Overheard in the Michigan State locker room: A ‘program win’ vs. Kentucky

INDIANAPOLIS – There was plenty to be said about Michigan State’s Tuesday night win over No. 4 Kentucky.

The Spartans topped the No. 4 Wildcats in double overtime after Malik Hall extended the game twice with dunks in the final seconds of regulation and overtime.

Here’s a sampling of what Michigan State players and coaches had to say following the win:

“It was a big win for the program. It was a big program win, not an individual win.”

— Tom Izzo

“As a team, we thought we shouldn’t have lost the other game, and as a team we were laser-focused. We were like ‘We’re going to get this win, then we’re going to come back and keep stacking it up.’ I think everybody just knows what they want.”

— Malik Hall on Michigan State’s one-point loss to Gonzaga on FRiday

“It was unbelievable. After Friday’s game, coming that close to beating Gonzaga on a big stage like that. Come here and play this event, which is just as big, double-overtime game, you can’t write that story any better.”

— Joey Hauser on the win

“It’s my teammates, they think every shot I take at the game is going in. They kept telling me ‘Keep going, keep going.’ That’s what I did.”

— Tyson Walker on missing potential game-winning shots in regulation and overtime but recording four points and two assists in double overtime to seal the win.

“Maybe I even grew as a coach a little bit, because when a guy misses a wide-open 8-footer I have a tendency to jump him a little bit, and I said to him ‘That was a good shot.’ I was biting my tongue underneath.”

— Izzo on Walker’s miss late in regulation

“As soon as I caught it I was like ‘Should I shoot this?’ I was like ‘Nah.’ I read the defender on the side and I saw nobody coming so I just attacked.”

— Malik Hall on his game-tying dunk on a full-court inbounds play at the end of overtime

“I’m proud of guys like Joey and Mady who have been through the wars, all the abuse they took, but they enjoyed the process, and I think sooner or later we’d better figure out that the process is OK.”

— Izzo on Joey Hauser, who recorded 23 points, and Mady Sissoko, who had 16

“I think we always thought we could play with the best of the best, but it just kind of showed us that. That’s what we’re made of, these are the games we want to be a part of.”

— Hauser on coming close to beating Gonzaga

“I like dunks. Probably because I never could, so I really enjoy watching them.”

— Izzo

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