Michigan State hopes rare two-game road trip produces chemistry, wins - MLive.com

EAST LANSING – Michigan State players will have to pack a little extra when they take out their suitcase for the trip to Indiana on Wednesday.

Spartans coach Tom Izzo opted to turn the Spartans’ weekend into a rare two-game road trip and head straight from a Thursday night game at Indiana to Minnesota, where the Spartans play on Sunday.

Izzo said the schedule, with players having few Friday classes, allows the team to spend a rare five days on the road during January – a period of time he hopes will help players spend time with one another and escape some distractions from home.

“It all worked out where we thought it would be a little team time to get guys away were just us and them,” Izzo said. “They’re hearing and seeing so many things, we just thought it would be the right situation. You don't get many these opportunities.”

Major college teams typically don’t take multi-city trips in season, with games spread out enough to allow a return home in between. Michigan State could have returned home to East Lansing late Thursday night, spent a day at home and departed for Minneapolis on Saturday.

But instead, Izzo said his staff brought up the possibility of combining the trips, and he jumped at it, in part for the team chemistry benefits. This Michigan State team is already close-knit, he said, but getting away will still have its benefits.

Michigan State took a similar trip during the 2015-16 season, when the Spartans went to Dallas to see the football team in the College Football playoff in between games at Iowa and Minnesota.

There’ll be no major college football game this time, but Spartans will potentially get to practice at the Timberwolves’ facility on Friday and get to do a team outing – a Timberwolves game and the Mall of America have been mentioned.

“It’s going to be great bonding time,” forward Xavier Tillman said.

Izzo said that the trip was also designed in part for Cassius Winston, who coaches think would benefit from some time away from East Lansing.

“Maybe just trying to get away from some of this stuff and try to get out of the limelight,” Izzo said.

How the trip is judged, though, will at least partly depend on results, something Izzo said he’s prepared for.

“I think it’s going to work out well. As you know, if you win the game, it was probably one of the greatest decisions in the history of mankind, and if you lose the game, I’ll be the dumbest SOB in the history of mankind,” Izzo said. “So it’s going to be feast or famine but For me win or lose I think it was the right decision

Henry heading home

This Michigan State team is as filled with in-state prospects as any that Izzo has had. But for one player, a trip to Indiana is plenty meaningful.

Izzo said he hopes that Indianapolis native Aaron Henry returning to play against his home-state school produces some emotion from the sophomore forward.

“I hope Aaron is more jacked,” Izzo said. “And sometimes it seems like we get a little more cool and casual.”

Henry, for his part, downplayed the effect of playing at home for the second time this month after playing at Purdue on Jan. 12.

“Being from there, I don’t know if it means any more to me than any other game, but the most important thing on my mind is just being different as far as getting a win on the road,” Henry said.

Izzo still a Knight fan

On the occasion of a trip to Indiana, Izzo on Tuesday took a moment to reflect on his relationship with legendary former Hoosiers coach Bob Knight. Izzo recalled receiving a call from the coach soon after he received the job at Michigan State and how Knight told him his 1999-2000 team had national title potential. He said he hopes that Knight and Indiana can settle their differences.

“I still hope that someday they can mend that wound because the building should be named after him. The town should be named after him,” Izzo said. “The floor should be named after him. What he did for basketball, both Indiana in the Big Ten, you know, his records I don't think will ever be broken. And so for that I'm, I'm still a big Bob Knight fan.

Knight bought a house in Bloomington last year and has been seen around town in some of his first public appearances there since being fired in 2000 but has not attended an Indiana basketball game.

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https://www.mlive.com/spartans/2020/01/michigan-state-hopes-rare-two-game-road-trip-produces-chemistry-wins.html

2020-01-22 10:57:00Z
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