Tom Izzo reveals Michigan State had two-a-days because there are 'no laws and rules'

Michigan State is off to an extremely strong start to the season, boasting an unblemished 4-0 record with strong wins over No. 14 Arkansas and No. 12 Kentucky. The Spartans are one of two programs with at least two ranked victories so far this season (Arizona).

Following the dominant 83-66 win over Kentucky in Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, head coach Tom Izzo revealed that the Spartans had two-a-days because there are ‘no laws and rules’.

“You know, I told my wife, my AD, and my staff that we had three of the best days of practice,” Izzo said. “I mean, we went at it. We had two-a-days one day and you know, I don’t know, that’s probably illegal now. I don’t know. But since there’s no laws and rules, it doesn’t really matter.

“But, we did. I think when you get players to the point where they realize the work is beneficial for them and us, and that’s what wins like tonight will do. Now maintaining that, there’s 26 games left. So, as my buddy Nick says, don’t throw rat poison at me. We deserve to feel good for a night because we weren’t great other than our shooting early, but we found a way to win.”

Michigan State’s shooting improved mightily following two-a-days

The strong practices sure showed in their matchup against the ‘Cats, as they hit 11 of their 22 three-point attempts in the win. In their previous three games prior to the Champions Classic showdown, they had hit just 13 of their 60 three-point attempts.

“We didn’t really shoot the ball well at UConn,” guard Jeremy Fears said about the Spartans’ exhibition game following the win over Kentucky. “Defense wasn’t as well as it was. Communication and just trust and chemistry. So just over these past four games, you can tell we have gotten better every game. And the goal now is put two great halves together and make sure that we bond and trust each other and trust the game plan. And I think we can be pretty successful.”

Michigan State actually trailed 17-14 with 13:36 remaining in the first half Saturday night, but outscored Kentucky 30-10 over the final 13 minutes to head to halftime with a 44-27 advantage. It held on for the 17-point victory, taking its 4-0 record into its game against Detroit Mercy on Friday.

Following that, the Spartans will clash with East Carolina and No. 18 North Carolina in the Fort Myers Tip-Off before hosting Iowa and No. 5 Duke in East Lansing. It’s still very early in the season, but Tom Izzo‘s team is mightily outperforming its preseason expectations so far.