No. 8 Michigan State has had a seemingly cursed track record when it plays at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. The Spartans entered Saturday's Big Ten matchup against Rutgers with a 4-17 all-time record in games played at the world's most famous arena, but all four of those victories came with long-time head coach Tom Izzo at the helm of MSU alongside 13 of the 17 losses. Izzo managed to chip into the losing record when the final buzzer sounded and his Spartans emerged with an 81-74 victory.
The win meant MSU stayed perfect in Big Ten play, improving to 8-0 and keeping a win streak alive that dates back to pre-Thanksgiving. It also dropped the Scarlet Knights to 10-10 overall and 3-6 in league play.
Despite the rare victory at Madison Square Garden, Izzo was less than impressed with his team's performance and had plenty of praise for a struggling Scarlet Knights squad in his opening remarks.
"I said since I came into this league, I thought Steve Pikiell was one of the best coaches in the league and it hasn't changed," Izzo said of the Rutgers head coach in his ninth season in Piscataway. "We all know (Dylan) Harper was hurting and, you know, the job they did. And that's two games in a row now. One game we had foul trouble with the best player. And, the guy that came in for him, 16 at the half and 19 for the game."
Izzo was of course referring to Illinois forward Will RIley who finished last Sunday against MSU with 19 points after of of the Illini's leading scorers, Kasparas Jakučionis, struggled to provide any boost on offense due to foul trouble and eventually fouled out of the game.
"This guy, (Jordan) Derkack, you know, just goes off and gets 26," Izzo lamented of RU's junior. "I mean, he's not as good as Harper because Harper stirs the drink, but man did a hell of a job. And, you know, I was happy we won because you have to win games like this for sure. But I was really disappointed."
A junior guard that transferred to Rutgers this past offseason, Jordan Derkack scored a season high 26 points against MSU on Saturday, though he didn't quite match his career-high at the collegiate level which was 32 points last season against Long Island University during his tenure at Merrimack. It wasn't just the play of Derkack that had Izzo frustrated as his own roster had plenty of struggles in the hall of famer's view.
"I thought for the first time, we kind of looked a little more entitled," Izzo criticized of his team. "We look like we're reading our own press clippings. We did not move the ball smoothly. We looked a little selfish. So, you know, this is a new thing for these guys, too. And, learning how to deal with failure is hard. Learning to deal with success is sometimes harder."
