Izzo did mention that he felt some of his new guys who haven't played a lot of minutes yet in their careers looked a little nervous, and that he's excited for his team to get thrown into the 'hornet's nest' at UConn next week.

There are always going to be some things to clean up after every team's first game together, and Michigan State was no different during

Smith was hired by former athletic director Alan Haller in November 2024 as a rising star who rebooted his alma mater, Oregon State. The Pac-12’s demise played a role in leaving his West Coast roots for East Lansing and picking up the pieces after the messy end of the Mel Tucker era.