Tom Izzo upset with Michigan State turnovers after first half vs. Kentucky
Michigan State took a slim, 36-34, lead in to the half against Kentucky in the Champions Classic, but Spartans head coach Tom Izzo was upset that it wasn’t a bigger margin.
Talking with ESPN’s Holly Rowe before joining his team in the locker room, Izzo lamented turnovers that cost his team while they were playing so well against the length of Kentucky. Both the quantity and quality of the turnovers had Izzo displeased.
“Well we’ve done a pretty good job if we didn’t keep turning the ball over,” Izzo said. “I think we’ve got eight or nine turnovers and some of them are disgusting.”
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Michigan State had eight turnovers in the first half. The only other quibble Izzo had was how easily Kentucky guard Sahvir Wheeler was beating defenders off the dribble.
Though, with the lead over a Top 10 team, Izzo had a fair few things to be pleased with.
“But I will say this: We’ve done a pretty good job at the rebounding, gotten a little mixed up guarding Wheeler, he shouldn’t get to the basket like that, but all in all I thought we rebounded well, we started executing our stuff off ball screens and that gave us some baskets for [Joey] Hauser and [Malik] Hall.”
Hall scored 10 points in the first half. Hauser scored nine, all on 3s.
Michigan State is the first team to face Kentucky star Oscar Tshiebwe this season
The Kentucky basketball team got a major impact player back on Tuesday night against Michigan State, with big man Oscar Tshiebwe returning to action in a limited capacity following a knee procedure a few weeks back.
Tshiebwe did not play in Kentucky’s first two wins but will suit up tonight.
“We are expecting to see the season debut of the reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe,” ESPN broadcaster Dan Shulman said. “A minor knee procedure a few weeks ago, he has not played in either of Kentucky’s first two games but obviously this is a game-changer. This is a guy who just gobbles up rebounds like crazy.”