BREAKING: Michigan State-Minnesota game will not be rescheduled, Tom Izzo confirms
The postponed game between Michigan State and Minnesota, previously scheduled for Feb. 15, will not be rescheduled by the Big Ten Conference.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo confirmed the news Monday morning at a press conference, stating he believed a formal announcement from the conference would come later in the day. The Michigan State-Minnesota game was postponed following the Feb. 13 shooting which occurred on campus in East Lansing.
“I’m a bit disappointed in the way it’s been handled at the Big Ten office…I don’t think they did a good job with anybody," Izzo said. “I do not think it was handled aggressively, early. As I look back, it might be one of those things because of TV, because of all the stuff, there’s just nothing that could be done. It’s too bad.”
When the Big Ten was still searching for options to rescheduling the game between the Spartans and Golden Gophers, one option being discussed was moving up a game between Rutgers and Minnesota from Thursday to Tuesday, which would have allowed MSU and Minnesota to play on Thursday.
However, Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell vetoed that option.
"First sending prayers out to Michigan State, the tragedy that they’re dealing with," Pikiell said in his postgame press conference following Rutgers' win over Penn State on Sunday.
"It’s really hard at this time of the year. We have NCAA mandatory days off, we have travel days, we have a lot of things that factor into changing games at this time of year. I know they [Big Ten] are looking for a lot of different solutions in different places. It’s really hard.”
Pikiell drew some heat on social media for an unwillingness to adjust his team's schedule, due to the circumstances of why the Michigan State-Minnesota game was postponed in the first place. However, Izzo came to Pikiell's defense today.
“There was not a lot of options, so do not blame him," Izzo said of Pikiell.
Izzo also said he knew Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson "wanted to do everything he could do to play it, and I do think Steve would have helped in any way he could. It just didn't work out."
As a result, Michigan State and Minnesota will be the only two Big Ten teams to play only 19 conference games this season. The Golden Gophers are cemented as the 14th and bottom seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament, but it is unclear how the Spartans will be affected by playing one fewer game.
Given the fact that the Golden Gophers are currently 1-16 in conference play, and that the game would have been played in East Lansing, it's very likely that Michigan State would have added to their win total if that game would have been rescheduled, thus helping the Spartans improve its seeding in the conference tournament.
Izzo took the high road on the subject of the Big Ten Tournament however, saying the Spartans could have helped themselves by holding on to beat Iowa on Saturday, or by flipping other close losses in conference play into wins.
“I don’t blame anybody on that, I’m just disappointed that there weren’t more options available," Izzo said. "But maybe there wasn’t [any], so maybe it’s nobody’s fault, just bad luck for Michigan State and Minnesota and we move forward. It is what it is, and that’s the way it works.”
Michigan State is currently alone in ninth place in the conference standings with a 9-8 record in Big Ten play. The Spartans are a half-game back from Iowa, Illinois and Rutgers, who are each tied for fifth place at 10-8.
Maryland, Northwestern, Indiana and Michigan are tied for second place in the Big Ten at 11-7, while Nebraska, Wisconsin and Penn State are tied for 10th place at 8-10.
Purdue (13-5) has clinched at least a share of its Big Ten-leading 25th conference championship, and will lock up the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament with one more victory. Ohio State (4-14) is locked in to the No. 13 seed.
