Tom Izzo didn't understand why MSU 'looked nervous' early vs UConn
A somber but proud Tom Izzo spoke about Michigan State's March Madness loss against the UConn Huskies in the Sweet 16. Watch the postgame video.
Michigan State basketball was knocked out of 2026 March Madness on Friday, March 27, in a loss to Connecticut, 67-63 , in the Sweet 16 in Washington. To see what Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said about the 3-seed Spartans ' NCAA Tournament loss to the 2-seed Huskies, watch the video above. "We didn't play that good early, I mean it's no secret," Izzo said.
"I think it showed their true character by coming back like we did against a really good team. "I think they're a really good team, I think they're a better team than us, we thought we had to play our best, we didn't and we fell a little short. " Izzo said MSU didn't defend the 3-point line well early, and saw some uncharacteristic missed free throws (13-for-18).
He was disappointed the team looked nervous, he said, but added the rough start wasn't for lack of effort or loafing. MSU allowed an early 22-2 run by UConn. "After all the big games we played in, I didn't think we should've looked nervous, but we did," Izzo said about the start.
"And then they hit shots. So that's a double negative. " Michigan State basketball roster for next season Here's a rundown of MSU's 2026-27 lineup as of now , including the No.