V-Cast: Regular-season missteps caught up to Michigan State in loss to North Carolina
Charlotte, N.C. – Michigan State underachieved this season. That was the assessment of Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo after his Spartans lost 85-69 to No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Round of 32 on Saturday evening at the Spectrum Center.
After the loss, Izzo levelled with media outside the locker room. He talked about his regrets this season, and spoke about the direction he intends to take the Spartan program moving forward. After interviews, SpartanMag.com staffers Jim Comparoni and Paul Konyndyk checked in from courtside with their initial thoughts on a season-ending loss to the Tarheels and the future of Michigan State basketball.
V-CAST TOPICS
SEEDING COST MICHIGAN STATE: Michigan State lost to North Carolina in part because the Spartans failed to take care of business in winnable regular season games against Ohio State, Iowa, at Nebraska, at Minnesota, at Indiana, and at home against James Madison to start regular season play. If the Spartans had won even a couple of those one-possession games, they would not have had to play North Carolina in its own backyard on the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. This was an example of ‘my bads’ catching up to the Spartans in a big way.
MOVING FORWARD: Michigan State had a lot of seniors on this team, including a couple in Mady Sissoko and AJ Hoggard that have another year of eligibility available should they opt to use it. That doesn’t mean that either Sissoko or Hoggard will use that eligibility at Michigan State. If neither Sissoko or Hoggard are back next season, the Spartans would be tasked with replacing four scholarship seniors in those players, Tyson Walker and Malik Hall. While it seems likely that Michigan State will have to replace at least four players, there is always the chance of additional roster attrition.
BOOKER STAYING: The top-rated prospect in Michigan State’s 2023 recruiting class, Xavier Booker indicated in the locker room after his team’s loss that he intends to return next season for the Spartans. Booker took tremendous developmental strides as a first-year player for Michigan State. In post-season season play, he logged minutes at both the four and the five. At this point, Booker appears to be the heir apparent to Hall at the four for Michigan State. Booker played 15 minutes against North Carolina, contributing five points and five rebounds. He had a couple of hiccups on defensively, but has shown growth in that area as a freshman.
