Tom Izzo’s fire hasn’t cooled one bit. Tuesday night in Eugene was just the latest reminder that the Michigan State head coach still coaches every possession like it’s the Final Four - and he’s not handing out compliments for free.
During the Spartans’ 68-52 win over Oregon, cameras caught Izzo unleashing a vintage sideline moment in the first half. His target?
Freshman guard Kur Teng. The message?
Brutally clear.
“Kur, you can’t guard my mother. My mother,” Izzo barked in the huddle - a line that’s already gone viral.
For the record, Izzo’s mother, Dorothy, is 99-and-a-half years old. That’s the kind of line only Izzo can deliver - part frustration, part motivation, and somehow still endearing.
It wasn’t just a one-off jab either. Izzo doubled down postgame, joking that Teng might be headed to Appleton, Wisconsin - presumably to take on Dorothy in a nursing home one-on-one. But beneath the humor, there’s a message Izzo has been hammering home for a while: if Teng wants to be a consistent starter, his defense has to catch up to his shooting.
And on Tuesday, Michigan State needed more than just shot-making to get out of a tough spot.
Trailing 38-35 early in the second half at Matthew Knight Arena, the Spartans flipped the switch. They outscored Oregon 40-26 the rest of the way, clamping down defensively and getting efficient looks inside. Michigan State shot a blistering 13-of-17 on two-point attempts after halftime and committed just five turnovers in the second half - a clean, composed stretch that showed why this team is sitting at 17-2 overall and 7-1 in Big Ten play.
Izzo wasn’t exactly thrilled with the way his team started, though. The first half was choppy, and Oregon’s unconventional zone defense clearly threw off the Spartans' rhythm. That slow start - and the early second-half deficit - had Izzo in full throttle on the sideline.
“I’m not going to give in to how disappointed I am,” Izzo said after the game. “But I’m going to understand it.
It was a tough road trip, and we played a team that was desperate. They played a funky zone, and we didn’t handle it great.
But we’ll get better.”
That’s classic Izzo - demanding, but always focused on growth. He knows the grind of a Big Ten season doesn’t leave much time to dwell. The Spartans just wrapped up a 2-0 West Coast swing, and now they head back to East Lansing for a Saturday matchup against Maryland.
As for Teng? He’ll likely hear about that “you can’t guard my mother” line for a while.
But if you know Izzo, you know that moment wasn’t about humiliation - it was about expectation. He sees something in Teng.
He just wants the freshman to defend with the same intensity he shoots with.
And if that happens? Michigan State’s already-formidable rotation gets even deeper.