Tom Izzo Great Quotations

Our biggest problem was there was no spacing between those tough games. We kept losing and having to play another great team right away. I still think good schedules make you better in the long run. I don't mind losing because that's how you figure out what's wrong, but you have to do it within reason.

I think Shannon Brown deserves a lot of credit. ... I thought he did a great job on Taylor and that was the difference in the game.

I don't feel great about it because destiny's not in our total hands. But I feel good that we're going to be difference-makers.

It's great to have our league being talked about. Every team in the league is making some strides. I still think eight teams can win the Big Ten championship and in the long run that's going to help our recruiting, our exposure and the respect for our league.

It's great to have our league being talked about and see that we're making some strides. It's an exciting time, yet it's a tough time because so many good teams are coming up. You can get on a heck of a run in a negative way pretty quick if you lose a few games.

We didn't play great but we played good enough to win. This was a step. How big a step? It's too early to tell.

I think he's done some good things. He made a couple great passes, then he made a couple bad ones, but he's getting better.

I think he's done a great job in a tough situation.

I still think they have a great shot to make a long run in the tournament.

The turnovers, I told you, would make a big difference in the game. We did a great job there.

You've got a guy like D.J. White, who is not only a great player . . . but he had matured a great deal. You just don't lose players like that and have the same team. I thought Indiana, when we played them, was still playing awfully well.

He shouldn't be called a great guard or a great shooter. He should just be called a winner.

We don't have a great bench ? I told you that in September. And we don't have a great scoring bench. But there's a lot of teams that don't have great benches.

When the players want to win more than the coach, that's a great sign, and I see that.

It is a great feeling. It is such an awesome feeling. I won it last year, and I won it again. I spent quite a few hours in the weight room. All the hard practices, it all paid off.

Early in his career, they said there was never a shot he didn't like. He's changed. He's done such a much better job of shot selection. I'm going to have to get him to shoot bad shots again because I really thought he had some great looks and he just couldn't ? poor kid couldn't buy one.

Illinois is not going to be worried because they beat us two times or three times. They're not going to have a letdown. They've got a great team.

Shannon (Brown) was very unselfish today and Maurice (Ager) came to me at halftime and said, 'I made some good shots in the first half and in the second half I'm going to go out there and put them down.' That to me is a great feeling knowing that the relationship between the coaches and the players is that confident.

It had to go through a lot of channels, including the Pentagon, and there were times it seemed like it wasn't going to happen. But I'm glad it did because it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The troops thanked us for being there, but they gave us more than we gave them.

I think that was a great sign. Maurice looked like he wanted the ball. He took pretty good shots; he was confident. He exploded with the ball on one drive, it was unbelievable. ... Maurice Ager played like the All-American player he is.

This is the greatest time of the year. For nine, 10 years, we've gotten better over Christmas.

I'm excited about the Big Ten. It's great to have our league being talked about. I think every team in the league is making some strides, and I still think there are eight teams in the league that could win the Big Ten championship.