"Damn, why would I do that in October?" Coach Izzo said was the question that he was asking himself on the bench during Sunday night's 89-88 loss to Tennessee in preseason exhibition play.

The Spartans got off to a slow start, fought back, and even tied the game late. But a questionable late foul would ultimately lead to the one-point loss.

"There were a lot of good things," Coach Izzo said. "Well, there were some good things, and there were some things that really bothered me."

As for the list of good things, the play of senior guard Tyson Walker, who led the Spartans with 22 points, was one of the bright spots.

"I think nobody would argue that he's the best player on the floor for us," Coach Izzo said. "We have to do a better job and getting him involved earlier."

Tom Izzo was also pleased with the play of his fifth-year senior power forward.

"Malik Hall did the things that I needed to be done from him," Izzo said. "He gets a double-double with 14 (points) and 11 (rebounds) and hits from the free throw line. I thought he played pretty well."

As for the list of things that bothered Izzo, there were plenty of those to point to, starting with the MSU staple of rebounding.

"Our wings and our guards had to get more rebounds," Izzo said. He called this facet of the game a "disappointment." He pointed out that junior guard Jaden Akins failed to grab a board for the entire game.

It also did not help that Tennessee shot the ball extremely well, starting right from the opening tip.

"They came in here and shot the daylights out of it early," Izzo said. "I didn't think that we guarded very well, but I thought they made some shots, too, that we didn't expect (them to make)."

Tennessee has struggled to shoot the ball ever since head coach Rick Barnes arrived in Knoxville in 2016. The Volunteers have only finished in the top 100 nationally in effective field goal percentage once in that span. Last year, Tennessee was ranked No. 212 of 363 teams.

But on Sunday afternoon, the Volunteers opened the game by hitting 12 of their first 14 shots, including going six-for-7 from deep to build a 30-12 lead 10 minutes into the game. The Spartans did not help themselves by turning the ball over five times in the first three minutes of the game.

"The turnovers were a joke," Izzo said. Several of the turnovers, especially early, led to layups or other easy baskets for Tennessee. These "turnovers for touchdowns," had Izzo pulling out his hair.

"We had some guys that just overdribbled or over-handled it early," Izzo said. "Ball movement wasn't as good and that's because (Tennessee is) really good defensively."

That said, the Volunteers had their own problems with turnovers. By the end of the game, they had committed more than the Spartans did, 20-17. A part of the reason was the new-look full court pressure defense that the Spartans unveiled in the first exhibition game against Hillsdale. MSU continued with that pressure on Sunday.

"There was a reason they turned it over," Izzo said. "Our defense was pretty good in the full court. In the half court, we weren't very good, and that's what we've got to continue to work on."

Ultimately, Michigan State gave up 89 points on 26-for-51 shooting. No matter how well the other team is shooting, it is the job of a Spartan defense under Izzo to shut the opponent down defensively. That did not happen.

"We had some slip-ups where we had switches, and guys were wide open under the basket," Izzo said. "Some of it is playing different lineups. Some of it was the way (Tennessee) ran things, and some of it was just mistakes. They knew it right away when they did it. We need more practice on that, and that's why this game was so important."

Izzo did not seem too upset about a loss that will not go down on his permanent record. He saw it as a valuable learning experience for his team.

"We got a lot of work to do," Izzo said. "But this will give us something to check our warts... They (Tennessee) took it to us, and yet we bounced back. When you are down that big to a team that good and you comeback and have a chance to win it at the end, that's pretty good."

Following the game, both Coach Izzo and Coach Barnes were asked about the pros and cons of playing this game as a televised spectacle as opposed to the closed scrimmage that was originally planned. Once the game was over, both coaches gave an overwhelmingly positive answer.

"It was such a good thing to play this game," Izzo said. "You never feel good when you don't win, but it was good for a lot of real reasons."

First and foremost, the event was great for the people of Hawaii, who suffered devastating wildfires this August on the island of Maui. All proceeds from the game will be donated to the recovery effort and to support the people of Maui.

Coach Izzo, clad in a green Hawaiian shirt, spoke about how he hoped that this event would "bring light upon the people" in Maui so that the tragedy that took place there does not get lost in the shuffle of other world events. Izzo wanted to reciprocate for the hospitality that he has received during his numerous trips to the island to play in the annual Maui Jim Maui Classic Tournament in late November.

Izzo also felt the event was good for the fans, who got to witness an exciting game in the month of October with March flavor between two top-10 caliber teams.

"The crowd was phenomenal," he said. "They helped us get back in the game. I feel good about that."

The coaches also both felt that their players will certainly benefit from the experience.

"My philosophy around here (is that) it's good to get punched in the mouth," Izzo said. "I thought we did early. I thought we got punched right in the mouth."

"There's no benefit (to playing the game) behind closed doors that takes the place of this," Coach Barnes said. "I've said for years that we should be allowed to play two or three (games) like this. I think it does more to get us ready than closed scrimmages because of the atmosphere."

Both coaches implied that the NCAA could make events like this a new tradition, including the charitable angle. Why not have more teams play exhibition games and donate the proceeds to charity?

"Expedition games are great," Coach Barnes said. "I think we could all come together for a great cause, whatever it may be. One could pick different causes (from) different places around the country, whatever it may be to support people."

There was one other group of people that both coaches thought would also benefit from more high-level preseason exhibition games: the officials.

"I think the referees need it more than we need it, and I mean that in a good way," Coach Barnes said. "I think it was great for the officials and I think they would tell you that."

Coach Izzo agreed, but he also couldn't help but to point out the final foul called in the game, which occurred with less than two seconds on the clock in a tie game in a non-shooting situation.

"It was a great game, (but it was) sad that it ended that way," Izzo said. "Was it a foul or not a foul? He (the official) asked me a good question. He said, 'If it was the other way would you want it called?' I said 'hell no.' I like to win the game on the floor and not on the free throw. Now, if it was during the regular season? Hell yes. But it was bang-bang play. It could have gone either way."

It would appear that the players need a little practice dealing with the officials as well. At one point in the game, some of Michigan State's players got a bit vocal with the referees. Izzo was not pleased.

"I learned a little lesson there too," Izzo said. "I had a couple of guys chirping at the officials. That'll be ended tonight because that's not going to be tolerated.

"Hell, that's the only fun I have is to get to yell at them (the officials)," Izzo joked. "If I get a player yelling at them, then he takes away my fun."

Fortunately, Coach Izzo, his players, and the officials have five more months of fun ahead of them.

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