WATCH: Michigan State's Tom Izzo Reflects on Maui, Looks Ahead to Minnesota
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State men's basketball has already had plenty of tests so far this season, but now is when the season ramps up.
The Spartans are preparing for Big Ten play, and from here on out, will find out who they really are.
Michigan State's first conference game will be on the road against Minnesota on Wednesday.
Spartans coach Tom Izzo addressed the media after his team's practice on Monday, reflecting on the challenges presented to them at the Maui Invitational while looking ahead to Wednesday's matchup.
You can watch below:
Below is a partial transcript from Izzo's media availability:
Q: You think you're ready for the wars of the Big Ten?
Izzo: "Yeah, I mean, I think we had one of our better practices. We're getting a little more confident, we're shooting the ball better -- that helps. And now, we got our full team back. I mean, Jase [Richardson] is back; his conditioning isn't there yet, so it will take a little time on that when you're off three, four or five days. But practiced a little bit yesterday, practiced pretty much full-go today, and everybody else is good to go, so we're good to go."
Q: It probably helped that Richardson healed the ankle a bit more, too.
Izzo: "Yeah, that's one thing. And I think he's as close to 100% as he can be. And we just feel like Minnesota's a funny team. They're missing their best guard, [Frank] Mitchell, and I'm expecting him to play, but he's been out -- he's missed like six games, seven games. But don't know. And they've been in every game -- they lost three games by a total of 10 or 11 points, so as you know, it's not an easy place to play up there."
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
