Despite the recent tragic events, Michigan State men's basketball has a job to do. It’s not the job the Spartans were expecting to do this season though.

“They felt that if they played, it would help not only themselves, but the team, but maybe the campus heal a little better,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said to the media during his press conference on Thursday.

The Spartans will travel to Ann Arbor on Saturday to take on in-state rival Michigan. For Izzo and the team, this is more than a game. It is a chance to help start the healing process for the Spartan community and all of those affected by Monday’s shooting.

“Games are important but not as important as some things,” Izzo said. “If you think back [to] many tragedies, sometimes sports can re-lift you a little bit.”

Izzo made it known that what was reinforced throughout this whole process of grieving and healing is understanding that everyone responds to negativity differently. For the Spartan players, getting back on the court will help them return to a sense of normalcy.

“As we looked at it and discussing this with our team, it was clear they wanted to get back on the floor,” Izzo said. “One way to get back to normalcy is to make things more normal.”

While MSU does have to game plan and draw up a scouting report for the Wolverines, that is not the team's top priority right now, understandably.

“It’s a strange time with everything we’ve gone through, but pausing to remember those that we lost on Monday night is first and foremost,” Izzo said. “We continue to pray for the individuals at the hospital that I got a chance to go visit.”

Michigan Athletics has been planning various recognitions for the victims of the shooting. The Wolverines will wear specially designed warm-up shirts. The student section will have specially designed shirts. There will also be a moment of silence with the Crisler Center lit up in green and white. The U-M pep band will play MSU’s alma mater. Finally, there will be a flag with the words ‘Spartan Strong’ displayed in the student section.

Izzo has been appreciative of all the recognition that Michigan Athletics is planning for Saturday’s game.

“Whatever they’re feeling, it would be reciprocated if the tables were turned,” Izzo said.

Izzo was also thankful for all the messages he received from Michigan head coach Juwan Howard and his assistants, including Phil Martelli.

“I have been overwhelmed by the people who’ve reached out,” Izzo said.

Izzo spoke at Wednesday’s vigil at The Rock on MSU’s campus. He said he was “honored” that he was chosen to speak at the event, which gave tribute the three victims — Brian Fraser, Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner — and the five students still in the hospital.

“I was overwhelmed to be honest with you, standing there looking out over that crowd,” Izzo said. “I’ve been through some celebrations. I’ve been through some tough times, but that was one of the more moving moments of my career.”

During his vigil speech, Izzo mentioned that his son, senior guard Steven Izzo, was near one of the buildings about 10 minutes after gunshots were fired.

Izzo clarified his son’s experience on Monday night during the press conference. He said that Steven was heading to the MSU Union to pick up his girlfriend, but the police told him to leave the area. Steven went to the Breslin Center and barricaded himself in one of the boxes inside the arena.

Izzo credited his chief of staff, Garrett Briningstool, for making sure each of the players were accounted for and safe.

“When you go through something that affects so many people, sometimes the bond you get with your players gets closer,” Izzo said.

While Izzo wanted to discuss basketball, the main topic of the press conference was the tragedy that struck East Lansing. However, Izzo did get a few words in ahead of the rivalry clash.

“You got two teams that have played pretty similar if you really look at it,” Izzo said. “We both had our highs and we both have had our lows.”

Michigan State and Michigan are both situated in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten standings (MSU is tied for sixth and Michigan is tied for eighth), which makes Saturday’s game critical for seeding come Big Ten Tournament time.

The Spartans haven't quite locked in a guaranteed spot to the NCAA Tournament just yet, but are in good shape. The Wolverines, on the other hand, still have a lot of work to do in that regard.

“Both teams are playing for a lot right now,” Izzo said.

Izzo hopes that the game on Saturday can be a moment of coming together for students and all those affected by the tragedy.

“The game will still be the game,” Izzo said. “Hopefully, it’ll make some students here and some students there sit at a local restaurant or pub or sitting at the dorms or just be together, be able to cheer or boo and try to get back to some way of looking at things in a normal way.”

The athletic department, led by Athletic Director Alan Haller, had a Zoom meeting on Tuesday discussing steps to recovery for the student-athletes. Mental health and the well-being of the student-athletes was the priority at the meeting.

“I appreciate our mental health people more than ever,” Izzo said.

Izzo is also using his platform as a Hall of Fame basketball coach to put his message out there about how to move forward as a community.

“We can’t do anything about what happened right now except hopefully doing a better job of making sure it doesn’t happen again, but we can do something about moving forward,” Izzo said.

Izzo also mentioned accountability as a theme of his childhood. Izzo said he was brought up with accountability.

“If we don’t start holding more people accountable, I don’t know if it’s going to change,” Izzo said. “We have a tendency, always, to blame the young people. We always say how much they’ve changed and what they do and what they are. No, look in the mirror fellas, ladies. It’s us who’ve changed. It’s us who’ve gotten more tolerant.”

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Watch/listen to Izzo's full comments to the media below.