Tom Izzo gives Darian DeVries solid words of wisdom before Indiana's NCAA Tournament push
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Tom Izzo gives Darian DeVries solid words of wisdom before Indiana's NCAA Tournament push originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Michigan State Spartans men's basketball coach Tom Izzo did his best to stick up for Indiana Hoosiers coach Darian DeVries amid a difficult stretch for the Hoosiers ahead of next week's Big Ten Tournament.
The Hoosiers (18-13, 9-11 Big Ten) didn't do themselves any favors to improve their bubble hopes, dropping a critical road game to Ohio State (20-11, 12-8 Big Ten) in Columbus Saturday, 91-78, in their regular-season finale.
Despite their late-season struggles, Izzo said if it were up to him, the Hoosiers would qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans (25-5, 15-4 Big Ten) swept the season series.
We did not do a great job of building on it, it's because they're a good team," Izzo told reporters this past Sunday. "Everybody asks me, 'Are they good enough to be in the tournament?' Read my lips: hell yes. It's just that somebody's got to lose some of these games. The league is so good."
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The Hoosiers, though, may just have to run the table and win the conference tournament to qualify for the postseason. Indiana has struggled down the stretch, however, over the course of the last month.
The Hoosiers are just 3-8 over their last 11 games, dropping back-to-back contests after a 30-point drubbing Wednesday against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-16, 7-12 Big Ten), 77-47.
“It’s the next chapter now. Play as many games as we can and win as many as we can," DeVries said. "All we can do is worry about the game in front of us.”
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The Hoosiers will have at least one more opportunity in front of them, as it's win-or-go-home moving forward.
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