Tom Izzo On MSU's Overtime Win Over Rutgers: 'We’ve got to learn from this game'
MSU trailed by 12-points at its largest margin on Tuesday. The Spartans clawed their way back to earn an overtime opportunity, coming away with another Big Ten win and improving to an overall record of 19-2 and 9-1 Big Ten.
Michigan State men’s basketball came away with another win on Tuesday night — improving its current winning streak to seven games — and moving to an overall record of 19-2 (9-1 in Big Ten play). The No. 7-ranked Spartans defeated Rutgers by a final score of 88-79 in overtime, which now drops the Scarlet Knights to 9-12 overall and 2-8 in Big Ten play on the 2025-2026 season.
But this win for MSU didn’t come without a struggle. In fact, Rutgers seemingly outplayed Michigan State for much of the contest.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo had plenty of praise for head coach Steve Pikiell and Rutgers.
“Believe it or not, it’s hard to be as excited as I should be because I lost to a guy (Pikiell) that I have great respect for,” Izzo said. “They (Rutgers) out-coached us and outplayed us 90 percent of that game.”
Michigan State’s Achilles' heel reared its head at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey. Turnovers, missed opportunities and limited fast-break points held the Spartans back, particularly in the first half.
MSU committed 15 turnovers — most of them coming in the first half — that led to 19 points for the Scarlet Knights. Michigan State’s shots were not dropping. Communication was off, and the Spartans were trailing for most of the game — finding themselves down by three points with just 17 seconds left in regulation.
“I mean, they played well," Izzo said about the Scarlet Knights. "They made shots. They guarded better. We didn’t make shots and we did what cost us.”
