Selection Sunday Quotes

Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo

Opening Statement…
I was concerned. Until 10 o'clock last night, I felt pretty good. Then when that stuff came across the air that we're a bubble team, to be honest I was shocked and haven't slept since. It was one of the most anxious days in my career. The sitting back and waiting is really something. I haven't had to do it that many times. But you can't do anything about it. It's not waiting for a big game; it's waiting for your future. The other thing is, if we were in the play-in game, we would've been leaving tomorrow. Today we practiced a little bit. We figured out what we wanted to do. I think the hardest part of the uncertainty is getting the criteria down. For 29 years we tried to schedule some of the best non-conference teams. It's a little different this year when you look at Butler, we don't get any credit for it. Looking at Oakland I'm so proud and happy for Greg Kampe. You look at Indiana State who missed getting in by an eyelash, they missed getting in by the bizarre day yesterday brought. When you look at that, that's what caused all the anxiety last night. I felt good if you believed in the Net, I felt good if you believed in the strength of schedule, I just never know which one is valid. The other thing is, when you play a team like Wisconsin who was so hot when we played them, then they go and lose seven out of nine, they get so hot at the end. A lot of factors, really none of them matters right now I'm just so happy. Could we have done more? 100 percent. It has not been the year I was hoping it would be, yet we're three, four wins and we could be a five or six seed. That's how tough it is right now. We lost so many games by a small number of points. But the uncertainty is over. Now we're playing and we got Mississippi State. I had three buddies of mine in the league texted me and said, 'very tough team' and 'bring your hard hat.' I've seen them a couple of times just watching, but I haven't seen them. Some of my players like A.J. [Hoggard] and Tyson [Walker] know a couple of guys on the team. We will go to work now. Getting an extra day is big, because I thought if we had to play in one of the play-in games, it would screw up the week. I am excited, it's hard to believe that 27 out of 29 years, I'm counting Cassius' year we were in, it is hard to believe, this one was harder to strain but it was all sweeter when it happened.

On his feelings and emotions when he saw they were a nine seed…
When I saw we weren't going to be playing Dayton, I said, 'uh-oh,' it was all or nothing. Then of course we had to be in the last bracket, making me sit away. I felt really relieved when they called our name at nine. I didn't care what we were, I really didn't. I didn't want to be in the play-in game because of the logistics of everything. But going to Charlotte, going to see Miles hopefully.

On how veteran battle tested is the team facing the top teams in recent years…
They are battle tested and some of the battles we lost. Some of the battles we were right there. Just the thought of a physical game, we just played a football game on hardwood, I'm not concerned about that. Again, I don't know much about them, but when we meet again, I'll give you a much better run down. Right now, I'm just happy we're in and get an opportunity to keep playing. I'm hoping we can use the experience we've had to put some things together and see where it takes us.

On if there's some relief now after the uncertainty of making the tournament…
This is how goofy I am. After we beat Northwestern at home, I thought we were all but in, then we beat Minnesota, I felt even better when we gave Purdue the game we did. I did feel like we were in. Last night I went to a friend's house after the hockey game then saw we we're a bubble team. That was too bad because that really ended the sleep. That's the only thing I struggle with all this stuff, what is the true criteria? Some make a big deal out of the net, some make a big deal out of the strength of schedule, some wins and losses. That's what made it nerve racking. As they say, when you got through it and its nerve racking and you come out on the right side, you have a better appreciation for it. For me, after all these years there's been two or three, I had to sweat it out a little bit. I wouldn't have sweated this one out until last night.

On if he remembers the last time he was this nervous on selection Sunday…
I think there was one time when Miles was here, his freshman year we had all those injuries. There hasn't been many of them and I owe that to all the players that played here. They took care of me. Maybe this will light a fire under all of us and get us going.

On if he's glad he had a fist fight with Purdue going into Mississippi State with a hard hat…
I think it can help us. I think playing in this league helps you. Wisconsin is always tough, Nebraska is a new tough team, but nobody tougher than Purdue of course. We did have some battles with some teams, Maryland is a very physical team. Yet we played a team from the ACC, we played an SEC team in the exhibition, so I'll have something to compare. That's the reason for the scheduling. If we get by, we get North Carolina and we played Duke, it's always good to play somebody that you can relate. It's not the same team but you can see how they played and get things you can pick up from there. That's what these nights will be for, I wish I got a little bit more sleep last night, but I don't mind.

On where things need to be put together after the last couple of losses…
Well, I think our guard play, that was supposed to be our strength at the beginning and as I told you, we were all blaming our bigs and our bigs have played o.k., not great at times but we don't have the luxury of just throwing in scoring, although with Jaxon (Kohler) coming back it helps. With Book[er], we've started using him in different ways which helps. But the strength of the team was always going to be the three guards and what can Malik (Hall) do after the injury. Malik's done more than his part. I've been so pleased with him offensively, defensively, he's got to rebound a little better but he's a physical kid and that's going to help us in the game. The guards have got to play well. They've got to make some shots. I mean it's really no different, it'll still be a game where you've got to defend in the NCAA Tournament, still gotta rebound, I don't know any of their stats yet, but I will know them a little later.

On what he observed among his players in the room during the selection show…
Again, I for the most part, especially the last few years, have always invited a lot of people in and I didn't do that for a lot of people not just media because I didn't know how it was going to go, if you want the truth. To my surprise, the cheers and the shouts and the clapping, it actually felt refreshing because we've done it so many times that I think unfortunately sometimes we take it for granted. I know deep down what it meant to me and I think and listen and watch them; I think it meant more to them than I sometime think so that what actually a plus if you want to know what I think.

On whether the senior-heavy lineup gives them an advantage in the tournament…
Well, I don't know what you mean by seniors, I would be willing to disagree with you and I don't know this with their team but they only have one freshman that plays a lot for sure. But most of these teams don't have seniors, they have fifth-years, sixth-years, grad students, great-grad students, I mean there aren't any freshman, sophomore teams if that's what you mean. But I do think that's an advantage for us. I do think they're experienced, to be honest with you my experience, and my staffs experience – can that help, we'll find out.

Closing remarks...
It was just so great to see the name, you sit there and everybody was nervous, I didn't hear from many people today. Usually I'm hearing from everybody. But that thing hit and Draymond, Mateen, Dantonio, I went right down the list. It's so cool to be in a place where they're so excited for you and for the program and for the players. And God, I love that. It's why I've never left, and we've got to get something done too. We've played good enough to play with a lot of people. We played good enough to beat some people. We played inconsistently enough to lose. We don't have any bad losses if you really looked at it. And in some of our losses I think we had a 12 and a 13 point loss, other than that Kansas just had a 30-point one and other than that, those games were right down to the wire in the last three minutes. Whether it be Indiana, whether it be Purdue just now, whether it be those teams earlier like Minnesota and Illinois. But that's what disappoints me most with a veteran coach and a veteran back court, you should be able to take care of that business. We've been good enough defensively, we have not always been good enough shooting the ball, and maybe we'll shoot all night and not worry about anything else.
But I appreciate y'all, it's been an interesting year when it's all said and done. Not a bad year, just an interesting year that I don't feel that we accomplished what we could have or should have or needed to but I'm only going to tell you – it's different for everybody right now. We're a nine seed, not the highest seed I've been, not the lowest seed I've been. I'm looking forward to getting to Charlotte, I'm calling Miles [Bridges] right now. Thank you.

Graduate Forward Malik Hall

On whether he was thinking they wouldn't get in…
To be honest, I didn't think about it. Just for me personally. I believe in my guys, I believe in some of the guys we went through this year. We didn't get in the way that I liked, for sure, but I believed that we were getting in.

On what the last 48 hours were like…
When we got back, yesterday was pretty much off. We watched film, we watched the Purdue game, always got to do something to make sure were bettering ourselves. So, we took offense, defense, went through that stuff, made sure we talked about what we did wrong, what we could've done better and then today was light practice, mostly shooting, went through some offensive and defensive stuff. That's about it really, that we did to get ready.

On how he's processing the selection emotionally…
I'm just happy we're in. For me, it was really like, once you're in, it doesn't matter where you are at. I think that's been proven enough times over for everyone. As long as we're in, the rest of it doesn't really matter for me.

On if there were any losses he looks back on and thinks that they could've had a higher seed…
I mean you could say that about a number of games this year, but I wasn't doing that in the last 48 hours if you were asking about that piece of it. For me, we can't dwell on the past. There's a lot of things we could have done to be better, there's a lot of things we could have done to win certain games, so I try not to think that way. I just try to think how we can use those. Like, yeah, they were important and yeah, we need to take our learning pieces from those, and we need to still be able to think back to those. Like, 'we messed this up this game, we have to do this going forward,' but I wasn't sitting there thinking, damn, I wish I did this and that because at that point I'm just worrying myself for no reason.

On what was going through his head while they were waiting for their name to be called…
It sucks that it was in the last portion of the selection show, you know what I mean? But other than that I was just sitting there, happy to be with my people, happy to be with everybody that cares for us and that wants to be a part of something that we can do.

On how he sees themselves stacking up and whether he's had conversations with teammates about what they can achieve…
I mean, I think about that regularly, not even tournament wise, I've been thinking that since I knew who was coming back last year. I think we still are that same team, those same people, we still have the possibility of being National Champions in my eyes. If we're all clicking or on the same page and we're all doing what we're supposed to offensively and defensively, shit, I think everybody is scared in my eyes.

On whether that hunger is even greater because of the lackluster regular season…
Yeah, I think just looking at the last week, I feel like everybody knows that we under achieved. We all know it, we see it all the time, people say it all the time, we know what situation we put ourselves in but we also know that we could completely right that situation by doing what we've got to do. That's where our minds are at.

On whether he thinks they have an advantage with the senior-heavy lineup they have…
Yeah, going into the tournament, obviously experience matters. I mean, it's tough being a young guy or being a freshman or a sophomore that may not have as much experience going into the tournament, not knowing how important every little minute thing is or what really matters, what you need to do to mentally prepare yourself to be there when the game tips off and being able to finish that game and be like, 'okay, we need to move to this next one and we have to continue to be better. I think that helps for sure. I'm assuming the three you were talking about were A.J., Tyson and I, but I think Davis, Mady, even J.A. [Jaden Akins], they all bring such great knowledge, such great value, Steeve-O [Steven Izzo]; I think we all bring such great value to help the team going forward.

On the effect of them having played several of the tournament's top seeds…
That's kind of mean by the same question that she asked. There's not many people that we haven't played in the last couple years so I mean, for me, it's nothing but confidence. I feel like we're ready, I feel like we're in a certain point of our season chemistry wise that we've seen pretty much every look that we can see and I feel like we'll be ready for anything, it doesn't matter who it is, it doesn't matter where it is, it doesn't matter what they're seeded, I think we'll be ready for it.

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