Tom Izzo destroys his clipboard and then calls out Michigan State's fans
Tom Izzo has had better nights. The Michigan State head coach lost his cool during and after the Spartans’ 84-73 loss at home to Purdue on Tuesday night.
The breaking point – literally – came after a missed free throw with his team down by seven points with a little more than five minutes remaining:
In the postgame press conference, Izzo’s frustration again was evident. Asked about the Spartans’ fan base growing impatient and complaining about the team’s recent struggles, Izzo held nothing back:
“I don’t care about the fan base. … If people want to complain, I don’t care. I really don’t. I know what I’m doing, I know what this team is doing. I know what they’re going through. And nobody knows what they’re going through because nobody’s had to do it. … Am I going to worry about what somebody says that has no clue what this team has gone through and what we’re doing? I’m not going to worry about that. I feel their disappointment. … I thought the fans that were there [Tuesday] did a great job. If some are at the local pubs and are complaining, that’s their freedom of speech. It’s a great country.”
Tom Izzo
Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
It was the Spartans’ third consecutive loss (and fourth in the past five games), and it dropped them to 12-9 on the season and 4-4 in the Big Ten.
The last time Michigan State missed the NCAA Tournament? The 1996-97 season – Izzo’s second season in East Lansing.
