Izzo Angry About Roy Williams' Shot at Roe

Roy Williams took an indirect shot at MSU power forward Delvon Roe in his book "Hard Work: My Life On and Off the Court," and then a more direct one on Tuesday after the UNC/MSU game. In the book, Williams mentions a recruit that was going to be headed to Chapel Hill to play for his Tar Heels, but then "lied" to him by going to MSU instead. On Tuesday, Williams, speaking about Delvon Roe, stated that Roe "said he was coming, let's be honest."

Suffice it to say, Tom Izzo is not happy about Williams' comments relating to Roe, and about how it makes Izzo and the program look.  Roe didn't say anything in response to what Williams has claimed, which has made Izzo "very proud of how he handled it." Izzo was angry enough about the ordeal that he stated that "[t]he other thing I thought was wrong was the insinuation like, almost, that Michigan State did something wrong to get him. So he picked the wrong kid, he picked the wrong family and he picked the wrong program."

#21 MSU - 72, #4 UNC - 66

The men couldn't get it done against the Tar Heels, but the women sure could. Suzy Merchant's team beat UNC 72-66 at the Breslin Center last night in the MSU women's Big Ten/ACC challenge game. Lauren Aitch led the way with 15 points, and Alyssa DeHaan put in 14, all in the second half, to overcome 29 by UNC's leading scorer Italee Lucas. DeHaan was limited in the first half, playing only two minutes, due to foul troubles. The Spartans also won the battle on the boards, out rebounding the Tar Heels 42-39. This was the first time the North Carolina women ever visited the Breslin Center.

This is a nice win for MSU, as it helps you forget the opening loss to Dayton on the road, and the one-point heartbreaker to Notre Dame. These are the games top-10 preseason teams are supposed to win. Maybe Tom should've had the boys come in to watch this one so they could see what winning a marquee out-of-conference game looked like. In a weird scheduling quirk, MSU plays their first Big Ten game, their next being weeks away, on Sunday against Indiana at home.

Quick Hits - 12/2

MSU/UNC Debacle - That's how I'll describe this thing. Shot 43% from the field compared to the Tar Heels' 58%, that's not gonna get it done. It was certainly kinda nuts that they appeared to hit every shot, whether there was a hand in the face or not. What's really troubling was the ability for Ed Davis to take over in the post. He was dominating in there, and I'm really afraid that Big Ten 4's and 5's, like JaJuan Johnson of Purdue and Michigan's DeShawn Sims, will do the same during conference play. At least the play of Raymar Morgan has been encouraging so far, as he's got his scoring average back up to double digits, and led scorers on Tuesday with 18.

Notre Dame's Coaching Situation - Hard to figure this thing out. A report from IrishCentral.com this morning stated that Brian Kelly is set to become the Irish's next coach. However, a conflicting, albeit far fetched, report came out this afternoon that said Bob Stoops was the main man for the job. Whoever it is, they'll likely lose Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate, and just won't have the talent to make a quick rebound. The new coach better recruit, and quickly, if they want to avoid the short-term temper wrath of the ND fans.