EAST LANSING – Tom Izzo spent Wednesday, Oct. 14, in Detroit, reminiscing about his Michigan State basketball squad's run to the last Final Four there, in 2009, and dreaming about getting back there again in April.
A day later and 88 miles to the northwest, the Hall of Fame coach sought to remind his players – and MSU fans – that the ultimate goal remains off in the distance. To make that journey down I-96 and back to what would be his ninth Final Four, Izzo knows the Spartans have the talent.
But he also preached about what else it will take over the next five-plus months to be the ones cutting down final nets, starting with two final exhibition games in the next two weeks against power programs: Connecticut at home on Tuesday (7 p.m., B1G+)
and Marquette on the road on Oct. 25.
“My biggest concern right now is not who we are – even though that’s a big concern – but who the other teams are,” Izzo said during his team’s media day Thursday. “I think that’s been the hardest thing, to try and figure out where you are compared to who you gotta play. And that’s always important as far as expectations getting too out of control – which they will get out of control, because we have one of the teams that’s a good team.
“And we all know the Final Four is in Detroit. And yet that has nothing to do with anything in the big picture.”
For MSU to get there, back to the Final Four for the first time since 2019, Izzo will rely on one of his deepest and most versatile rosters, led by returning All-American and preseason Big Ten and national player of the year Jeremy Fears Jr. at point guard. That’s generally enough to propel a team into into the top 5-10 picks in preseason polls – a good start. It’s what the Spartans have beyond Fears that is enticing for Izzo.
One of the analogies he has long used in marveling over other teams’ roster construction is likening them to the Biblical tale of Noah's Ark – having “two of everything.” And for perhaps the first time in Izzo’s career, he is the one piloting such a roster.
Last year’s team had issues at point guard behind Fears. This year’s group has freshman Carlos “C.J.” Medlock as a potentially potent backup, while 6-foot-7 Jordan Scott got reps there the past week as a possible No. 3 option when Medlock had to miss a couple recent practices with a bone bruise in his back from a hard fall.
“You never know what can happen,” Medlock said Thursday. “We could have people in foul trouble, we could have somebody go down – knock on wood. [Scott] just has to always be ready for the moment.”
After a strong offseason, Scott scored 16 points in MSU’s opening exhibition win over Incarnate Word on Oct. 2. The sophomore started at shooting guard alongside Fears, swingman Coen Carr, forward Jesse McCulloch and center Anton Bonke.
Beyond Scott, Izzo has plenty of off-ball options off the bench, with freshman Jasiah Jervis a star in waiting, junior Kur Teng ready when 3-point shooting is needed and redshirt junior Kaleb Glenn back after a knee injury and able to slide in if a bigger lineup is needed. Izzo also has tinkered with matching Fears and Medlock together for a quicker, smaller backcourt.
Carr, Glenn, Scott and Jervis all can man the wing, depending on matchups. McCulloch got the first exhibition start at small forward with Cam Ward coming back from an ankle injury, but Carr, Glenn and freshman Julius Avent also fit there. And with two 7-2 options at center – Bonke, a transfer from Charlotte, and freshman Ethan Taylor, who's surprising Izzo with his improving motor – along with the 6-11 McCulloch, Izzo’s mission to make MSU bigger is evident. And yet, the Spartans also can go small by potentially using the 6-9 Ward in the middle.
“The fact that every guy on our team can play, it just says something about our team,” Fears said Thursday. “That’s the special part of our team. But overall, it’s just understanding that everyone can’t play, there’s not enough minutes. So just be ready when your name is called. …
“There might be a game where someone’s not playing well and everybody can get in. Everybody can play, and everybody can’t get soft. It’s just understanding that the coaches have to do what’s best for the team.”
For Izzo and his staff, finding the right combinations at the right moments in the right matchups will be an ongoing process up to the regular season-opener against Quinnipiac on Nov. 2. For the players, learning to adjust to their roles and usages – and handling the emotions of those both varying – will be equally as important.
“Ego definitely has to be put to the side,” said McCulloch, who had 20 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes against Incarnate Word. “But the good thing about our team, I feel like, is we don’t have too much ego. The thing is about us is we’re pretty good at lifting each other up.”
And lifting the NCAA championship trophy on April 5 at Ford Field is the long-term task Izzo is building toward.
“I think depth is something that is important. But I think staying focused on the task at hand gonna be the big thing,” he said. “Our goal is the same as it always is – it’s always to try to win the Big Ten, it’s always try to get to a Final Four. That’s the goal, that’s been the goal since the first one we went to.
“But it’s really to get every player better every day. And if they do, it’ll help the team get better. And if the team gets better, it’s my job to put them together and try to achieve the goals that we will always have.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball ditches ego in hunt for Detroit Final Four
