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Auburn basketball is hours away from meeting Michigan State in the Elite Eight, and Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl believes that his team has plenty to prove.
The Tigers hold the top overall seed in this season's tournament, but Pearl feels that his team is the "underdog" heading into the matchup with No. 2 seed Michigan State due to the Spartans storied history on the hardwood.
"Most of our guys are guys that were mid-majors or junior college or Division II. I'm not going to let Michigan State play the underdog card even though we're No. 1 seed and they're No. 2 seed, no, they're Michigan State. They're Kansas, they're Duke, they're North Carolina, and we're Auburn," Pearl said Saturday. "We know our place. We know what we're trying to go up against, and we know the uphill battle that it is when you play against a Hall of Fame coach and obviously a legendary program."
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo spoke with the media following Pearl, where he addressed the Auburn coach's comments regarding the team's "underdog" role. Here is what Izzo said ahead of Sunday's Elite Eight showdown in Atlanta.
"They're all different of course. (Johni) Broome is an incredible player, but the other two guys can make shots, and they can make shots from a lot of different places. To get 62 of their points, these guys are going to be challenged a little bit.We're going to have to do some different things with Broome because he scores it in so many different ways, and we've got a couple different things we'd like to do with him. But the other ones are just defend, defend, defend from long range, short range. They can put it on the floor. They can shoot it from the logo. We've got to make sure we try to contain them. We're not going to stop them, but we're going to contain them. If we can do that, we can get some rebounds, we can run, and I think that's a big part of our game too."
"I don't know. Every team's different. Bruce has done a helluva job at a couple different SEC schools, Tennessee and of course Auburn. I'm just grateful for who I have and what I have. We're different teams in a lot of different ways, we're similar teams in a lot of different ways. I don't know what's an underdog. You get to this point, and there are no underdogs. If wants to make us a favorite, I'm cool with that. If he wants to make us an underdog, I've been in that role before too. I think that's the advantage of being where I've been. We've been a 1 seed and gotten to the Final Four. We've been a 7 seed and gotten to the Final Four. I don't know if the seed matters. I don't know if the underdog matters. I think the players matter and how they play the game. Coaches get credit, the players play the game. So I look at it as, if we win, I'll take the credit. If we lose, I'll blame the players. That's what good coaches do."
"Well, I remember Jud Heathcote used a term -- Kevin Willis was in our locker room, my first year I was a GA. I remember him saying one day, Kevin, I've been conned by the very best in the world, so don't try it. I think Kevin was trying to get out of why he didn't go to a class or something, you know. Listen, Bruce and I are friends. We've been friends since he was at Iowa. He's done an incredible job there. Like I said, if -- I don't care where I am. I've been through so many of these. I've been a 2 seed that's been beaten by a 15. I've been a 1 seed that hasn't gotten out of the first weekend. So I don't buy any of that stuff. But if it makes him feel better, I'll be the favorite. I'm cool with that. Whatever they want me to be, I'll be, but the game will be won by the players, not the betters, not the media -- no insult -- not even the coaches. The game will be won by the players who play the game."
"I think it takes focus, it takes mentally getting past being fatigued. Physical fatigue, you can get through, but mental fatigue gets a little harder and there's a lot going on right now. I think it's going to take that. Then the little things. It's not going to be the big things. You're going to make shots. You're going to miss shots. Last night we blew a free-throw line cutout. Now that's sacred in our place. We don't want to do that. We gave up a 3 and an out of bounds play. We don't want to do that. There's certain things that we really try to steal points. I think to beat a team -- I guess they're not -- I guess Bruce doesn't think they're that talented, but I do. So to be the team that got guys that can shoot it from everywhere and got maybe the National Player of the Year on their team, we're going to have to do all the little things. We're going to have to get the loose balls. We're going to have to capitalize on free-throw shooting. We're going to have to capitalize on our out of bounds plays and hope they don't capitalize on theirs. The shots and the defense, I think both teams will do well. It will be the little things that I think will win or lose the game for you."
"Yeah, they bring it a lot of different ways. As you say, they can be frenetic in a way. They come at you. They have athletes. They have size. They're big guards, 6'2", but then it's 6'6", 6'7", 6'7". They bring in waves of people like that. I think that's one of the advantages of playing in these major conferences and playing good schedules is you get to see a lot of people and have to develop different ways to win games. I think for the most part what I learned, again, early in my career playing Wisconsin and Dick Bennett. We had to play him four times in one year. I was thinking about that if we would have had to play Michigan again. The fourth time, as I'm sure Pat remembers, was in Indy, and it was for semifinals. I think -- now, I'm not positive on the score, I think it was 19-17 at halftime. Hey, hey, hey, it was good defense. Some of your columns are brutal. Anyway, 19-17, I came walking up, and an old friend of mine Kevin O'Neill was doing something, and he looks at me and says, what was that? I said, you know what, we've got to do what we've got to do. After the game, everyone was like how are you going to stay with Florida? We beat them 90-70, or 89, whatever it was. I learned early in my career that you'd better be able to adjust and play big, small, fast, slow, fist fight or prom date. You can do a lot of different things, and that's kind of the way I try to approach my guys. We've got to be prepared because we're not just trying to win the league, you're always trying to go deep into the tournament. So I looked at it then early on, and I haven't changed much. We're not going to get caught up in what they do. I wasn't going to change Dick Bennett. He was one of the great coaches, and his teams are so tough and disciplined and they were going to be so patient. I wasn't going to speed them up. So if I had to play smash mouth, I learned how to play smash mouth. If I had to play race horse, I think my team can play race horse. I do think my team can't shoot the 3 like his team can, and we don't have an inside player like his, but we have ten guys that are on a mission, and the mission is to get to San Antonio. We're going to try to make that happen."
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo previews Elite Eight vs. Auburn
Continue reading...
The Tigers hold the top overall seed in this season's tournament, but Pearl feels that his team is the "underdog" heading into the matchup with No. 2 seed Michigan State due to the Spartans storied history on the hardwood.
"Most of our guys are guys that were mid-majors or junior college or Division II. I'm not going to let Michigan State play the underdog card even though we're No. 1 seed and they're No. 2 seed, no, they're Michigan State. They're Kansas, they're Duke, they're North Carolina, and we're Auburn," Pearl said Saturday. "We know our place. We know what we're trying to go up against, and we know the uphill battle that it is when you play against a Hall of Fame coach and obviously a legendary program."
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo spoke with the media following Pearl, where he addressed the Auburn coach's comments regarding the team's "underdog" role. Here is what Izzo said ahead of Sunday's Elite Eight showdown in Atlanta.
Defending Auburn's top playmakers
"They're all different of course. (Johni) Broome is an incredible player, but the other two guys can make shots, and they can make shots from a lot of different places. To get 62 of their points, these guys are going to be challenged a little bit.We're going to have to do some different things with Broome because he scores it in so many different ways, and we've got a couple different things we'd like to do with him. But the other ones are just defend, defend, defend from long range, short range. They can put it on the floor. They can shoot it from the logo. We've got to make sure we try to contain them. We're not going to stop them, but we're going to contain them. If we can do that, we can get some rebounds, we can run, and I think that's a big part of our game too."
Izzo's response to Bruce Pearl's "underdog" comment
"I don't know. Every team's different. Bruce has done a helluva job at a couple different SEC schools, Tennessee and of course Auburn. I'm just grateful for who I have and what I have. We're different teams in a lot of different ways, we're similar teams in a lot of different ways. I don't know what's an underdog. You get to this point, and there are no underdogs. If wants to make us a favorite, I'm cool with that. If he wants to make us an underdog, I've been in that role before too. I think that's the advantage of being where I've been. We've been a 1 seed and gotten to the Final Four. We've been a 7 seed and gotten to the Final Four. I don't know if the seed matters. I don't know if the underdog matters. I think the players matter and how they play the game. Coaches get credit, the players play the game. So I look at it as, if we win, I'll take the credit. If we lose, I'll blame the players. That's what good coaches do."
How much stock is Izzo putting into the "underdog" comment
"Well, I remember Jud Heathcote used a term -- Kevin Willis was in our locker room, my first year I was a GA. I remember him saying one day, Kevin, I've been conned by the very best in the world, so don't try it. I think Kevin was trying to get out of why he didn't go to a class or something, you know. Listen, Bruce and I are friends. We've been friends since he was at Iowa. He's done an incredible job there. Like I said, if -- I don't care where I am. I've been through so many of these. I've been a 2 seed that's been beaten by a 15. I've been a 1 seed that hasn't gotten out of the first weekend. So I don't buy any of that stuff. But if it makes him feel better, I'll be the favorite. I'm cool with that. Whatever they want me to be, I'll be, but the game will be won by the players, not the betters, not the media -- no insult -- not even the coaches. The game will be won by the players who play the game."
What it will take to beat Auburn
"I think it takes focus, it takes mentally getting past being fatigued. Physical fatigue, you can get through, but mental fatigue gets a little harder and there's a lot going on right now. I think it's going to take that. Then the little things. It's not going to be the big things. You're going to make shots. You're going to miss shots. Last night we blew a free-throw line cutout. Now that's sacred in our place. We don't want to do that. We gave up a 3 and an out of bounds play. We don't want to do that. There's certain things that we really try to steal points. I think to beat a team -- I guess they're not -- I guess Bruce doesn't think they're that talented, but I do. So to be the team that got guys that can shoot it from everywhere and got maybe the National Player of the Year on their team, we're going to have to do all the little things. We're going to have to get the loose balls. We're going to have to capitalize on free-throw shooting. We're going to have to capitalize on our out of bounds plays and hope they don't capitalize on theirs. The shots and the defense, I think both teams will do well. It will be the little things that I think will win or lose the game for you."
How Michigan State will guard Auburn
"Yeah, they bring it a lot of different ways. As you say, they can be frenetic in a way. They come at you. They have athletes. They have size. They're big guards, 6'2", but then it's 6'6", 6'7", 6'7". They bring in waves of people like that. I think that's one of the advantages of playing in these major conferences and playing good schedules is you get to see a lot of people and have to develop different ways to win games. I think for the most part what I learned, again, early in my career playing Wisconsin and Dick Bennett. We had to play him four times in one year. I was thinking about that if we would have had to play Michigan again. The fourth time, as I'm sure Pat remembers, was in Indy, and it was for semifinals. I think -- now, I'm not positive on the score, I think it was 19-17 at halftime. Hey, hey, hey, it was good defense. Some of your columns are brutal. Anyway, 19-17, I came walking up, and an old friend of mine Kevin O'Neill was doing something, and he looks at me and says, what was that? I said, you know what, we've got to do what we've got to do. After the game, everyone was like how are you going to stay with Florida? We beat them 90-70, or 89, whatever it was. I learned early in my career that you'd better be able to adjust and play big, small, fast, slow, fist fight or prom date. You can do a lot of different things, and that's kind of the way I try to approach my guys. We've got to be prepared because we're not just trying to win the league, you're always trying to go deep into the tournament. So I looked at it then early on, and I haven't changed much. We're not going to get caught up in what they do. I wasn't going to change Dick Bennett. He was one of the great coaches, and his teams are so tough and disciplined and they were going to be so patient. I wasn't going to speed them up. So if I had to play smash mouth, I learned how to play smash mouth. If I had to play race horse, I think my team can play race horse. I do think my team can't shoot the 3 like his team can, and we don't have an inside player like his, but we have ten guys that are on a mission, and the mission is to get to San Antonio. We're going to try to make that happen."
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo previews Elite Eight vs. Auburn
Continue reading...
