What Tom Izzo said about Michigan State basketball's win over Iowa

Tom Izzo and his Michigan State Spartans put the bow on a fun couple of days for MSU, getting a dominant win over a hot Iowa team in front of new football head coach Pat Fitzgerald. This was not supposed to be a blowout win, as Iowa has a lot of hype this year under new head coach Ben McCollum, but the Spartans were able to handle Iowa and win 71-52.

After the game, Tom Izzo talked about the win, and you can read the highlights of that press conference below:

• "They beat the hell out of us the first 6 or 7 minutes."

• "We bounced back, got a little tougher. We said free throws are going to be important. That said, we still turned it over too much, we still got issues at the two."

• "Our football coach is on board and got to be here with our fans; hopefully, things keep getting better."

• "Drake won five overtime games last year. Five. That tells you they are well coached and got a guard to go to. I am really proud of Jeremy. Not a great shooting night; he needs to take more. All-in-all, the pregame, the huddles when we were down, he was really good."

• "What has impressed me the most is the connectivity of this team. It is not phony. Carson Cooper - what he has done for Jesse and Cam. Jeremy is leading better. Good teams need a great leader. I was more impressed with how he led."

• "When Draymond (Green) was here, he talked the entire huddle. Jeremy is starting to talk in the huddle. I have realized if I let guys like Draymond and Jeremy talk in the huddle, it's an easier job for me."

• "Jordan Scott hit a three tonight, our guys were excited for him. He's really a good shooter. He reminds me of Steve Smith. Maybe his bulk isn't there, but his heart is."

• "We got punched in the mouth early. That has not happened much this year. Maybe that was good for us. We were better that way. They play a style that is slower. That is why we did a better job rebounding the ball, they were sending guys back."

• "I think we need a little more consistency shooting on the perimeter, and even defensively."

• "Everybody has so many new players, and we don't. A lot of the teams have new players. Arkansas, UNC, they are going to get better. We are going to get better too. I think, this is a product. Middle of December, we will see who's really good, who's good, who's not so."

• "Jaxon Kohler, for a guy who is not the greatest athlete in the world, gets a lot done. He has a nose for the ball, he is hungry. I am still working on him getting a little more assists. Average a double-double in the Big Ten, that is a huge feat."

• "I am not satisfied with the defense of our two guards. I am telling you, it will get cranked up. If it gets better, we will be a real real good team. I think they have made progress."

• "I appreciate my president and athletic director, I appreciate my new football coach. My damn day job got in the way of making it to the football press conference."

• "It has been tough. I said it on Jonathan's behalf, it is hard to see a coach go down. Especially one that has character and class."

• "The place up there (points up at the Breslin Court) wins us some games. The place over there (points towards Munn) wins us games. The place over there (points at Spartan Stadium) has not recently. I am putting the challenge to turn Spartan Stadium rocking and rolling."

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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: What Tom Izzo said about Michigan State's win over Iowa