few times, but you have to give Tillman credit because he makes it very difficult for the opposing five.

On if he is pleased with where his team is now compared to five weeks ago…
Obviously it is hard not to be pleased with these last five or six weeks. I think you look at today and think could we have been a little more consistent with our defense or our effort with the offensive and defensive glass. I think you always feel like that, but you know I think we were 12-7 and 2-6 it was some dark days; we were struggling. Every team in this conference has gone through something like that, but I think ours and maybe a couple other teams were the most extreme. We tried to own how we could get better. We have seen great progress and now it is win or go home. We have to see if we can just continue to grow and play better. Learn from this opportunity today, from a good team, see what we can coach better and play better. Maybe get a little health here, especially when you are playing teams like this that will help us. But credit to Michigan State today, they beat us fair and square.

Players Mentioned

Kyle Ahrens

Conner George

Aaron Henry

Jack Hoiberg

Rocket Watts

Cassius Winston

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